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Hey hey! I’m Dr. Shawna Murray-Browne, and I show visionary leaders how to master liberatory strategy and honor historic wisdom so they can heal their body and live a freer life.

 

Now... Let's rewind a bit.

I’ve traveled far and wide... From quiet moments on the shores of Portugal, standing before the ancient pyramids of Egypt, to sitting cross-legged on a mat in Nigeria, I’ve been on a journey to know myself.
 
I considered myself gifted with the ability to navigate oppressive systems, moving in and out of different worlds with ease. I could talk their talk and engage in what I call intellectual gymnastics, never code-switching and never feeling a way about it.
 
But, I struggled to master what my body had to teach me about energy; what it means to be human. I had to better protect against seen and unseen toxicity. 

 In 2018, while in my doctoral program, I was reminded of a practice my godmother taught me: the art of gathering wisdom from an elder’s "saucer."

 

This insight took on new depth as I immersed myself in oral histories, and used them as a radical tool.

 

Sitting at the (proverbial) feet of 6 Black women ancestors, studying their words... and translating its modern relevance, altered my steps.

 

Now listen... I’ve held space for thousands of women from all walks of life—public figures and everyday heroes, high-profile leaders, and mothers in my community... but this was different.

 

I was transcending space and time. It felt as if I was sitting in front of them, and they were urging me to slow down.

 

After graduating, I took my own medicine. I went on a six-month sabbatical. (Yaaasss!)
 
My body had much to say.

 

Then, I dedicated another year to moving SLOWLY, tending to my body, and deepening my spiritual supports.
 
I listened.

 

Now, I have a renewed assignment...
  1. Connect with the wisdom of the past
  2. Teach what it means to be human in the present, and...
  3. Boldly fortify women as we pave a new future.
 

Join me.

 

Curriculum Vitae

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Biography

 

Dr. Shawna Murray-Browne, LCSW-C (she/her/hers) is an author, liberatory strategist, cultural historian, keynote speaker, and mind-body medicine practitioner. She is the Principal Consultant at Kindred Wellness LLC and trained as an integrative psychotherapist. Dr. Shawna is curious about what happens when we question colonial thinking and make space for the ways of knowing held by folk of African descent in every aspect of life. 

In her hometown of Baltimore, Dr. Shawna is a trusted leader in creating healing spaces for Black women and their families, empowering them with tools for generational healing. With over 15 years of expertise in culturally attuned, trauma-responsive care across community organizing, child welfare, and mental health, she founded Kindred Wellness to provide transformative psychotherapy for Black women and girls. Recognizing the need to shift larger systems to support true healing, she expanded her work, creating the Liberation-Focused Healing Framework.  This approach is now adopted by organizations, nonprofits, and universities nationwide to foster cultures grounded in ancestral wisdom and authenticity.

As an executive advisor to high-stakes organizations and their leaders, Dr. Shawna influences how people think about systems, strategy, and the communities they serve—guiding them to recognize that healing themselves is essential to healing others. Named by The Huffington Post as one of the “Ten Black Female Therapists You Should Know,” Dr. Shawna has also been featured on PBS’s Mysteries of Mental Illness and Therapy for Black Girls.

She completed her doctorate at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work where she gained her Master of Social Work. Her dissertation explored oral histories as a decolonial site of inquiry around the healing ways of Black women advocates during the civil rights movement.  She earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Family Science from the University of Maryland, College Park. She served on the Advisory Board of Cllctivly, was the former Committee Co-Chair for the Trauma Informed Care Task Force for the City of Baltimore, and is a former Minority Fellow for the Council on Social Work Education and SAMSHA.

Dedicated to continued growth, her practice in QiGong, Black spiritual traditions, and sitting at the feet of elders maintain. She lives in Baltimore with her excitable 7-year-old, and her husband, "B."

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