About the Author

Hours
Sunrise to Sundown

Email
ShaiLittlejohn@gmail.com

Location
Houston, Texas

Hi, I’m Shai Littlejohn.

I created Here In The Highlands to tell the story of how to find your own rhythm, chase what moves you, and create a better life. This story is as much my journal of personal experience and observation as much as it is a state of mind that I preserve daily.

I used to be a disheartened, and overworked Washington DC lawyer, but my journey culminated in an exciting life as a corporate counsel for an ethical, publicly traded corporation, an author, award winning songwriter, and a performer.

How did this happen? The short story is that I abandoned my traditional Washington law career to embark on a quest to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. My journey took me from Howard University (where I earned a BA in Journalism and a Juris Doctorate) to Berklee College of Music. From courthouses in Washington DC to stages in Nashville, Tennessee. From songwriter rooms to entrepreneurship, corporate offices, and board rooms. During this time, I also experienced the terminal illness and death of my mother. I’ll share how all of these things impacted me and what I learned in the process.

People often say if you don’t like where you are just change it, but I know that life is not that easy. I can’t wait to share with you the “how I did it” on these pages. Here In The Highlands is as much a state of mind as it is a calling to stay true to yourself, find a new rhythm, and to chase what moves you. I hope that my story inspires you.

From Where I Started to Who I Am

  • My Greatest Champion & Me

    While I was fortunate to have a stable home, by the time I hit the age of 8, my mother’s focus turned to climbing the corporate ladder. This meant that, most days, my life was filled with my dad, my sister, and me. My sister and I followed my dad to community meetings and court sessions, after which we’d file papers at his law office in exchange for a daily pay rate of $5 each. I could never give my dad enough credit for encouraging me and instilling in me confidence and self esteem. He’s simply been God’s greatest gift to me.

  • The Little Girl With Her Own Voice

    Mom always said that I had a smart mouth and a mind of my own. When mom wasn't working or complaining about “that mouth,” she was taking me shopping (so I knew how to buy quality clothes) or teaching me how to bake chocolate chip cookies and German Chocolate cakes. I always had clear opinions, and I rarely resisted the urge to “talk back” and share them. My consequence: hearing my mom snap, “Shai, go to your room and don’t come out until I tell you to!” I’d then grab my headphones, pump up my walkman, and transform into the greatest hairbrush singer ever known. My mom was a polished, c-suite executive, but at times I gave her the business, if you know what I mean.

  • College Days at Howard University

    One of the two most pivotal decisions in my life was to pack my bags for Washington DC and attend Howard University. My sister was already heading into her junior year when I arrived on campus. Howard was the first time, and only time, that I wasn’t a racial minority. I didn’t have to worry about representing my race or wonder if I’d be accepted by my peers. Howard was my first big leap: I was a sheltered girl from a midwestern town moving to a smart, diverse city. Howard taught me to take risks and be confident that I couldn’t fail. This is my sister Erica. We both earned our degrees in Journalism from Howard. In 2021, I moved to Houston, just five minutes down the street from her.

  • My Life In Nashville

    My decision to move to Nashville was the second most pivotal decision in my life, with the decision to attend Berklee College of Music being a close third. Had I not moved to Boston, I would never have moved to Nashville, but I never would’ve met Spencer had I not moved to Nashville. My life changed 180 for the better. I had forgotten the lesson about taking risks, but both Berklee and Nashville reminded me that change often requires leaps. I learned the importance of prioritizing the process of becoming exactly who I wanted to be and to spend my life dancing to my own rhythm and chasing what moves me.

  • Here In The Highlands is my story: one where a single, overworked and disheartened Washington lawyer discovered a revolutionary new life.

  • I know how it feels to be hopeless, frustrated, and stuck. My mission is to share the paths I discovered to a better life.

  • A new day is on the horizon. Change is coming soon.