In 1998 she married documentary maker and photographer Jason Reposar; the pair eloped in Scotland while they were on vacation.
Together they have a daughter, Verve, who was named after Verve Records, but divorced in 2003 – Shawnee wrote “Sugar” after their divorce, and described it as her breakup song. She added that it is very different from “I Wish You Were Dead,” which is Pyle’s other breakup song. “Sugar” was recorded and is performed by Smith & Pyle.
In 2004 she briefly dated Kerry Cantrell, but in 2005 she married musician Kai Mattoon, then they divorced a year later, during which Shawnee gave birth to their son, Jackson. Both Verve and Jackson were featured on “It’s OK to Be Happy,” Smith & Pyle’s debut album. They were credited for spoken narratives and vocals in two songs on the album.
She has dated music crew member and composer, Cleto Escobedo III, but they are no longer together. In March 2010, Shawnee gave birth to her second son, but hasn’t shared his name or the identity of his father, nor are there rumors as to who he might be. She home-schools all three of her children.
In 2014 she converted from Lutheranism to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, after which she expressed her regret about appearing in Maxim magazine’s June 2001 issue. She said that even though 80% of the time she is recognized is due to her photos in the magazine, she wishes she had not done them. Shawnee has spoken about wanting to make a documentary about Orthodoxy and her conversion, which would be called “Orthodoxy: A Love Story.”
