We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Shauna Wallace. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Shauna below.
Dr. Shauna, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
I learned early that being “the only one” in a room isn’t a deficit it’s a position of power, presence, and purpose. My journey has required a mix of self-trust, preparation, and rootedness in who I am and who I represent. I walk into rooms not just as Shauna, but as the daughter of a community that has poured into me, as a mother raising two powerful young women, and as a woman committed to shifting systems that were not built with us in mind.
I had to release the pressure to shrink, outperform, or prove that I belonged. Instead, I anchor myself in my values: Engage, Educate, Empower. I prepare deeply, speak with clarity, and listen with intention. I don’t camouflage my identity I lead with it. My lived experience is a credential. My seat at the table is not an accident; it is a result of resilience, excellence, and divine alignment.
Most importantly, I build tables, not just sit at them. I bring others in, sponsor emerging leaders, and refuse to be tokenized. When you carry community with you, you never walk in alone even if you’re the only face in the room that looks like yours.
Being “the only one” has taught me to honor my voice, use my influence with integrity, and stay grounded in my mission. Success isn’t about blending in; it’s about transforming the room simply by showing up as your whole, liberated self.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the Founder & CEO of 3E Consulting & Training Solutions and 3E Affinity, where our mission is simple but powerful: Engage. Educate. Empower. My work sits at the intersection of social work, maternal wellness, trauma-informed leadership, and community transformation. I support individuals, families, organizations, and systems in creating environments where equity, wellness, and belonging are not buzzwords but lived experiences.
What excites me most is witnessing transformation the moment a new mother feels seen and supported, a student finds their voice, a professional learns to lead with emotional intelligence, or a community shifts from surviving to strategizing. I believe healing and education are revolutionary tools, and my purpose is to make them accessible and culturally grounded.
I am also deeply committed to birth and maternal health equity, particularly for Black and Brown women. Through doula services, perinatal mental health support, and advocacy, I hold space for families during one of the most sacred transitions of life. For me, this work is not only professional it is personal, ancestral, and deeply spiritual.
What makes my brand special is the fusion of scholarship, humanity, and lived experience. I am an educator, an executive, a mother, a creative, and a lifelong student of community wisdom. I bring corporate discipline and data-driven practice, but I lead with heart, intuition, and cultural reverence. I don’t just talk about empowerment; I design ecosystems where people can actually thrive.
What’s new?
We are expanding in exciting ways:
Launching a pregnancy journal and maternal wellness product line
Rolling out ACE (ASWB) trainings for schools, nonprofits, and corporations
Growing 3E Affinity’s youth and family support programs
Developing digital education platforms and community-based wellness retreats
Preparing to release a poetry collection on healing and becoming
Published a book titled When the Mind Won’t Stop
This next season is about scale, sustainability, and legacy bringing healing-centered, culturally rooted work to a global stage.
I believe in building tables, opening doors, and creating pathways so no one has to be the “only one” in the room for long. My brand is not simply a business it is a movement. A reminder that liberation, wellness, and community power are possible when we center humanity and lead with purpose.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My journey has required an ability to rise, rebuild, and reimagine even when resources were scarce, or the path wasn’t clear. Resilience for me isn’t about being untouched by life’s storms; it’s about honoring rest, practicing self-compassion, and getting back up rooted, wiser, and more intentional.
Advice: Protect your peace and cultivate inner stamina. Build a circle that speaks life into you. Resilience grows through reflection, support, and the courage to keep moving even when the pace is slow.
Success is rarely a solo mission. Learning how to engage with people across cultures, systems, temperaments, and power has been key. I don’t walk into rooms to perform; I show up to connect, listen, and contribute. Authentic relationships, not just networks, sustain elevation.
Advice: Be curious about people, not transactional. Practice empathy, deepen your emotional literacy, and learn to communicate with clarity and grace. Leadership is a human skill first.
I am always learning about healing, business, culture, systems, and community needs. Curiosity has kept me resilient and innovative; strategy has ensured my curiosity becomes action and impact. I move with both intuition and data, vision and structure.
Advice: Stay teachable. Read widely, ask questions, seek mentors, invest in personal development, and treat learning like a lifestyle. Curiosity opens doors strategy keeps them open.
To anyone early in their journey: pace yourself, trust your voice, and build the skills that align with your values. You don’t have to rush to become just keep becoming. Honor your lived experience as knowledge. Tend to your inner world as much as your external goals. And remember your purpose doesn’t need permission.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I believe in leading from strength and growing with intention. Too many of us, especially women and people of color, are conditioned to constantly “fix” ourselves to sand down our brilliance to fit into systems that weren’t designed for us. I don’t subscribe to that anymore.
My philosophy is to go all in on the gifts that make you undeniable, while strategically strengthening the areas that could hold you back from your purpose or limit your capacity. Strengths are where impact, confidence, and sustainability live. But self-awareness means knowing when a gap is a growth edge not a flaw, but a frontier.
Early in my journey, I tried to be everything: strategist, administrator, marketer, service provider, accountant, designer, therapist, advocate, and CEO. I wore every hat because I thought excellence meant doing it all perfectly. What I learned is that excellence actually means knowing what only you can bring to the table and building support around the rest.
For example, my strengths are vision, communication, relationship building, and transformational leadership. I am at my best when I am teaching, creating, leading change, and nurturing people through growth and healing. But I had to learn to outsource administrative tasks, delegate operations, and invest in systems. Not because I couldn’t do them but because they pulled energy away from the heart of my mission.
When you over-focus on weaknesses, you dim the light that makes you extraordinary.
When you honor your strengths and build wisely around the gaps, you elevate your impact.
To anyone reading:
Nurture your genius.
Know your edges.
Ask for help without shame.
And remember that no one doing meaningful work is doing it alone.
You are not here to be well-rounded in the traditional sense you are here to be whole. Your power lives in your authenticity, and your growth lives in your willingness to expand without abandoning yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.consult-3e.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3eaffinityinc?igsh=MTUyZWdoMjhoNTUzOA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093170416283
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-wallace-dsw-lisw-s-lcdc-iii-cctp-sap-aoip?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
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