Lily Shaw is a heart-driven powerhouse actress who was rescued and inspired by the make-believe world of cinema at the age of 7.
A first generation Indian American, the first woman in her family to step away from tradition to pursue a creative profession, she has been a powerful voice for women’s empowerment since childhood, and now fiercely stands for social justice and equal representation.
Since 2020, Lily has also become an expert writer for Backstage magazine, ThriveGlobal, and Medium.
As an intuitive and award-winning speaker, Lily leads by example and motivates audiences, all over the world, to use their voice, own their gifts, and create their most empowered, authentic, and magical lives.
Dancing introduced me to Bollywood movies and acting at a young age of 7.
This fantasy world allowed me to escape all the pain and the heartbreak that came from growing up in a dysfunctional home…
I was on my own self-created stage, and at least—in my imagination—I was truly happy, and everything was alright with the world. Seeing life through the lens of a camera, I quickly embodied the belief that, eventually, everyone gets their Happily-Ever-After.
This ardent faith gave me the courage to pursue my heart’s passions. . .and so I set out on a path to create my own happiness, my own way.
One week after graduating college, I moved to LA, to achieve my childhood dream of becoming an actress on the big screen, and started to slowly and steadily build a career:
My FILM/TV career began by working with Christopher Guest:
My first comedy “All for Love: The Dance” was screened at 16 Black Film Festivals, across the country.
“The (In)Dependent Spouse” was the Official Selection for the 2019 SAFFA Chicago Film Festival.
My first lead role was in US-Canadian production”Killer Punjabi,” shot in LA and Vegas, and had a limited theatrical release in India, US, and Canada
My latest role in Crypt TV’s horror show, “The Girl in the Woods,” has me playing Kal Penn’s wife.
My STAGE highlights include performing:
dual role of a spirited young and an angry old woman in “The Alchemy of Imperfection”
headstrong daughter of a landlord in 1920s in “The Proposal,”
a ruthless terrorist in “Female Terrorist Project,”
My FAVORITE stage role still remains playing the undercover cop, “Ms.Orange,” (played on-screen by Tim Roth) in an all-female adaptation of “Reservoir Dogs.”
However, another truth quickly dawned on me, that in order to make my dreams a reality, I had to chart my own course.
This is where spiritual teachings entered my life, and transformed my perspective:
And for the last 10 years, I’ve been providing intuitive guidance and spiritual perspective to friends, family, and fellow actors, and now, globally, using my life story, in a way that inspires people to turn their pain into their superpower.
Allowing me to hone my SPEAKING skills: a hobby that started in college, with a speech about ‘The Mona Lisa’ ---culminating with a win of 17 trophies and radio and newspaper interviews and mentions -- in a span of year and half.
As a published WRITER for Backstage, ThriveGlobal, and Medium, I’m thrilled to share my entire life experience with the readers in a way that heals and empowers us all!
I’m happy to say that I had some initial success as an actress. But none of my talent, skill, and hard work seemed to matter, as, in the long run, I just couldn’t breakthrough.
My first agent put it quite succinctly: “if you only had the right look, you could be Sandra Bullock.”
So, I saddled up for yet another battle . . . to be seen and heard, to be treated fairly, to be valued for my talents, and to achieve the highest level of success, without fear of retribution.
I’m committed to performing roles where women are empowered; where voices are heard; and where wisdom is applauded.
And in the process, opening new doorways for young women & men and enabling them to step into their artistic joy and opportunity.
