Shadae Dunkley
Shadae Dunkley is an author, Office Manager, and CNA instructor whose writing grows directly from her faith. Her books began not as a career ambition but as an act of devotion, when messages she felt called to share eventually took shape as devotionals and published works. Her deepest conviction is that pain, rejection, and difficult seasons do not disqualify anyone from God's purpose, and that healing, however slow, can redeem every part of a person's story.
From a naturally quiet, reserved person who rarely spoke her deepest thoughts aloud, to an author whose words carry a boldness that surprises even those who know her, Shadae Dunkley's story is one of unlikely voice-finding. In this interview with Powerful Blueprints, Shadae talks candidly about the spiritual discipline behind her writing process, the message her books circle without quite stating directly, and what gets lost when readers assume confidence was always there. Good morning, Shadae!
What does Shadae Dunkley's writing environment look like before the first word is written?
Shadae settles onto her couch with a notebook and computer nearby, requiring quiet and a moment of prayer and reflection before any writing begins.
Before I begin writing, I get comfortable on my couch with my notebook and computer nearby. I like the environment to be quiet so I can gather my thoughts without distractions. I often take a moment to reflect, pray, and think about the message I want to share. Once I feel settled and the inspiration begins to come, I write down my thoughts and allow the words to flow naturally.
When did Shadae Dunkley first realize she was a writer?
Shadae recognized herself as a writer after recommitting her life to God, when messages she felt spiritually compelled to record gradually became devotionals and books.
I first realized I was a writer after I recommitted my life to the Lord. As my relationship with God grew, I found myself writing down the messages, lessons, and encouragement He placed on my heart. At first, I did not see myself as an author; I simply wanted to share words that could strengthen someone else.
But when those thoughts continued to flow and eventually became devotionals and books, I realized writing was not just something I enjoyed, it was part of my calling.
How does Shadae Dunkley build a book from the first instinct to the finished draft?
Shadae begins each book with a God-given message rooted in personal experience, moving through prayer and Scripture before writing, and considers the lived seasons behind those experiences to be as much a part of the process as the writing itself.
A book usually begins with a message or idea God places on my heart, often through something I have experienced personally. Before I start writing, I pray, reflect, and search for the Scripture that best connects with the message. I then get comfortable on my couch with my notebook and computer and begin organizing my thoughts. I write from my experiences, but I also think about the reader and what I want them to understand or feel.
The part that looks nothing like writing is living through the lessons themselves, praying, healing, observing, and allowing God to show me the purpose behind what I experienced. After the first draft, I reread everything, make corrections, strengthen the message, and arrange each section until the book feels complete.
What is the message Shadae Dunkley's books approach but never quite say directly?
Shadae's central unspoken message is that no history of pain, rejection, or doubt can cancel God's purpose for a person's life, and that the journey toward that purpose rarely looks the way one expects.
What I want to say to the world is that your past does not disqualify you from being chosen by God. You may have experienced pain, rejection, disappointment, or seasons when you questioned your worth, but none of those things can cancel God's purpose for your life. Healing may take time, and the journey may not look the way you expected, but God can use every part of your story.
You are still chosen, still called, and still capable of becoming who He created you to be.
What does Shadae Dunkley's readership almost always get wrong about who she is?
Shadae is naturally shy and reserved in person, and the boldness readers perceive in her writing is not an extension of outspoken confidence but the product of difficult seasons, healing, and a deepening trust in God.
People may read the confidence and boldness in my writing and assume that I have always been outspoken, but I am naturally a very shy, quiet, and reserved person. Writing gives me a voice that I do not always express as easily in person. It allows me to share the deepest parts of my faith, experiences, and lessons in a way that feels honest and purposeful.
The strength readers see in my words was not born from having an easy life or always feeling confident; it grew through difficult seasons, healing, and learning to trust God.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Shadae.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shadae Dunkley
Who is Shadae Dunkley and what does she write about?
As an author, Office Manager, and CNA instructor, my writing sits at the intersection of personal faith and lived experience. My books and devotionals grow out of messages I felt spiritually compelled to record, beginning after I recommitted my life to the Lord. The central theme running through my work is that pain, rejection, and difficult seasons do not disqualify anyone from God's purpose. I write for readers who have questioned their worth or wondered whether their past has counted them out, and I want them to know that healing is possible and purpose remains intact.
What is Shadae Dunkley's writing process before she begins a new book?
Before I write a single word, I spend time in prayer and reflection, asking for clarity on the message and searching for the Scripture that best connects with what I want to share. I settle onto my couch with my notebook and computer nearby, making sure the environment around me is quiet enough for focused thought. The process is as much spiritual as it is practical, because the ideas themselves usually come through something I have personally lived through, not something I have simply studied. I then begin organizing those thoughts and write with a clear sense of who the reader is and what I want them to feel or understand by the end.
What is Shadae Dunkley's core message to people who feel disqualified by their past?
At the heart of everything I write is the conviction that your past does not disqualify you from being chosen by God. Pain, rejection, disappointment, and seasons of self-doubt are real, but none of those experiences can cancel what God has purposed for your life. Healing may take longer than expected, and the path forward may look nothing like what you imagined, but God can use every part of your story. You are still chosen, still called, and still capable of becoming who He created you to be.
What does Shadae Dunkley say is the most misunderstood thing about her personality?
Having spent years writing with a boldness that surprises many of my readers, I am often assumed to be naturally outspoken and confident in every room I enter, but that is not who I am. In person, I am naturally shy, quiet, and reserved, and writing has always been the place where I can share what I rarely voice aloud. The voice readers encounter on the page grew through difficult seasons, genuine healing, and a slow-building trust in God, not from an easy life or effortless self-assurance. My work is honest precisely because it came from places that were hard to move through.
How did Shadae Dunkley come to see writing as a calling rather than a hobby?
After I recommitted my life to the Lord, I began writing down the messages, lessons, and encouragement that I felt God placing on my heart, without any intention of becoming an author. At first, I simply wanted to share words that could strengthen someone else going through something difficult. But as those thoughts continued to flow and eventually took shape as devotionals and books, I could no longer see the writing as incidental. That persistent, Spirit-led movement of words from my heart to the page was what made me understand that writing was not just something I enjoyed; it was part of my calling.
What part of Shadae Dunkley's book-making process looks nothing like writing?
The part of my process that looks least like writing is actually living through the lessons that eventually become the book. Before a single chapter takes shape, there is a season of praying, healing, observing, and allowing God to show me the purpose behind what I have experienced. That lived experience, including the difficult parts I would not have chosen, is the raw material everything else is built from. No amount of time at my desk can replace what happens when I am honest enough to sit with a hard season and ask what it is meant to teach me and the reader who will one day hold the finished book.