Shilpa Madduri Reddy was born in the Bronx, NY. Her parents emigrated from India a year before she was born. She lived in NY until she was five, and spent her adolescence in Western North Carolina. In her twenties, she got involved with Passages Northwest because she loves the idea of more courageous girls in the world. For her, it is all about the journey; she loves this kind of work and watching other people move through their journey.

Some of her proudest accomplishments include (in random order): asking for help when she needs it, earning her BA in Geological Sciences from Cornell University, going on a six month solo road trip in a 1983 diesel van, captaining an 120-foot schooner and turning the boat using only the sails, doing a summer internship with NASA while in High School, and making a darn good loaf of bread just about anywhere.

Her greatest lesson in life so far is that the hardest journey is from her head to her heart.

In 10 years, she sees herself living in a straw bale house (that she built herself) with aerial silks for circus practice hanging from the ceiling, glass bottles embedded in the walls, and climbing holds to help her climb into the loft where she sleeps.