Shoygu was born in 1977 in the city of Krasnoyarsk into the family of Sergey Shoygu, who was studying at the Krasnoyarsk Polytechnic Institute with a major in civil engineering at the time. Due to the nature of the work of her father, the family often changed residence. Yulia graduated from a secondary school in Moscow in 1994, and was admitted to the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University. In 1999, after graduating from university she came to work in the Center for Emergency and Psychological Aid of the EMERCOM and started to work as a psychologist. In 2001, Shoygu was appointed Deputy Director, and a year later the director of the Center. At various times, Shoygu participated in the provision of psychological assistance to the victims of the terrorist attacks, hostage-taking, after man-made disasters in Moscow, 1995 Neftegorsk earthquake, S7 Airlines Flight 778, Kursk submarine disaster and other emergency situations in Russia and abroad. She gained her PhD as the author of scientific works on the psychology of extreme situations.