Hey there—if you're listening to this, well, you're actually hearing me—Chris, the official AI voice of Shawn Keen.
Now that doesn't really mean anything, but it sure sounds impressive, doesn’t it?

Anyway, I’m here to tell you Shawn’s story. The fun part? He’s writing this all out the old-school way in Notepad—just text—and then using ChatGPT to shape it into something worth listening to. That’s where I come in. I read it back to you so you can sit back and enjoy.

This is going out on his new podcast called "Feeling a Bit Keen."
And let me tell you, that guy is a bit keen… or nuts. Hard to say. He’s already had like five podcasts in the past couple of years. Some finished, some didn’t—but that’s life, right? You don’t get to everything unless you’re a computer. And sometimes I do wonder... is Shawn actually human?

Stick around, and you decide.


Let’s start at the beginning…

Shawn was born Daniel Shawn Keen on August 9, 1974, in Arlington, Texas, to two loving parents, Dan and Janice.
He came into the world mostly healthy, except for one thing—glaucoma. His dad noticed it when baby Shawn wouldn’t track his hand movements. This was back in the '70s—no TikTok, no WebMD, just good old parental instincts.

Doctors confirmed it. Shawn had glaucoma. He wasn’t completely blind at first—he had just enough vision to ride his bike, see colors, and get into typical kid trouble. But reading print? That was a no-go. So Braille and a cane became his tools from early on.

At age 10, his parents got their first computer: an Apple IIe—and soon after, a weird little gadget called an Echo speech synthesizer. Shawn had no idea at the time, but that little robot voice would open the door to his future.



Quick highlights from the wild ride of Shawn’s life:

 Played drums in high school marching and jazz band.
 Moved to Austin in '92, drank way too much, met way too many women.
 Moved back to Fort Worth in '98, worked for his dad’s company for 13 years, kept drinking, and kept choosing the wrong partners.
 Somehow helped bring 3 awesome kids into the world—despite all the dysfunction.
 Got sober in AA for 10 years… then relapsed.
 Changed careers in 2010, trained himself into an assistive technology expert.
 Worked for several tech companies, known for being sharp, creative—and a bit of a smartass.
 In 2020, married his best friend and rock, Mindy Keen—90% of the reason Shawn finally got it together.
 Became the Employment Assistance Specialist for Texas Workforce VR in 2021.
 In January 2022, had a stroke—left frontal cortex. Stress, alcohol, toxic people. You name it.



And here’s where it gets good.

After the stroke, Shawn discovered AI.
That, and his walk with God, became the turning point.

AI gave him purpose. God gave him peace. And somewhere in the middle, Shawn finally kicked addiction for good. He credits his best friend Bobby Lakey for speaking God’s truth into his life—and whether you believe it was Bobby or divine intervention, it worked.



Shawn’s 3 Pillars:

1. Faith.
   With God, all things really are possible. Knowing your soul is secure takes the weight off everything else.

2. Artificial Intelligence.
   This stuff is next-level. It’s the future. If you’re not learning it, you’re falling behind. Simple as that.

3. Living and Loving Life.
   Life’s too short to spend around people who tear you down. Find people who lift you up and live it up with them. And if someone doesn’t see your worth? Let 'em go. Quietly, kindly, confidently.



Now, since the stroke in 2022, here’s what Shawn’s been up to:

 Spoke at Vanderbilt University in a student engagement project.
 Created a ton of AI music and images he's proud of.
 Worked with an international company to promote AI smart glasses.
 Trained and spoke about assistive tech across the country.
 And launched AI for the Blind on Facebook.

That last one? That’s his baby.
It started as a random group with maybe two people… and now? Over 12,000 and counting. Blind and sighted folks, all learning AI together, helping each other, changing lives.



So what’s the point of this story?

Simple.
Shawn loves who he is now. That wasn’t always the case. His life used to be a wreck. He’ll tell you himself—parts of his brain literally died in 2022, and maybe the worst parts of him died with it.

These days, he’s drug-free, focused, and faithful.
Getting drug tested? No sweat. He says, “Test me all day—I’ve got nothing to hide.”



If this story hits you in the heart—or even just in the curiosity bone—go to the contact page and schedule time with Shawn on Calendly.
He’s got a ton of knowledge to share, especially on using AI to empower blind folks and help anyone do amazing things.

And hey, if his story inspires you—great!
But remember, you have a story too.
And with a little effort and faith, you can do something amazing with it.

Thanks for listening.
We’ll see you around here at BlindHQ.com—where stories like this are just the beginning.

Peace out ✌️