About Us

Meet the Shanae Shantel brand, 

the place for overthinkers to find clarity! 

Shanae Shantel is a research-based cultural intelligence and mindfulness firm grounded in identity research.

At the center of our work is a simple belief: identity shapes how we think, lead, communicate, and build organizations. When identity is ignored, systems become misaligned. When identity is understood, people and institutions function more effectively.

 Our work translates sociological insight into strategy, media, and practical tools that help individuals and organizations understand who they are and how culture influences the way they move.

 The firm operates through two primary divisions:

Radar - Enterprise Advisory

 It works with individuals and organizations navigating transition, growth, and complexity. For institutions, Radar examines how identity and culture are shaping communication, leadership alignment, and employee experience. For professionals, Radar supports career transitions and role shifts with structured clarity and strategic positioning.

Whether advising a leadership team or an individual executive, Radar helps clients see the systems they are operating within — and move through them with greater precision.

This is identity research applied to strategy.

Dr. Awkward - Applied Cultural Intelligence 

 Dr. Awkward addresses the social gaps in society that were magnified by isolation and rapid cultural change.

Through thoughtfully designed tools, guided conversations, and playful frameworks, Dr. Awkward helps people reconnect, embrace their quirks, and use their unique identities as strengths. It brings research into everyday life — expressed through joy, curiosity, and social precision.

This is identity research applied to human connection.

Everything begins with identity.

We believe people make better decisions when they understand who they are and the systems shaping them. Whether in a boardroom, a career transition, or a living room conversation, that insight changes how we lead, relate, and build.

Hi, I’m Dr. Shanae S. Jefferies! 

I love to think. My brain just does it's thing and I'm having a good time! So, as you may have guessed, I'm likely to be an introvert. True. That's a joke, I'm also really sarcastic. I tend to keep to myself until I have a question, and to a thinker like me, that's pretty often. My background is in Sociology.  My BA, MS, and PhD are all in sociology. I had different minor concentrations along the way; but, in totality-I love to think about the way other people think and then organize it into society. 

My research (again, a thinker) is about naming. I am really interested in the way we name people and how culture and stratification shape our society through names. In the beginning I began to look at points of discrimination that seemed random in the workplace, for example, how, systemically, racial discrimination still exists in a post Civil Rights Act of 1964 atmosphere. The answer is covert discrimination. As a child I noticed that people treated me differently based on how I was introduced. Shanae or Shae. However, instead of focusing on the negative aspects of my name that may factor into discrimination, I decided to take a more holistic approach. I want to know about the culture of the names we give our children, and specifically-Black folk. Research has shown that people believe stereotypes about a person based solely on their name. So why continue to give our children names that could negatively impact their life? Well, because there's power in what you call a thing and I've learned that that's called nomo. See, I could go all day! I love this topic. So, that's my research! 

Other broadly interesting facts about me is that I am the second child of 2 Army veterans. Both my mom and dad were in the US Army and I was raised in a military community. I grew up meeting a lot of people from different places. I went to undergrad in Austin at St. Edward's University and my graduate degrees at the University of North Texas. Now, I'm settled down in the DFW, TX area and I live a pretty good life. I'm a mental health warrior and I fight to give the thinkers something that will help us relax our thoughts. I was shocked to know that some people have moments where they're not thinking at all, they're giving 100% of their attention to what's happening in the moment. They call that mindfulness and I want to help us thinkers feel that luxury.