About

Meet Dr. M.

Perception is the lens you see reality through. Dr. M helps athletes shift that — turning pressure, setbacks, and doubt into the raw material for rising.

Dr. Shayna Markwongnark standing outdoors at a university campus
Dr. Shayna Markwongnark
In her own words

“My mission is to evolve the way the world thinks. Literally.”

Hi — I’m Dr. M. I’m a lifelong, obsessively curious learner, and I value authenticity in everything I do. For over a decade I delivered highly effective instruction to the youth of South Central Los Angeles. Today I split my days between mindset coaching and educational leadership as Director of Schools for a TK–12 charter school organization in Southern California — and I spend my nights teaching as a professor of clinical education at the University of Southern California.

As a little girl, I watched my immigrant parents prove through their actions what a bold, confident spirit can accomplish. I also learned early that boldness has a cost — and that discipline is how you pay it. I have been daring with my own life, and through extraordinary discipline I have reached every goal I have ever set for myself, no matter the circumstance.

Along the way I learned the cheat codes — as my teenage son would say. Now I share them. I help people feel empowered to find their true selves, dream big dreams, and actually accomplish them. That’s not a slogan. It’s my track record.

Are you ready to work with me?
Our story

It started with a son whose dreams scared him.

Dr. M speaking on stage to a packed audience at a Zenith Mindset live event
Dr. M on stage — “Evolve your mind. Literally.”

Zenith Mindset was born out of frustration, hope — and love. As an immigrant daughter, a mother, an educator, and a leader, Dr. M was told constantly that she couldn’t have it all. She ignored the naysayers. She raised her two sons, Shaun and Zeus, on her own terms — without surrendering her identity or her career. Then her first-born fell in love with basketball.

Like so many young athletes, Shaun developed limiting beliefs and held tight to a fear of failure. His dreams were so big they scared him. So his mother went to work — endless hours of research, formal training, certification after certification: mindset coaching, NLP, hypnotherapy, Time Line Therapy. She learned exactly how a mind builds its limits, and exactly how to take them down. Shaun is now a thriving, bold, successful student-athlete, well on his way to everything he desires.

The work didn’t stop at home. At USC, her students began seeking her out about their own limiting beliefs — and her evaluations said the same thing year after year: Dr. M was one of the most impactful people they had ever met, someone who changed the way they saw their own lives. She had spent her whole career teaching people how to learn. Now she teaches people how to retrain their brains — to live the life they choose. When the pandemic turned the world upside down, she made the call: it was time to empower the rest of the world, too.

“Success is when preparation — physical, emotional, mental — meets opportunity.”

That belief leads everything we do. It’s in the name: the zenith is the highest point. Dr. M’s work is getting you there.
Credentials at a glance

The foundation behind the work.

Six certifications in mindset, NLP, hypnotherapy, and human performance. A doctorate from USC. Two decades spent teaching people how to learn, change, and lead. This is what’s standing in your corner.

Mindset & performance

  • Certified Mindset Coach — The Mindset Coach Academy
  • Certified NLP Practitioner — ABNLP & ACCPH
  • Certified NLP Coach — ABNLP & ACCPH
  • Certified Hypnotherapist — ABNLP & ACCPH
  • Certified Time Line Therapy® Practitioner — Time Line Therapy Association
  • Certified Mindset Dimensions Practitioner — ICF

Education & leadership

  • Ed.D., Educational Leadership — University of Southern California
  • M.A.T. — University of Southern California
  • Two B.A. degrees — Mount Saint Mary’s University
  • Professor of Clinical Education — USC Rossier School of Education
  • Director of Schools — TK–12 charter school organization, Southern California
  • California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential · BCLAD (Spanish)
  • California Administrative Services Credential
  • Entrepreneurship Certificate
  • A decade of highly effective instruction in South Central Los Angeles
The 4M Method

The Markwongnark Mindset Mastery Methodology.

The 4M Method is Dr. M’s integrated approach to mental performance. Rather than generic motivation, it’s a personalized process: identify what’s holding you back, remove those inner obstacles, rewire the patterns underneath them, and move forward with ease toward the success you’re after.

See how we work together
Philosophy
Perception is not reality.

Perception is perception. The things that formed your mind — your thoughts, your experiences — formed the way you see yourself, and that view feels like the truth when it isn’t. We tend to assume how we perceive reality is an accurate picture of what’s real.

Dr. M’s work begins by questioning that assumption, then rebuilding the lens on purpose.

Ready to do the work?

Your next personal record starts in your mind.

Book a discovery call