Hooked on the Wizard of Oz
Helping young patients build courage through storytelling, performing arts, and social-emotional learning.
A storybook-inspired curriculum that transforms hospital time into an exploration of creativity, confidence, and growth.
Why This Program Exists
The six-week pilot was inspired by my own experience as a pediatric patient. Just four days into sixth grade, I was admitted to a children's hospital and remained there for six weeks. While I received outstanding medical care, I returned to school academically behind.
I didn't lose my ability—I lost six weeks of classroom instruction. When I returned, I was moved from Math A to Math B, even though mathematics had always been one of my strongest subjects.
That experience stayed with me for the rest of my life. It taught me that hospitalization can interrupt much more than a child's health. It can affect confidence, learning, friendships, and the excitement of returning to school. My goal is to help today's pediatric patients leave the hospital with greater confidence than when they arrived.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to discover the courage that already lives within them.
Why This Program Is Different
Hooked on the Wizard of Oz
The story is inspired by Ana-Maria Mărgean, who won Romania's Got Talent at just 11 years old as a self-taught ventriloquist and later became a finalist on America's Got Talent: All-Stars. Her journey demonstrates how the performing arts can nurture confidence, resilience, communication skills, and social-emotional growth.
Her remarkable story became one of the inspirations behind the CourAgeOUS Curriculum, a six-week educational program that uses storytelling, creativity, performing arts, and character development to help children discover their own strengths.
The program is further enriched by John Assaraf, who serves as the voice of the Wizard. His work on mindset and personal growth complements the curriculum's central message: imagination, courage, and purposeful action can help children overcome life's greatest challenges.
Our Mission
Overfund the Arts
Overfund the Arts is the mission that drives everything we do. We believe every child deserves access to creativity, performance, and storytelling—not as extras, but as essential tools for growth, healing, and confidence.
The CourAgeOUS Curriculum is one powerful way we bring that mission to life. By placing the performing arts at the center of the hospital experience, we help young patients discover that courage, connection, and self-expression are part of their care, too.
The Six-Week Pilot Includes
Our curriculum uses the performing arts to bridge the gap between treatment and classroom return.
Interactive Storytelling
Patients participate in building worlds where they lead the narrative.
Social-Emotional Learning
Identifying strengths through the archetypes of heart, brain, and nerve.
Creative Expression Through the Performing Arts
Hands-on performing arts inspired by Ana-Maria Mărgean’s journey.
Character-Building Activities
Exercises that help children recognize the courage, heart, and wisdom they already carry.
Age-Appropriate Educational Engagement
Keeping young minds connected to learning in a way that feels joyful, not like schoolwork.
Encouragement for Patients, Families, and Caregivers
Support and inspiration for everyone walking alongside the child during their hospital stay.
Pilot Outline
Six Weeks of Courage, Creativity & Connection
Each week builds on the last, guiding patients through storytelling, performing arts, and social-emotional learning toward a final celebration of their unique strengths.
Welcome to the Journey
Storytelling: Meet the characters of Oz and discover how every hero begins with a single brave step.
Performing Arts: Voice warm-ups, breathing exercises, and playful introductions to puppetry.
SEL: Building trust, naming feelings, and setting a personal courage goal.
The Mindset of Courage
Storytelling: Ana-Maria and her loyal companion Waldo decide to begin the journey—showing that courage starts with a choice.
Performing Arts: Puppetry and ventriloquism basics inspired by Ana-Maria Mărgean's self-taught path.
SEL: Growth mindset, positive self-talk, and turning ‘I can't’ into ‘I can try.’
Heart, Brain & Nerve
Storytelling: The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion learn they already carry heart, wisdom, and bravery.
Performing Arts: Character voices, expressive movement, and short scene creation.
SEL: Identifying personal strengths, expanding emotional vocabulary, and practicing empathy.
Harmony & Home$ense
Storytelling: The importance of home, belonging, and the communities that support us.
Performing Arts: Music, rhythm, and songwriting as tools for emotional regulation and joy.
SEL: Practical decision-making, teamwork, and age-appropriate life skills.
Humanity & Healthiness
Storytelling: How Ana-Maria, Waldo, and their friends help one another—and what it means to be a good citizen.
Performing Arts: Rehearsing a final showcase scene, song, or puppet performance.
SEL: Health choices, self-advocacy, kindness, and contributing to your community.
The CourAgeOUS Showcase
Storytelling: Each patient shares their own ‘Oz moment’—a story of courage from their hospital journey.
Performing Arts: Final performance, music sharing, or puppet show celebrating individual growth.
SEL: Reflecting on progress, celebrating strengths, and building confidence for returning to school.
The Five CourAgeOUS Pillars
The curriculum is built on five focused courses that give patients practical skills alongside creative confidence.
Hooked on Courage
Mindset Course
Builds confidence, resilience, positive self-talk, and the belief that courage is a choice we practice every day.
Hooked on Harmony
Music Course
Uses rhythm, songwriting, and vocal expression to develop emotional regulation, listening skills, and creative joy.
Hooked on Home$ense
Home Economics Focus Course
Teaches practical life skills, everyday decision-making, and age-appropriate independence through hands-on activities.
Hooked on Humanity
Civics Course
Explores kindness, community, citizenship, and how young people can contribute positively to the world around them.
Hooked on Healthiness
Health Course
Educates students on overall wellness, healthy choices, and self-advocacy in both medical and daily life.
Inside Every Class
A repeatable rhythm that primes young minds for learning.
Each session follows the same intentional flow — grounding students in a famous voice, calming the nervous system with breathwork, teaching a focused lesson, and closing with joy and affirmation.
- 01
Quote of the Day
On the board · static all classEach class opens with an age-appropriate famous quote (with the speaker's name) reflecting the day's lesson. Different for every class, it stays visible on the board or screen the whole time. Kindergarten and 1st-grade classes have the quote read aloud.
- 02
Six Deep Innercise Breaths
~2 minutesWe set the brain up to learn: inhale for a 2–3 count, hold for 8–12, exhale for 4–6 — repeated 6 times. Backed by neuroscience, this places each child in a peak learning state by relaxing the mind and readying it for what's next.
- 03
Core Lesson
20 minutesA focused, age-appropriate teaching moment tied to one of the five CourAgeOUS pillars — delivered through storytelling, discussion, and creative expression.
- 04
Ventriloquism & Fun
5–10 minutesA playful performing-arts break with the puppet cast of Oz — laughter, imagination, and character that make the lesson stick.
- 05
Edification Circle
5–10 minutesEach student hears how he or she impacted or impressed another person — a nurse, doctor, family member, or friend — and how the patient impacted or impressed them in return. This strengthens their compassion “chords” and leaves them feeling empowered and encouraged.
Our Vision
We are seeking children's hospital partners to pilot a six-week program that helps young patients remain connected to learning, strengthen emotional resilience, and discover that courage already exists within them.
As we roll out the pilot, we are making it accessible to hospitals from the start: the full six-week CourAgeOUS Curriculum pilot is available for $9,995, serving up to 250 pediatric patients.
This initiative mirrors America 250, the 2026 celebration of the nation's founding. That commemoration began in Philadelphia with Benjamin Franklin's public schools—and it is fitting that we return to Philadelphia to kick off the America 250 pilot program of the CourAgeOUS Curriculum, bringing hope, creativity, and confidence to the next generation.
Together, we can transform time spent in the hospital into an opportunity for hope, growth, creativity, and confidence.
Leadership
Two generations, one mission: when young people change their mindset, they change their future.
Shannon Elizabeth Johnson
Founder & CEO, Hooked on the Wizard, LLC · Creator of the CourAgeOUS Curriculum · Award-Winning Entrepreneur · Author · Speaker
Shannon Elizabeth Johnson is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, educator, and leadership strategist whose life's work has been guided by one unwavering belief: when people change the way they think, they change the direction of their lives.
For more than four decades, Shannon has transformed businesses, inspired young people, built strategic alliances, and developed educational programs that empower individuals to discover strengths they never knew they possessed. Her greatest gift has never been simply solving problems—it has been helping others recognize their potential and giving them the confidence to achieve what once seemed impossible.
That philosophy first came to life through youth athletics. Shannon coached Team PAO—a name derived from a Greek word associated with “go”—after three consecutive losing seasons. At an early practice she asked, “Who wants to win next week?” Every hand went up. Then, “Who's willing to come back tomorrow and practice so we can make that happen?” Again, every hand. That conversation became the turning point.
Team PAO went on to become one of the strongest teams in the league. Seven of Shannon's players anchored an elite regional all-star “super team” that defeated Springfield Township 10-0. The lesson has remained the same throughout her career: success begins in the mind long before it appears on the scoreboard.
As Vice President of the Rotary Club of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Shannon revitalized the annual clothing drive through a partnership with the town's recycling department, collecting more than 300 bags for the Salvation Army in a single drive—up from a previous record of just eight. Earlier in her career, she founded Figures & Financials, growing it from a single home office into four successful locations.
In 1994 she took over a struggling Dunkin' Donuts franchise. Within six months her store achieved the fastest sales growth among roughly 80 stores in the market, leading in both percentage and total dollar growth. While simultaneously working two full-time outside sales positions, she founded Breakfast with the Boss, a relationship-centered networking organization—one participating company credited more than $2.1 million in new business to relationships formed there.
Today, Shannon has combined every lesson learned from business, athletics, fundraising, education, and leadership into her life's work: the CourAgeOUS Curriculum. Built through Hooked on the Wizard, LLC, it is an innovative K-12 program that helps students develop courage, confidence, resilience, leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, and character through storytelling, music, puppetry, and real-world role models.
Ana-Maria Mărgean
Featured Teen Ambassador, CourAgeOUS Curriculum (2026-2029)
If Shannon represents the philosophy behind the CourAgeOUS Curriculum, Ana-Maria Mărgean represents its living proof. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while many young people focused on what they had lost, Ana-Maria focused on what she could become—teaching herself the art of ventriloquism through discipline, creativity, and relentless practice.
At just 11 years old she won Romania's Got Talent in 2020, becoming one of the competition's youngest champions. Three years later she was invited to compete on America's Got Talent: All-Stars, an international showcase of standout Got Talent champions from around the world, and advanced all the way to the Finals.
Her achievement was even more inspiring because English is her second language—an accomplishment judge Howie Mandel publicly recognized on stage. Ana-Maria's journey perfectly illustrates the message at the heart of the CourAgeOUS Curriculum: resilience transforms obstacles into opportunities, disciplined practice develops extraordinary talent, and courage allows dreams to become reality. As Teen Ambassador, she inspires students to believe that greatness is not determined by where they begin, but by the mindset they choose every day.