We recently connected with Shauna Brown and have shared our conversation below.

Shauna, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

The cornerstones of Teach for the Culture, LLC, include; authenticity, community, culture, and JOY. These 4 elements are inherent in all of our programming and are built-in to the very essence of everything that we do! — In my many years of experience in working within the education industry (across multiple states/school districts), I have found that elements such as authenticity and joy are not typically lifted as part of the education “standard”. – But through my own work and through my business, it has been proven time and time again and has been abundantly clear that creating spaces and opportunities for AUTHENTICITY and JOY to exist, flourish, and thrive can be a game-changer in terms of helping people reach and surpass their educational goals! This approach is very much a divergence from the way that the education industry currently operates at large, especially within the majority of schools.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

With a background in Education and many years of experience, prior to launching Teach for the Culture, LLC, in 2019, I had served in various capacities within the profession such as; classroom teacher, program director, instructional coach, educational consultant, and school founder. I started Teach for the Culture as a way to build community amongst educators, and as a space for educators and school leaders to receive professional learning around how to cultivate joyful, just, relevant, and rich learning environments and experiences for young people. In addition to professional webinars, conferences, and our online community, we offer consulting services for schools and school districts, and have an apparel line as well. Over the last 6 years, we have impacted thousands of educators, and currently have an online community of over 40,000 people from across the nation and the globe. – In 2023, we hosted the first annual “Educator Sneaker-Joy Day”, which is an international day of collective celebration for educators where the focus is building community, embracing the authentic self, connecting with others while growing as professionals. I am most proud of the community we have built, the number of educators we have impacted, and the number of new educators that have entered the profession as a result and with the support of our work.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty by truly focusing on the connection and community-building aspects of the brand. I also engage regularly through my social media platforms, and have smaller more intimate communities and opportunities to gather, both virtually and in-person. Showing up authentically and consistently, and fostering those connections, has definitely helped to foster a healthy brand connection.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Actually… my own parents and my former students have both greatly impacted my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy, My parents have always encouraged me to be myself, to believe in myself, and to have the AUDACITY to dream and KEEP GOING, even when things are tough, and this has helped my thinking as an entrepreneur. My students, and all of the young people in my life, inspire me greatly. They remind me that possibilities are endless, and why it is so important to build connections, iterate, and adapt, and how much of a long-term positive impact this work can actually make!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @teachfortheculture
• Facebook: Teach for the Culture, LLC