Inspiring Conversations with Shenandoah Chefalo of Chefalo Consulting, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shenandoah Chefalo.

Hi Shenandoah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve taken a winding and often difficult path to get where I am today. I grew up in a deeply unstable environment, moving more than 50 times and attending over 35 schools. My early years were marked by abandonment, and by the time I was a teenager, I was left with the impossible decision to either face eviction alongside my elderly grandmother or enter the foster care system. I chose the latter.
My time in care was full of disruption, and when I aged out of the system in the middle of my senior year of high school, I found myself navigating adulthood without much support. I worked hard, attended college, and even entered the legal field—but something was still missing. I still felt unwell, disconnected, and burnt out.

Everything shifted when I began to learn about trauma, neuroscience, and systems change. That knowledge helped me heal and find clarity. I realized that the systems meant to help people—especially vulnerable children—are often the ones causing harm. That’s when I founded Chefalo Consulting. My mission is to help organizations reimagine their structures and practices better to reflect empathy, equity, and human-centered values.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been anything but easy. I’ve carried the emotional weight of my childhood into adulthood and the workplace. Even when I was achieving professional milestones, I was struggling internally. Trauma doesn’t disappear just because you succeed on paper.

Professionally, one of the biggest challenges has been disrupting entrenched systems. There’s resistance to change, especially when that change requires vulnerability, cultural humility, or shifting power dynamics. But that resistance is also where transformation starts. My own lived experience has helped me bring a deeper level of understanding and compassion to these conversations. It’s personal for me. I’ve lived through what many of our clients and communities are trying to heal.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Chefalo Consulting partners with organizations—particularly in education, child welfare, and social services—to shift from compliance-driven cultures to ones grounded in connection and compassion. We help leaders build psychologically safe environments, facilitate training in trauma-responsive practices, and guide teams through long-term cultural change initiatives.

What sets us apart is our deeply human approach. We don’t just deliver information—we model what it looks like to lead with courage, consistency, and care. Our services include customized training, implementation planning, organizational assessments, and leadership coaching.

One project I’m especially proud of is our new reflective organizational assessment. It’s a tool designed to spark honest conversations around how aligned an organization’s values are with its everyday behaviors and policies. Instead of pointing fingers, it encourages collaboration and builds momentum for change.
At our core, we’re about healing—not just people, but the systems that surround them.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are so many ways to work with us! We collaborate with schools, nonprofits, government agencies, and businesses nationwide. Whether you’re looking for a one-time training session or a multi-year cultural transformation journey, we can tailor our work to your team’s needs.

We also host virtual workshops, offer consultations for specific challenges (such as onboarding or workforce development), and speak at conferences or retreats. If you’re interested in co-creating human-centered systems that enable people to thrive, we’d love to hear from you. Don’t forget to check my books, Garbage Bag Suitcase: A Memoir and the recently released children’s illustrated story, The Best Bunny.
You can connect with us at www.chefaloconsulting.com, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chefaloconsulting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shenandoahchefalo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shenandoah.chefalo
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shenandoahchefalo/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=chefalo%20consulting