Born into a dysfunctional family in Oakville, Ontario, in the 1950s, Jo-Anne Shaw was forced to leave home at sixteen to escape her abusive father. A high-school dropout, she would go on to endure two abusive marriages and years of serious depression.
When she became a single mother of four, she knew something had to change for her children's sake.
Defying all the odds, Shaw went back to school, got her Master of Social Work, and became a successful psychotherapist. Her past gave her the insight and compassion she needed to help others who suffered abuse and mental health challenges. By channeling her own pain, she could become a beacon of hope for those who were struggling. As a therapist, she could show women in abusive relationships that they could heal, leave their abusive partners, become financially independent, and finally be free.

Dare to Dream, Joe Shore demonstrates how harmful patterns can be challenged, disrupted, and replaced with a healthier path to a brighter future. With humour and grace, Shaw tells her inspiring tale of resilience and survival, sharing how she navigated the challenges of those early years and finally attained her academic and career goals and the most elusive goal of all: happiness.

Jo-Anne Shaw is a psychotherapist with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Social Work specializing in psychotherapy. She was also a Canadian Certified Counsellor and has worked at crisis centres for abused women and children. She has always had an interest in writing, and she enjoys spending time with her young grandsons, as well as doing volunteer work, biking, reading, and travelling the world with her husband. Now retired, she lives in Bucerias, Mexico, with her husband and their little cockapoo, Nelson.