The challenges for professional women have never been greater than they are today. Balancing professional careers, family life, and interruptions brought on by the pandemic have been daunting.

Add in teaching at a University and creating children's literature and you have the real life story of a well know Northwest personality Shannon O'Donnell.

Shannon's personal story of how she has overcome the obstacles, realized opportunity and pursued her passions, all while being able to maintain balance is a model for professional women today.

She will share how she is able to manage the many daily demands, career pressures, family responsibilities and maintain a work-life balance that allows her to pursue her passions.

Meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell joined the KOMO4 Forecast Team in 2009. She covers the weather for Western Washington on the weekday evening shows for KOMO4 News & Northwest News Radio 1000, formerly KOMO radio.

Additionally Shannon teaches Meteorology at the University of Washington, and is working on a few pieces of children's literature that she hopes to publish to help benefit the National Sarcoidosis Foundation and the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.

Shannon has two children and lives in Seattle with her family and her Golden Retriever, Max.

Hailing from the Sammamish Plateau, Shannon is a graduate of Redmond High School and the University of Washington, where she earned a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences. She earned her AMS Seal of Approval in 1998.

Shannon has received numerous awards in her field, including 'Best Meteorologist' by the Golden Gate Chapter of the American Women in Radio in Television in 2005 and 2006. She was part of the multiple Emmy-winning morning news program at KNTV, and has been featured in Men's Health magazine.