Heart Jam Journey: A Path to Healing and Harmony Within

Hayley Shines is a poet, lyricist, and storyteller whose words explore the tender edge between holding on and letting go. Born and raised just outside of Austin, Texas, she carries the rhythm of old soul music in her bones while writing with the voice of a millennial heart.

She first fell in love with poetry through the lyrics of Robert Hunter, the legendary wordsmith of the Grateful Dead. His ability to weave mystery, music, and meaning into every line sparked her own journey as a poet, showing her how words could hold both ache and transcendence. Her most prominent influences in writing today are Brené Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Mary Oliver, Maya Angelou, and Jack Kerouac.

As a mother, bonus mom, and wife, Shines writes with the wisdom of lived experience and the intimacy of someone who knows love in its many forms. Her work advocates for women, radical self-acceptance, and the courage to release shame. Through her poems, she taps into a collective female experience, transforming silence into solidarity and heaviness into healing.

At the core of her writing is a belief that friendship with yourself is the most powerful lifeline you can build. Her poetry reminds us that returning to girlhood wonder is not regression but renewal--an invitation to joy, play, and wholeness.

When she's not writing, you'll likely find her with music turned up loud, relishing a mix of the classics and modern rhythms that fuel her creative fire.