About True Colors Consulting

Until recent years, the work in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has been housed in the spaces of Human Resources or People and Culture. While there are aspects of DEI that fall in these realms, our lived experiences extend well beyond the work day.

We take our identities home with us, to school with us, to social events - everywhere we go. This is why True Colors Consulting aims to help organizations move beyond compliance and to understand and embrace the complexities of diverse and intersectional identities to create an inclusive workplace where people thrive, grow, and have a true sense of belonging.

Meet Shawna

I don't believe in "doing" DEI. I believe in applying the lenses of diversity, equity, and inclusion to all of what we do in our interactions with others. Checking boxes and being compliant isn't enough and it isn't authentic. Without authenticity there will not be sustainability.

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Working to advance equity and inclusion in organizations by helping others embrace and celebrate diversity has been a life-long passion for me. I know what it is to wrestle with the social narrative of what "enough" looks like. I know what it is to try to meet social expectations so that I can be valued for who I am and truly show up authentically without apology. I know what it is to reconcile my privileges and leverage them as an ally.

As a Black woman who has been "othered" through exclusion and discrimination, this work is more than just a living. 

It is my lived experience.

As a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP), Shawna (she/her) successfully uses business psychology in her practice with experience across varied industries working with executives, people managers, and individual contributors to deepen and advance the application of DEI principles in the workplace and in everyday social situations.

Shawna is skilled and experienced in the design, development, and delivery of custom learning opportunities and strategic action plans assessing readiness and resources to craft tailored and actionable products. Cultural awareness and development are driving forces in her current work and in her academic pursuits, where diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging play a primary role in her research. Through her world travels, Shawna has immersed herself in global and social culture granting a fresh perspective and the ability to think broadly, which has augmented her work as an effective and impactful consultant, educator, and doctoral candidate.

The True Colors Story

The concept for True Colors Consulting started with the weekly podcast Our True Colors, which explores the lived experiences of people who are perceived as racially ambiguous - not easily fitting into a racial category that has been socially designed to categorize people largely from their phenotypical presentation or how they appear outwardly. This can include skin color, hair type, facial features, and other characteristics borne from our ancestry.

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This exploration and platform for voices sharing their lived experiences has expanded to not only share our stories and experiences but to learn from them with research-based, structured learning experiences to exponentially move us from the basic levels of compliance to true and authentic equitable and inclusive workspaces.