Impact

Visioning to action. Building trust. Shifting power. Growing cultures of care.

"Shawna gently and generatively guided a multilayered process that wove together diverse World Pulse global community leaders, board, and team representatives to envision governance and leadership structures that can shift power to historically underheard voices. She laid a framework for moving the collective visioning to action and showed up fully presenced in her facilitation, posing powerful questions and building trust and insight along the way. We are now on our way, co-creating a more inclusive future."

- Jensine Larsen, CEO World Pulse

"I love the peace and pace of Shawna. She has always brought a sense of purpose and focus to our conversation that is motivating and thoughtful. Whether it's producing work for others, or working together to produce something, I appreciate Shawna's calm problem solving approach. Through her facilitation, she invites people in, puts them quickly at ease, and guides them to show up fully. I have learned so much from her about creating reflective, visionary spaces that are grounded in bodies and souls."

- Devi O'Malley, Co-Founder Closer than you Think, Former Co-ED FRIDA

"Shawna was a joy to work with, and was mindful of the demanding combination of organizational and human needs - especially as we navigated the unpredictable day-to-day related to the pandemic. Her diplomacy and compassion helped us to remain accountable, while creating space for unplanned deviations from the plan. She fully supported our process and helped us to achieve our goals. I strongly recommend Shawna to anyone seeking support to build shared analysis, strengthen relationships and work together to achieve a common social justice goal."

- Margarita Guzman, CEO, Violence Intervention Project

"Shawna collaborated with the Urgent Action Fund team to help us to set ourselves up as a fund that is always learning from peers and movements, led by women and non- binary human rights defenders of Asia and the Pacific. We were clear that the problems that defenders wanted to solve required new ways of working and thinking. Shawna and Michel Friedman guided us through the first three years of a journey to make our learning visible, analyse and adapt to the patterns that were emerging. With curiosity and care, Shawna helped us articulate what we were experiencing and co-creating. What I love about Shawna’s practice is the full body immersion and the importance of practicing self and collective care in and alongside the work. Shawna also coached and accompanied me and my team through some difficult times. Her insights and support was always extended with kindness and generosity"

- Virisila Buadromo, Urgent Action Fund Asia & Pacific Co-Lead

"Shawna is a skilled, dedicated and informed women's rights advocate and activist. She brings clarity of thinking, skills in program design, management and evaluation, and a genuine appreciation of context and the ability to listening to her work to advance women's rights and gender equality. I especially appreciate her courage to live her values and nurture the whole human being - mind, body and spirit - in her life and work."

- Aruna Rao, Co-Founder Gender at Work