about 7 gen legacy group
We help leaders name and claim the legacies they aim to leave on the world. We have spent years providing support, structure, and space for leaders to uncover their power and interrogate their choices as they move to accept and fulfill their legacy.
French Fries consumed
3,001
hours in a meditative state
6,732
hours on the dance floor
8,203
hours of transformational, legacy building coaching
10,258
I have been a teacher, a principal, a principal manager, a senior officer in non-profits making decisions about kids' lives every day. I’ve worked for KIPP, TFA, JD Smith Middle School, The Management Center, Pahara and myself. I have chaired boards like The Highland Project and The University of Vermont College of Education and Social Services. I get the weight of our work because I have lived with it. Becoming a coach in 2010 was a gift. Hearing the stories of leaders in education and social services made me realize how connected we are and how much we need to understand ourselves and our legacies.
Instead of becoming the president, I chose to invest my time learning to listen to human beings. I learned how to use my power to work alongside others as they discovered their legacies. I spent my decades harnessing the skills I needed to ignite individual and collective action and change. I became the person who holds your hand while you walk through the fire of your life.
Spoiler alert. I am not and never have been president of the United States.
I’ve been a coach since I was 10 years old. I have always been the resident hypewoman for my friends. My 8th grade math teacher thought my skill set would lead me to be president one day. As a Black little girl, in the 90’s that was quite a statement.
Shawna Wells is a seasoned executive coach. As Senior Vice President at the Pahara Institute, she coaches and advises leaders working toward transformational change in public education. Throughout her career, Shawna has worked with hundreds of executive leaders across the country to build management systems that honor and implement real diversity and inclusion solutions. A legacy-architect, Shawna is creating a new blueprint for Black families to live with intention. As the founder of Wells Coaching & Consulting, she helps Black Americans plan to live their dreams now and to pass those skills to generations to come.
Shawna is also an acclaimed author of children’s book B is for Black Brilliance and the founder and CEO of an organization by the same name dedicated to centering, uplifting and affirming narratives of Black creativity, innovation and genius.
She leads and lives with her purpose and passion, serving on the board of several organizations working to impact the lives of Black women, Black communities and Black students including The Highland Project, Teach for America Las Vegas, and The University of Vermont College of Education and Social Services.
With almost 20 years of experience as a devoted educator, Shawna understands firsthand just how deep the resource divide exists and impacts Black students.
She and her family are proud homeowners in Vermont – reclaiming their ancestors’ stories by owning land that will serve as a place of rest and refuge for Black families.
Shawna finds joy in gardening, cooking with her family, and laughing with friends.She promises to unapologetically create environments where clarity, possibility, and liberation are centered so that new opportunities for love, possibility, and change emerge.
The Professional Bio
