About Us
Our Mission
At Offshootz, we believe in the power of intentional change. We harness our understanding of individual and shared roots to guide our growth and support our clients in their DEI journeys.
Meet The Team
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Founder, Senior Consultant Brenda brings fifteen years of professional experience building long-term leadership capacity within businesses, schools, and non-profits through the work of organizational development in diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a facilitator and consultant, Brenda advocates for justice for people and the environment. She is the proud daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies and a master’s in Sustainable Development. She’s a native Spanish speaker born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and continues to learn and grow in Hawaiʻi. As a consultant and trainer, she mixes the art of storytelling with cultural sensitivity to facilitate collaborative decision-making, communication across differences, and analyses of systems of power to align organizations’ intent and impact. She specializes in strategic planning development, executive coaching, cultural competence development, and group facilitation. She is passionate about transformative justice, environmental justice, food security, and disability inclusion.
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Collaborator Dr. Shotwell is a dedicated psychologist based in Sonoma County, California, committed to serving disadvantaged and marginalized communities. Having earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with emphasis in Health Psychology, Dr. Shotwell possesses extensive expertise in trauma-informed approaches. She is deeply committed to fostering environments that honor diverse experiences and promote healing. Throughout her career, Dr. Shotwell has worked extensively in community health settings integrated with primary care, advocating for and supporting marginalized groups. She embraces a patient-centered approach, recognizing the importance of collaboration and empowerment in the healing process. She integrates a variety of therapeutic modalities, including third wave cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindfulness practices, trauma-focused approaches, and strategies for self-regulation, recognizing the intersection between mind and body in healing. Outside of her professional practice, Dr. Shotwell finds solace in nature, often spending cherished moments with her beloved dog and family. She believes in the healing power of the outdoors and values the connections formed through quality time with loved ones.
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Collaborator Rudy brings professional experience designing inclusive communications strategies and equitable engagement practices. Invested in the agency of change, Rudy is dedicated to decolonization within themself and their sphere of influence. As a facilitator and content creator, Rudy is dynamic and responsibly interactive. They skillfully implement culturally sensitive communication modalities that enhance collaborative learning experiences. They advocate for institutional transparency and accountability and collaboratively developing systems for change that promote reciprocity between built and natural ecosystems. Rudy is a queer, genderqueer person. Living as an openly queer person in their adult life, they have become well-practiced in the art of difficult conversation and human-centered community responsiveness. It is through their queerness that they found a passion for the power of language and communication and the tool it can be for equity, inclusion, and belonging. Rudy finds joy in connection, and when not with their beloveds in the city, they can be found awestruck somewhere in the natural world, absorbing the lessons this planet has to teach.
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Collaborator Taylor offers a unique lens with over a decade of curriculum development and implementation experience, along with high regard for her cross-functional expertise in promoting teamwork and collaboration. She has invested her career in the education industry, advocating for inclusive and equitable care and training, designing customer engagement plans to appropriately reflect the diverse needs of the teams served, significantly enhancing the employee and customer experience. ​ As a mother to a young black man, Taylor finds it critical for us to stand in solidarity and advocate for a safe and Anti-Racist community. She believes that students of color need access to more equal opportunities, that inequities need to be addressed, and a cultural and social shift needs to happen. In her twenties, Taylor became a regular speaker and advocate for teenage parents — providing young parents with empowering words, credible resources, and the courage to lead by example. ​ Taylor’s accomplishments include returning to school after fourteen years to obtain her bachelor’s in Business & Human Resource Management, advocating for social justice education, and anti-oppressive workspaces for all.
Our Name, Our Philosophy: Embracing Growth at Offshootz
At Offshootz, we believe in the power of understanding our roots as foundational to equitable growth. Our name reflects nature's ability to branch out, symbolizing our agency in transformation. We are dedicated to cultivating this capacity within organizations.
The playful 'z' in 'Offshootz' nods to the Hawaiian pidgin word 'shootz,' in acknowledgment that much of our healing and work occurs within Hawaiian spaces.
We value and respect the diverse communities we serve, committing to uplifting local cultures and fostering meaningful connections wherever we work.