Beth Shuey, now publicly known as Beth Shuey McGuire, is an American author and ministry founder who first became widely known through her marriage to NFL coach Sean Payton. The couple married in 1992 and had two children, Meghan and Connor, before divorcing in 2014.
Since the end of her marriage, Shuey has developed a public identity separate from professional football. She co-authored the book Beautiful Ashes, founded Beautiful Ashes Ministries and has worked with people dealing with divorce, marital difficulties and other painful life transitions.
| Biography Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Beth Shuey McGuire |
| Former Name | Beth Shuey |
| Known For | Sean Payton’s ex-wife; author and ministry founder |
| Profession | Author, ministry founder, speaker |
| Ex-Husband | Sean Payton |
| Marriage to Sean Payton | 1992–2014 |
| Children | Meghan Payton and Connor Payton |
| Current Husband | Jamie McGuire |
| Education | Indiana State University |
| Book | Beautiful Ashes (2022) |
| Ministry | Beautiful Ashes Ministries |
| Previous Ministry Work | Divorce Care Leader and Care Coach |
| Current Residence | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Birth Date | Not reliably verified |
| Age | Not reliably verified |
| Net Worth | Not reliably verified |
| Nationality | American |
Early Life and Background
Public biographies commonly place Beth Shuey’s roots in Indiana and identify Indiana State University as an important part of her early adult life. Sean Payton’s established biographical record confirms that he met Shuey while coaching at Indiana State, where she was a student and later became a graduate.
Some online biographies report that Shuey was born in 1968 in Morocco, Indiana, and attended North Newton Junior-Senior High School before studying marketing at Indiana State University. However, these details are not as strongly documented as the information about her university connection to Payton, so her exact birth date and other early-life specifics should be treated cautiously.

Education
Shuey attended Indiana State University, where she studied before marrying Sean Payton. Her connection with the university is particularly notable because Payton was working there as a football coach when the two met.
Some biographies identify marketing as her field of study, but a detailed official university biography is not readily available. For that reason, the broader fact of her Indiana State education is more firmly established than specific academic details.
Marriage to Sean Payton
Beth Shuey married Sean Payton on July 11, 1992. At the time, Payton was still building his coaching career and was years away from becoming the nationally recognized NFL head coach he would later become. IMDb’s biographical record lists the marriage as lasting from 1992 until their divorce in 2014.
Their marriage covered much of Payton’s rise through professional football. He eventually became head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2006 and led the team to victory in Super Bowl XLIV following the 2009 NFL season.
The couple had two children. Their daughter, Meghan, was born in 1997, and their son, Connor, was born in 2000.
Beth Shuey’s Children
Shuey and Payton have two children, Meghan and Connor. Both grew up during their father’s increasingly prominent coaching career.
Meghan has developed a public career connected to sports media, while Connor has generally maintained a lower public profile. Because both are adults, details about their private lives are best limited to information they have publicly shared themselves.
Divorce From Sean Payton
Shuey’s marriage to Payton ended in divorce in 2014. The separation attracted attention because of Payton’s prominent position in professional football.
Rather than continuing to build her public identity around the divorce, Shuey later used the experience as the basis for work focused on recovery and personal growth. Her own ministry describes her as someone who experienced a painful public divorce and subsequently developed a desire to help others facing similar circumstances.
Her book Beautiful Ashes also draws directly from that period of her life. The official ministry describes the book as a story of restoration and healing following a difficult divorce.
Career and Ministry Work
Shuey’s later career has centered more on writing, faith-based work and helping people through difficult personal circumstances than on the entertainment or sports industries.
She previously served as a Divorce Care Leader and one-on-one Care Coach at Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, Texas. According to her official biography, she later returned to that work after a period away.
Her work eventually developed into Beautiful Ashes Ministries. The organization describes its mission as offering hope and healing to people who feel stuck in painful periods of their lives. Shuey has also participated in retreats and workshops connected with the ministry.
Beautiful Ashes
In 2022, Beth Shuey McGuire published Beautiful Ashes. The book was published by Beautiful Ashes Book, LLC on September 29, 2022.
The book explores Shuey’s experience of divorce and the process of rebuilding her life afterward. It was later expanded into a second edition with Victor Fadool, who became her collaborator in the ministry. The official Beautiful Ashes website describes the book as a testimony focused on restoration, hope and healing.
Shuey and Fadool also launched a Beautiful Ashes podcast series in 2022–23. The series discusses themes from the book, including family, community, direction and healing.
Beautiful Ashes Ministries
Beautiful Ashes Ministries grew out of the work surrounding Shuey’s book. The organization’s official materials identify Shuey as its founder and describe her work with women navigating difficult circumstances and couples experiencing problems in their marriages.
Public nonprofit records also identify Beth Ann Shuey McGuire as president/chair of Beautiful Ashes Ministries Inc.
The ministry’s activities have included retreats, workshops and other faith-based events designed around personal reflection, community and healing.
Second Marriage and Life Today
After her divorce from Payton, Shuey married Jamie McGuire. Her author biography identifies her as Beth Shuey McGuire and says that she and Jamie reside in Raleigh, North Carolina. It also describes Jamie as a longtime real-estate agent.
Shuey has continued her writing and ministry work while maintaining a comparatively private personal life. Her current public identity is more closely associated with Beautiful Ashes than with her former marriage to Payton.
Beth Shuey Age
Beth Shuey’s exact date of birth is not firmly established in authoritative public sources. Several biographical websites report 1968 as her birth year, but that information is not sufficiently documented to establish an exact age with confidence.
For that reason, a specific current age is not presented as fact.
Net Worth
There is no reliable, independently verified estimate of Beth Shuey’s current net worth. Figures published by celebrity-biography websites are not supported by sufficient financial documentation.
A specific net-worth figure is therefore omitted.
Interesting Facts About Beth Shuey
- Beth Shuey is now publicly known as Beth Shuey McGuire.
- She met Sean Payton while he was coaching at Indiana State University.
- She and Payton married in 1992 and have two children, Meghan and Connor.
- She co-authored Beautiful Ashes, published in 2022.
- She previously worked as a Divorce Care Leader and Care Coach at Cross Timbers Church.
- She founded Beautiful Ashes Ministries after the publication of her book.
- She and Victor Fadool created a Beautiful Ashes podcast series focused on healing and personal growth.
FAQs
Who is Beth Shuey?
Beth Shuey, now Beth Shuey McGuire, is an American author and ministry founder. She is also known for her former marriage to NFL coach Sean Payton.
Is Beth Shuey Sean Payton’s ex-wife?
Yes. Beth Shuey and Sean Payton married in 1992 and later divorced in 2014. They have two children together.
How many children does Beth Shuey have?
Beth Shuey and Sean Payton have two children: daughter Meghan and son Connor.
What is Beth Shuey known for besides being Sean Payton’s ex-wife?
She is an author and the founder of Beautiful Ashes Ministries. She has also worked as a Divorce Care Leader and Care Coach and has participated in faith-based retreats and workshops.
What book did Beth Shuey write?
She co-authored Beautiful Ashes, which was published in September 2022. The book focuses on her experience with divorce, recovery and faith.
Who is Beth Shuey married to now?
Public author information identifies her as Beth Shuey McGuire and states that she is married to Jamie McGuire. The same biography says they reside in Raleigh, North Carolina.
What does Beth Shuey do now?
Shuey is involved with Beautiful Ashes Ministries, where she works around themes of hope, healing and personal restoration. She has also participated in retreats, workshops and related podcast projects.
Conclusion
Beth Shuey’s public story began with her marriage to Sean Payton, but her life has since developed in a different direction. She became a mother of two, experienced a highly public divorce and later turned that experience into writing and faith-based work focused on helping others through difficult transitions. Through Beautiful Ashes and Beautiful Ashes Ministries, Shuey has established a public identity that extends well beyond her connection to professional football.
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