Meet Shannon Dayhoff (Gill)
Founder, Chief Guide
Shannon started her own journey of transformation when she realized what an inconsistent leader she had been for many of her team members over the years. Growing up as the daughter of a bank CEO and holding Director and Exec roles in large organizations did not automatically make her a great leader of people. It took a Hero’s Journey saga of self awareness and challenge for her to uncover and embrace her true nature, a compassionate and inspiring leader with a strong dose of “GSD” (get stuff done). Taking control of her own mindset and skills was the first step in being a better leader, and a better person. She realized that unlike her beliefs from the 80’s and 90’s, work and life are not separate. We cannot just leave part of ourselves at home. Instead, we can embrace all of who we are in every aspect of our life and show up authentically.
After 20+ years of leading teams inside of large and small organizations, including Strategy, Learning and Development, Operations, Product and other roles, Shannon left her corporate career in 2017 to create Guided Ventures Group (GVG), an organization of coaches and advisors who use real-world experience to act as guides for others on their journey of leadership and professional growth.
In addition to being a continuous learner and research hound, she is also certified as an ICF PCC Executive Coach, Advanced Teams Coach, Birkman Consultant, Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Enneagram Practitioner, SAFE P.O. and many other credentials. Shannon uses these certifications along with her MBA from Georgetown University as tools to support the leaders she has the honor to help guide.
The Official Career Bio
Shannon Dayhoff (Gill) uses her 25+ years of business and leadership experience to support leaders and individuals during times of change and growth. She brings a diverse background in strategy, learning and development, product, operations and consulting in Fortune 100 to start up organizations. Living and working in Asia, Europe and North America, along with 20 years leading people, gives Shannon a unique perspective on business and personal development.
Prior to GVG, Shannon was Head of Strategy (North America) for Elavon, part of U.S. Bancorp and a top five merchant acquirer processor in the U.S. She also spent eleven years at TSYS, a Fortune 1000 player in the Payments space where she managed a team of professional services consultants working on behalf of clients (many in Europe). At TSYS she also built and ran the Learning and Development function (12+ people) and served as Product Strategy and Chief of Staff in the development of the Global Product Organization (built from 2 to 150+ people in 3 years).
Before TSYS, Shannon served as Director of Operations for a start-up education company in Baltimore, MD owned by Sylvan Learning Systems (e-Sylvan). She also spent five years living in Hong Kong where she developed consumer products while working for The Walt Disney Company and got her first job after Undergrad as the only western employee for a family-owned Chinese watch and clock manufacturer.
Shannon has her MBA from Georgetown University in Washington DC, and her BA from St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, NC (with a year at Stirling University in Scotland where she developed a “travel bug” for overseas experiences).
When not coaching or advising leaders, Shannon works on her passion project to bring positive and empowering messages globally through her Cosmic Kitty® brand. She can also be found spending time with family and friends, traveling, scuba diving or practicing yoga. Shannon and her husband Dwight currently live and play in Roswell, Georgia.