Some things about me that don’t fit in a traditional bio.
The best compliment I’ve ever received was from a student who told me I was “10 pounds of cool in a 5 pound bag.” I’m suspicious of power tools and labor-saving devices. Successfully dodging water from a sprinkler still puts a smile on my face. One of my life goals is to earn the descriptor of “wise elder”. My current anthem is “Glory” by Maverick Sabre. I garden (native perennials are my specialty), build obstacle courses, and throw projectiles (knives, axes, and spears). I’m still trying figure out the why of the last one.
I like things simple and understated. I like to get to the point. Hence this website’s austere look and feel.
Two mantras I whisper to myself throughout the day:
- “Trust your life”
- “Quietly create something beautiful”
There are times (possibly too many) that I believe that my wounds are the only wounds. I need good people around me to keep me in check. Watching a dog jump into the back of a truck is one of the most glorious sights to behold. I collect fitness tests, pump up songs and generous adjectives.
And running underneath it all is one question:
“How can I wring as much humanity out of this 5 foot 8 inch frame?”
What I’m Working On Now
These days my work sits at the intersection of masculinity, interiority, teaching, coaching, and becoming.
I write books about the hard interior work required to live with integrity. I coach football, where the locker room becomes a classroom for courage, accountability, and brotherhood. I teach at the University of Mary Washington, where my pedagogy — Rewilding — helps students reclaim agency and purpose.
Most recently, I’m building the Social Good Lab in the College of Business — a platform where students confront real-world problems while doing the inner work of becoming the kind of people who can lead with empathy, resilience, and self-possession. It’s Rewilding applied to social impact.
My Writing
I believe good things can come from radical transparency—being vulnerable and sharing one’s insecurities, darkness, and shame. My essays are where I practice that. They are where I explore my humanity, trek into my inner-life, and scrutinize my decisions to live this life as a teacher, father, coach, and man. I range from topic to topic. Sometimes manual labor. Sometimes gardening. Sometimes masculinity. Sometimes rewilding education. Every once in a while I’ll get a bit fiery. Most of the time, my writing is pretty contemplative.
You can find all of that on my Essays page.
Hear my voice
If you’d rather listen than read, here are a few interviews:
- “Creating a Culture of Commitment in the Classroom” (Economic Rockstar Podcast)
- “How to Start Massive Online Social Good Movements (with $50 or less)” (Shin Fujiyama Podcast)
- “Two Dollar Challenge|WVTF” (Here and Now|Radio IQ)
- “The Do-Gooder Industrial Complex” (The Good Problem Podcast)
The Early Work (Where My Pedagogy Was Born)
Before football and before writing books, I spent a decade helping students design and run social impact projects: La Ceiba Microfinance, the Two Dollar Challenge, Month of Microfinance, the Poverty Action Conference, and more. These projects earned national attention, but more importantly:
They were the first laboratory where my teaching philosophy — Rewilding — took shape.
That work taught me that meaningful change doesn’t begin with tactics. It begins with agency, emotional courage, and the willingness to be humbled by real people in the real world. Those lessons still guide everything I do.
Work Bio (1st person)
Born and raised in North Bend, OH, I earned my BA in Economics from Earlham College (Richmond, IN), my MA in Economics at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), and after having read Douglass C. North’s Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance I headed to Washington University in St. Louis to study under Doug. Doug would go on to my dissertation advisor for my PhD in Economics.
My first position was in the Economics Department at California State University San Marcos. My wife Kyra and I lived in San Diego (specifically, Hillcrest). When we got pregnant with our son Dillon, we headed to Virginia to be with family. We live in Richmond. Most of my free time is spent in the garden.
I’m currently an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Mary Washington, judge and board member of the Social Impact Media Awards, founder of the Two Dollar Challenge, and author of Rewild School, Football Is…, and Sidekick Manifesto. Over the years I’ve founded and helped lead projects like La Ceiba Microfinance, the Month of Microfinance, and the Poverty Action Conference. I’ve also served as a Clinton Global Initiative University mentor, an Opportunity Collaboration alum, a Feast on Good speaker, and the da Vinci Center’s first Change-Maker in Residence at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Work Bio (3rd person)
Shawn is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Mary Washington and the author of Rewild School, Football Is…, and Sidekick Manifesto. He coaches varsity football at Freeman High School and is the founder of the Two Dollar Challenge.
Shawn’s work sits at the intersection of teaching, masculinity, and social change. His writing and projects challenge conventional wisdom about “doing good,” invite students to become change-making animals, and call men and educators alike to do the interior work their outer work demands.
So, that’s me. Maybe not in 5 minutes. Maybe, more like 7 minutes.
Questions or comments? Send me an email: shumphre@umw.edu.