Neuroscience Innovator Shawnee Harkins Announces Co-Authorship of How To Survive and Thrive – Special Edition with Joe Foster
- Jul 1
- 4 min read
Frisco, TX — July 2, 2026 — Founder & CEO of The Harkins Method™ and The Harkins Project VRx™, Shawnee Harkins, officially announces the release of How To Survive and Thrive: Special Edition, now available on Amazon globally. In this powerful collaborative work, Harkins stands alongside legendary entrepreneur Joe Foster, Founder of Reebok, and a distinguished group of global leaders who have each transformed adversity into purpose-driven impact.
This release marks a defining milestone in Harkins’s career and mission—one rooted not in theory, but in lived experience.
By the age of twenty-four, Harkins had survived multiple life-threatening traumatic brain injuries that challenged her cognitive function, physical mobility, identity, and future. Once an academically advanced student, athlete, firefighter EMT, and celebrity trainer, she faced a reality where she struggled to process language, lost elements of her identity, and had to relearn how to walk, speak, read, and write again.
Rather than accepting limitations, she made a decision that would define her life’s work: Recovery would not be something she waited for. Recovery would be something she trained for.
That decision became the foundation for what is now known as:
The Harkins Method™ — Neural network of change
A neuroplasticity-driven system designed to train the mind, rewire the brain, and restore the body through integrated cognitive, physical, and behavioral conditioning.
Developed through lived experience, refined through years of application, and grounded in principles of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, The Harkins Method™ has supported individuals recovering from traumatic brain injuries, stroke, concussions, and neurological challenges in rebuilding function, identity, and independence.
How To Survive and Thrive: Special Edition captures a deeply personal and transformative chapter of this journey—offering readers a powerful message:
A diagnosis is not your identity. Adversity is not your endpoint. Healing is trained.
From personal recovery to global vision
Today, Harkins stands fully recovered and committed to scaling her work through The Harkins Project VRx™, a technology-driven neurorehabilitation ecosystem designed to expand access to brain health, recovery, and human performance worldwide.
This next phase integrates neuroscience, immersive technology, and data-driven training systems to bring neuroplasticity-based recovery to a global audience—bridging the gap between clinical care and real-world functional outcomes.
Global recognition and leadership
In addition to this release, Harkins has been recognized on the Brainz CREA Global Awards List 2026, honoring top entrepreneurs, innovators, and thought leaders who are making significant contributions to mental health, human performance, and global impact.
Presented by Brainz Magazine, the CREA Global Awards celebrate individuals who demonstrate exceptional vision, resilience, and leadership in advancing meaningful change.
The recognition comes at a defining time in Harkins’s career. In 2026, her work will be acknowledged across multiple global platforms, reflecting more than a decade of dedication to neurorecovery for traumatic brain injury, concussion, and stroke, rooted in applied neuroscience and lived experience.
Harkins has also been recognized as one of the Most Influential Leaders in Neuro Rehabilitation by The Executive Excellence Magazine and named Neurotech Pioneer of the Year 2026 by The Mirror Review Magazine—further solidifying her position as a leading voice in the future of brain health, neurorehabilitation, and human performance.
Order the book
How To Survive and Thrive: Special Edition is now available for purchase:
A message to readers
“This book is not just about surviving adversity. It is about rebuilding identity, reclaiming purpose, and stepping into what is possible for your life. I wrote this from a place of lived experience, faith, and unwavering belief in the human brain’s capacity to heal and transform. Now that I stand on the other side of healing, my mission is clear: To help others heal, recover, and rise.” — Shawnee Harkins
About Shawnee Harkins
Shawnee Harkins is a Neurofitness Trainer, Neurotrauma Performance Coach, and Founder & CEO of The Harkins Method™ and The Harkins Project VRx™. She is the creator of The Harkins Method™ Neural Network of Change, a neuroplasticity-based system designed to accelerate recovery from traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neurological conditions.
A survivor of multiple traumatic brain injuries, Harkins has dedicated her life to transforming the field of neurorehabilitation through innovative training systems, global partnerships, and technology-driven solutions.
At its core, How To Survive and Thrive: Special Edition reflects a truth that defines Harkins’s life and work: Adversity may change your path, but it does not define your potential.
This work is built on the belief that recovery is an active, structured process—one that requires discipline, belief, and the willingness to rebuild from the inside out.
As Harkins continues to expand The Harkins Method™ and scale The Harkins Project VRx™, her mission is to equip individuals with the tools, systems, and mindset required to reclaim ownership of their healing and their future.
Her vision is clear: to elevate the standard of care in brain health and neurorehabilitation, and to create pathways where individuals are no longer limited by prognosis, but empowered by possibility.
Partner in the future of neurorehabilitation
The release of How To Survive and Thrive: Special Edition marks another milestone in Shawnee Harkins' mission to transform the future of brain health, neurorehabilitation, and human performance.
Those inspired by her story are invited to continue the journey by visiting here.
There, visitors can explore the full ecosystem behind The Harkins Method™ — Neural Network of Change, learn more about The Harkins Project VRx™, discover Shawnee's latest media features, publications, and educational resources, and explore opportunities to work with her through personalized neurorehabilitation, consulting, keynote speaking engagements, executive education, and strategic partnerships.
Whether you are a survivor seeking hope, a caregiver searching for guidance, a clinician exploring innovative approaches to recovery, a healthcare organization, researcher, technology company, or conference organizer, Shawnee's mission remains the same:
To help people heal, recover, and rise by advancing a future where neuroscience, technology, and human resilience converge to redefine what is possible in recovery, rehabilitation, and lifelong brain health.
As Founder & CEO of The Harkins Method™ and The Harkins Project VRx™, Shawnee is actively building strategic relationships with mission-driven leaders who share a vision for transforming the future of neurorehabilitation through science, innovation, and scalable human-centered solutions.
Members of the media, podcast hosts, conference organizers, healthcare organizations, and strategic partners interested in interviewing Shawnee Harkins or discussing the future of neuroplasticity, brain health, neurorehabilitation, and The Harkins Method™ are warmly invited to connect.
Media, speaking, and partnership inquiries
The future of neurorehabilitation is not about accepting limitations. It is about unlocking human potential. The journey has only just begun.
