Inside of Me 2.0: My Story. With a 20-Year Lens.

Twenty years ago, I wrote a book about my life. Something that Inside of Me and its sequel, Inside of Me 2.0 (and yes, there is a pun intended with that), have in common is when I sat down to write them, I wasn't exactly sure what was going to come out; I was going to tell my story, which only I can authentically do, and we would see how things would go. As far as Inside of Me goes, it ended up being, what I call, my "sexual autobiography". That's because, back then, sex and relationships consumed a lot of my life. Now, 20 years later, I realize that this offering is more about...how and why I ended up making so many of the decisions that I did once upon a time. And why so much is different now. Better too.
Don't get me wrong: this book is still just as raw, candid and "oh well" as the first book was. Only now, I'm connecting some dots to give me an overall picture that has brought me to a place of real peace and full resolve...on so many levels.
Now, I will give you a heads up that just like Inside of Me was a bit jarring for some, Inside of Me 2.0 follows suit on a somewhat grander scale. That's actually why I decided to forego the traditional route (a popular publisher, someone to write the foreword, others to review it, etc.). This is me, with no need for anyone's validation or approval. I was 29 when I wrote my first book and 49 and 50 when I wrote this one. Things are different because...they're supposed to be.
So, if you read Inside of Me and you've always been curious about what happened to me since then or you've never heard of me before and you're wondering if I always write like I talk, check the book out. From family and friendships to spiritual conclusions and plenty of ah-ha moments along the way, in less than 200 pages, I will share where and who I am now...and why I love it so much...here.

Shellie R. Warren was told that, as a baby, her favorite toy was shaking newspaper. Now, almost 25 years after making the decision to make writing her (main) bread and butter, she has had her byline published in almost 80 different publications from Women's Health & Fitness and Your Tango to Honey and Upscale. Since Shellie is also a certified marriage life coach (and has been for over 20 years) and doula, it should come as no surprise that although she has served as an entertainment journalist and magazine consultant before, her passion is the area of all things relationships. Yep, pretty much not one day goes by when Shellie isn't penning something about how to make a marriage last, what to do when your dating dynamic sucks, the reasons why intimacy is paramount in a relationship or how to navigate your friendships (or get rid of toxic ones). In fact, a place where you can find her work pretty consistently these days is xoNecole; it's a Black women's lifestyle platform where she has happily been allowed to be her full self (and receive checks on time, which if you're a writer, you get what I'm saying) for several years now.Although Shellie is the consummate ambivert, that doesn't mean she's only spent time hammering away on a keyboard. Her gifts, talents and super candid personality have also afforded her the opportunity to spend almost 10 years touring with an organization that got people out of porn and sex addiction, to be the former teen mom director for the local chapter of a national non-profit for several years, to be present on media platforms in a myriad of different ways and to pen two books prior to this one: Inside of Me: Lessons of Lust, Love and Redemption and Pure Heart: A Woman's Guide to Sexual Integrity.If after reading this, you're wondering why you've never heard of Shellie, interestingly enough, she doesn't really do any social media. She left Facebook over 15 years ago and hasn't really looked back. That's not to say that she won't ever return but...she really does just like to say her piece on things and then...enjoy her peace. That said, she is in the process of developing a couple of platforms under a term that she likes (and wears) a lot, sanctuary maker and another term that she knows she needs to trademark (which is why she's mentioning it here in case someone tries to act like they came up with it when they absolutely know that they didn't) covenant doula. Why those? To Shellie, sanctuary making is all about basking in femininity and providing a place of safety and refuge. As far as covenant doula goes, Shellie learned years ago that the Hebrew meaning of her name has some covenant ties to it and, although she has never been married and has no children, she has been a "marriage midwife" to many and so covenant doula just...fits.When Shellie recently did a project with a group of her friends around her 50th birthday that consisted of them sharing what she brings to their life in one word, the answer that many gave was clarity. That tracks because a lot of what Shellie spends a ton of her time doing is receiving and offering just that: insight, revelation and yes, oh so much clarity. Her latest offering, Inside of Me 2.0. My Story. With a 20-Year Lens is just one more way that she strives to do that.Let the games begin.