Shamontiel is a full-time freelancer who has worked in print and online publishing for 19 years and completed 247 interviews in varying niches. She's been an entertainment reporter, fact-checker in legal and medical industries, and worked the news desk in four newsrooms. If the native Chicagoan isn't writing or editing, there's a 99% chance she's trying to get her dog to stop picking fights with squirrels and rabbits, dancing to whatever Kukuwa Fitness video just released, hanging out at the lakefront or cooking a vegetarian recipe.