HOW WE ROLL
FI NA NCI A L EN TR EPR EN EU R
Shawnique Cotton
Shawnique Cotton is pushing through health setbacks to make her first million dollars and help others with disabilities reach financial self-sufficiency. And she’s doing it in memory of her brother, Karsten.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
W
hen Shawnique and Karsten Cotton were in their early 20s, they started a race to see who would make their first million. From an early age, the two knew how to flip any item and make a profit — a strategy Shawnique, who is now 50, still uses today. But for her, the race to $1 million was put on hold. Not because she became a C7 quadriplegic after being shot in the back by a stranger at a Pittsburgh nightclub in 1991, but because, years later, she battled dizziness, extreme fatigue and sensitivity to light and sound. “I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t hold a traditional job,” says Cotton. “I had a small convenience store back in the ’90s. I’d try to work it myself, but I’d get real sick and ended up having to hire people to run it for me.” Then, in 2018, Cotton attended a presentation from a fellow quadriplegic who was the peer outreach coordinator for the Brain Injury Alliance. As he spoke, she realized she wasn’t dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome, but with a
ONE PIECE OF LEGISLATION I’D LOVE TO SEE: Medicare for All, because my mom died after the insurance company wouldn’t cover her medication.
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NEW MOBILITY
traumatic brain injury from hitting her head on the nightclub floor following the shooting. Armed with this new information, doctors gave her the tools to rejoin society. “I just have to do things moderately. I plan everything out,” she says. “If someone sends me to a speaking engagement, I prepare three days in advance to make sure I’m well rested. I’ve changed my diet by eating less meat and working toward vegetarianism. My life has done a 180, and I’m grateful.” Her road to recovery from her TBI led to a successful reign as Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2019. Her platform was about leadership and financial self-sufficiency — a message she continues to spread as the president of United Spinal Association of Arizona, where she runs workshops on investing and financial literacy. Cotton is flexing her entrepreneurial muscles again as she prepares to establish an alternative lending business for entrepreneurs. “Now I’m ready to start the race back up,” she says. She got a huge boost when she invested part of the
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: I have a Quickie manual chair. It’s orange, it’s bright, and I love it because it truly fits who I am on the inside.
