Today we’d like to introduce you to Shana Levin.
Hi Shana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My path has been anything but traditional. Growing up, school was always a struggle. I was often put into the ‘slower’ classes, and was called “stupid” by classmates and even teachers. No one ever suggested there might be a reason. As it turns out, I have dyslexia and dyscalculia, but I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 35 and getting ready to go to grad school.
I was a competitive gymnast for 13 years, and that helped give me a sense of identity. But when an injury forced me to stop at 17, everything unraveled. Soon after, I dropped out of school. I left home not long after that.
I struggled in my early years on my own, including a period of substance abuse. Fortunately, someone eventually saw some potential in me and encouraged me to go back to school. I earned my GED at 21 and slowly worked my way from a community college into the University of Minnesota, ultimately earning two Bachelor of Science degrees in Health and Physical Education.
Even then, things weren’t easy. College was a daunting effort, with lots of extra credit and negotiated retakes needed to pass some classes. But I had some professors who believed in and encouraged me. After graduating I planned to become a teacher, but I couldn’t pass the required licensing exams. I tried 5 times to pass the math portion, but the stressful environment and strict oversight caused me to panic and fail. There were no calculators and I remember being scolded at one point for counting on my fingers! I eventually gave up and decided to walk away from that path.
I moved to Montana seeking adventure and a change of pace, and met my husband. I worked lots of random jobs, including childcare, and various office and lower management positions.
I found my way to acupuncture after a car accident left me dealing with severe whiplash and concussion symptoms. Acupuncture played a major role in my recovery. My symptoms were bad enough that I struggled to return to work in a bright, fast-paced office, and I ended up managing an acupuncture clinic. While working there I saw firsthand how powerful acupuncture could be. I watched people come in stressed out and in pain, and leave blissed out and relieved. I had always known that I wanted to help people somehow, and seeing the power of this medicine, I decided I wanted to pursue it myself.
Not long after, while contemplating applying to grad school, someone suggested I might have dyslexia. I did not have the stereotypical symptoms, but it turns out there is much more to dyslexia than ‘flipping letters’. I did some research and began to think they might be right, and decided to look into a diagnosis. After testing, I learned I was severely dyslexic with phonetic and working memory challenges. I learned that I also have dyscalculia, which is essentially dyslexia for math. For the first time, my past struggles started to made sense.
I moved to Portland to attend the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, one of the best Acupuncture schools in the country. With my recent diagnosis, I was able to have accommodations for the first time in my life. I was granted extra time on exams, a quieter testing space, and collaborative note-taking; things that actually supported how I learn! It changed everything. I went on to pass all of my national acupuncture board exams on the first try.
After graduating, my husband and I settled near McMinnville, Oregon, and I opened Peaceful Owl Acupuncture. Starting a business right out of school in a new area and choosing a cash-based model was a risk and a huge leap of faith, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. My practice was successful early on and continued to grow quickly, which I’m incredibly grateful for. I truly love what I do.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all.
For much of my life, I felt like I was failing in systems that weren’t built for how my brain works, and had no flexibility to adapt to someone who learned differently. Struggling in school without understanding why, being labeled in ways that affected my self-worth, and pushing through higher-education without support were all major challenges.
Academically, I had to work much harder than most to achieve the same outcomes. Not being able to pass the teaching licensure exams and having to walk away from that path was a significant blow after working so hard to put myself through university. I knew I would have been an amazing teacher, and it felt so unfair for what seemed like an arbitrary and unrelated test to keep me from that.
There were also personal challenges; leaving home as a teen, navigating unhealthy environments, and rebuilding my life from the ground up.
Even after deciding to go to graduate school and discovering my learning disabilities, I was told by many that my chances of success were unlikely. And starting my own business came with a lot of uncertainty, especially in a brand-new area without an established network of clients or support.
But what those experiences all shared was that they built resilience. They taught me how to adapt, how to persist, and how to find another way forward when the traditional path wasn’t working for me.
As you know, we’re big fans of Peaceful Owl Acupuncture. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m the owner of Peaceful Owl Acupuncture, where I focus on helping people heal and feel better in their bodies in a way that’s both effective and deeply restorative.
I specialize in pain management, injury recovery, and women’s health, especially supporting those with chronic conditions like endometriosis, which I also have personal experience with. My perspective and past experiences help shape how I care for my patients. I prioritize making sure they feel seen, heard, and taken seriously.
What sets my practice apart is how individualized the treatments are. I don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach, instead I look at the whole person; their history, their symptoms, and how everything ties together. This allows me to naturally look for patterns and connections that might be missed by the typical symptom-only based approach that is common with western medicine.
I chose to run a cash-based practice so I could spend more time with patients and focus on quality of care. I’ve also expanded to include a small retail space with thoughtfully chosen wellness products I genuinely believe in.
What I’m most proud of is building something that feels aligned with who I am. Dyslexia, which once felt like a limitation, has become one of my greatest strengths. It allows me to think differently, seeing the bigger picture and approaching both patient care and business in a more intuitive and creative way.
How do you think about luck?
There are moments in my story that could be called luck, but I see them more as turning points.
Someone encouraging me to go back to school. A couple of professors who believed in me and gave me a second chance. A conversation that led my husband and me to move to Oregon. Even the car accident that pushed me into managing an acupuncture office; those moments all changed my path.
At the time, many of them didn’t feel like luck. Some felt like setbacks or unexpected detours. But looking back, they ended up being exactly what I needed.
I’ve come to believe that what people call “luck” is often being open enough to recognize an opportunity, and resilient enough to take it.
For most of my life, I was made to feel like I wasn’t capable because I didn’t learn the way others did. But learning differently doesn’t mean lacking ability, it often means having a completely different set of strengths.
Some of the most capable, creative, and driven people don’t fit into traditional systems. As a society, we need to stop discrediting people’s potential just because they learn differently.
Dyslexia didn’t hold me back, it forced me to build a different way forward. And that difference is exactly what helped make me the practitioner and business owner I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peacefulowlacu.com/
- Instagram: peaceful.owl.acupuncture
