Personality by Design
What if you could become the person who can create the future you want?
Shannon Sauer-Zavala, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, personality scientist, and Professor at the University of Kentucky studying how people can intentionally change the patterns that shape who they are.
160+
Scientific Publications
$10M
Research Funding
Professor
University of Kentucky
FORTHCOMING BOOK
What if your personality isn't something you're stuck with, but something you can intentionally shape?
Drawing on decades of personality science and 15+ years of her own research on how people change, Shannon Sauer-Zavala shows readers how to identify the personality patterns standing between them and the lives they want, and how to change them.
The Personality Edit
Coming August 2027 from New Harbinger Publications
Meet Shannon
Psychologist | Personality Scientist | Professor
For more than 15 years, my research has focused on a deceptively simple question: How do people change?
I started by developing more efficient treatments for mental health problems. That work eventually led me to personality: the patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that shape not only our mental health, but our relationships, careers, and the lives we build.
Today, I study how we can change those patterns intentionally, and how to translate that science into practical tools people can use in their everyday lives.
You're not just "wired this way." Your personality is a starting point, not a life sentence.
The research says you can change. The tools exist. You just haven't had a map yet.
NEW BOOK | August 2026
The BPD Compass Workbook
Who it's for: People diagnosed with BPD, or who suspect they have it. Also therapists using it with clients.