L' Shanell + Co.

04/13/2026

Yesterday was special. I was officially inducted into the National Council of Negro Women Section during Day of Sisterhood, and I’m truly honored to be part of this legacy.

A room full of women united in service, community, and real impact.

To step into an organization founded by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935 and carried forward by Dorothy Height is powerful. We spent the day grounded in mission, purpose, and what it means to be “Women of Vision, Vessels of Impact.”

Special shoutout to my friend LaShaunna, Charter Member, for introducing me to NCNW. I’m truly grateful.

I’m proud to now serve on the Economic Empowerment & Entrepreneurship (EEE) Committee. Next week, we’re partnering with the YWCA and the Community House SPARK Program to support women stepping into the workplace with confidence.

If you or someone you know could benefit, this is one to tap into.

04/12/2026

Happy Self-Care Sunday! 🌿

Today is the last day for launch pricing.

If Self-Care Social™ has been on your mind, even a little…this is your sign. Today is the day to say yes to yourself.

Prices increase tomorrow, and this is the lowest they will be.

Sunday, May 17, 2026
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Artifact Events, Chicago

This is your space to pause, breathe, and reset. Real conversations. Rest. Connection. A full experience designed for you to pour back into yourself.

Today is also the last day to apply for vendor space at the launch rate and save $50. If you’ve been on the fence about bringing your brand to the Self-Care Marketplace, today is the day and categories are filling up very fast.


RESERVE YOUR TICKET: www.self-caresocial.com – Link in Bio

Today is also the final day to secure vendor space at the launch rate and save $50.

If you’ve been thinking about bringing your brand into the Self-Care Marketplace, now is the time. Categories are filling quickly, and I’m being very intentional about who is in the room.

APPLY TO BECOME A VENDOR: https://form.jotform.com/260778124063053 – Link in Bio

04/01/2026

I know what it feels like to hold everything together while quietly running on empty.

Showing up.
Pushing through.
Being everything to everyone…while feeling like there's nothing left for you.

If that's you right now, this is for you.

Self-Care Social™ is back.

For a few hours on May 17th, you get to pause.

You get to breathe.
You get to exhale.
You get to be in a space where you’re poured into…not pulled on.

This is not surface-level self-care.

This is a space for real life weight.
Burnout. Stress. Grief. Transitions. The weight of trying to keep going.

Here’s what that actually looks like:

You walk in and someone asks you,
"What do you need today?"

Then you choose your path:

🌿 Wellness Conversations that name what you've been carrying alone
🌿 Small roundtables where you don’t have to explain everything to be understood
🌿 A marketplace filled with products and people rooted in intention
🌿 A Pamper Suite to release tension your body's been holding
🌿 Lounges designed for rest, reflection, or doing absolutely nothing
🌿 Moments throughout the day where you can simply…exhale

Special launch pricing is live and ends April 8.

Self-Care Social™
Sunday, May 17, 2026
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Artifact Events
Chicago, IL

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or overdue for a moment to yourself…this is your invitation.

I hope you'll join us.

Reserve your experience: self-caresocial.com

A curated Chicago wellness experience to rest, reconnect, and recharge. Real conversations, calming spaces, and intentional self-care on May 17.

03/26/2026

I genuinely love being a mentor. There is nothing that fills my cup quite like pouring into the next generation and watching them build something that matters. This is my third year as a judge and mentor for Bradley University's Big Idea Competition hosted by the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and this is exactly why I keep saying yes every year. 🖤

Today is Innovation Expo day! Students pitch original business concepts and compete for cash prizes up to $6,000. My mentee and her team are walking in ready and I could not be more proud.

Kacy is a graduating senior, sorority president, RA, AND the leader of a four-person team behind , a digital platform connecting Black college journalists in Illinois with publications seeking diverse voices. She is carrying a full load and still showing up to build something that matters. That combination is rare and powerful. It is exactly the kind of idea this competition was made for. 💪🏾

We spent our session refining her pitch, mapping out two different pitch structures based on her delivery style, and talking through how to make her table experience stand out. You already know I had some fun with the creative marketing ideas for her booth too. 😄

Today teams compete for a $500 Best Table Award and a spot in the Big Idea Competition Finals. Her team will have a table scored by judges and the public, plus she delivers a 2-minute pitch with Q&A. The public vote carries real weight so the energy in that room matters just as much as the concept itself.

Kacy and her team had quite a bit to pull together in a short amount of time but she is a high achiever. Sound familiar? 😏 She's got this.

Also cheering hard for Style Tags, a hairstylist-designed aftercare system for salon clients. Simple, smart, and solving a real problem.

Last year 2 of my mentee teams & Tiny Footprint made the Finals and one walked away with a cash prize to help launch their business. See the recap. The bar has been set. Now let's see who clears it this year.

Go get it today teams. I'm rooting hard for you both! 🙌🏾

03/13/2026

Last night was a great reminder of how powerful a thoughtfully designed experience can be.

I had the pleasure of attending an intimate dinner at The Alston, a luxury steakhouse in Chicago’s Gold Coast located inside the One Chicago development.

Beautiful venue. Exceptional hospitality. Great conversations with industry peers.

The evening was hosted by the Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Authority and Fairmont Monte Carlo, bringing a little bit of Monaco to Chicago for the night.

The Alston blends classic Midwestern steakhouse traditions with refined French culinary techniques, and the hospitality was exceptional.

As someone who plans experiences for corporate, healthcare, and nonprofit clients, I always pay attention to the details that shape how a space feels for guests. Lighting, service, layout, pacing. These are the elements people may not consciously notice but absolutely feel.

Honestly, it felt like a small moment of self-care. Experiences like this remind me why I’m so passionate about creating spaces where people can pause, connect, and reset. That is something I’m looking forward to bringing back with Self-Care Social™ in Chicago on May 17th.

Monaco would be an incredible destination for a future group program. Exploring destinations that could work well for upcoming client events is always one of the most exciting parts of what I do.

For fellow event professionals, The Alston Chicago is a fantastic option for corporate dinners, client receptions, and private celebrations. The space is versatile, with an elegant dining room, Champagne bar, terrace, and several private dining rooms designed for events.

Private event spaces range from intimate 10-person dinners to receptions of up to approximately 200 guests, making it a great option for a variety of event formats.

Their wine program includes hundreds of labels curated by a Master Sommelier, which elevates corporate and client dining experiences.

There’s even a hidden room near the wine cellar and a year-round terrace, offering unique options for special experiences.

Chicago continues to raise the bar for hospitality experiences, and The Alston delivered a truly memorable evening.

Have you been yet?

03/11/2026

Picture it: Chicago, 2022.

The world was opening again.

Being around people felt new.

Connection mattered.

Taking care of ourselves mattered.

For a few hours, people paused.

People breathed.

People exhaled.

That need hasn’t gone away.

If anything, it feels even more necessary now.

With the noise of the world feeling louder than ever, spaces for reflection, conversation, and care matter more than ever.

So we’re gathering again.

Self-Care Social™ returns

May 17, 2026
Artifact Events | Chicago

Honoring Mental Health Awareness Month

Panel and round table conversations
Wellness marketplace
Immersive wellness experiences

A space to pause.
A space to breathe.
A space to exhale.

The waitlist is now open.

Join the waitlist: lshanellco.myflodesk.com/scswaitlist

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 17.

Tag someone who might need a moment like this.

03/03/2026

New month. New goals. Let’s talk about it. 🗣️What are YOU working on in March? Drop it in the comments!
CC ⬇️

11/02/2025

November 1, 2008. 7:00 PM.

That’s the day it all began. Before L' Shanell + Co. existed as the event management and marketing agency you see today, we were known as L’ Shanell Event Productions, a creative dream that started with one bold idea: to bring fashion industry professionals together to connect, collaborate, and grow.

After producing a few dance/fashion productions for clients, I decided to launch my own event, a speed networking experience for fashion creatives called “My Name Is Fashion.”

It took place at Artistic Jeanius, a creative gem in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood (still one of my favorite areas…artistic, eclectic, full of culture). We even filmed our “Movement of Chicago Fashion” video there.

The event MC was Janaáh Coates, with makeup by LaToya White, video by Adrean Mangiardi, and photos by Dwight Avent. Designers Plum De Shell Harrison and Catrina Ambitious Farr showed their collections, and the runway came alive with models like L'Marie Cattouse, Corey De Mon , Ksenia Valerie, Alexandra Richmond, Joey, Jaymara, and Julius…they killed it. 🔥🙌🏽

My event team: Ceva D. Washington, Brandy Henderson Perry, Lauren Odom, Kathleen Gallagher, Aramide Esubi, and Audra Reliford, helped to execute everything flawlessly. 👌🏾

The evening featured structured speed networking, boutique shopping, a runway presentation, and a fashion raffle with gift certificates from brands like Crystal Eyez Make Up Artistry (Bisi Essien), O’ My Bow, C Farr Dezignz, The Jewelry Chick, So She Cosmetics, and Unique D. Sirez Boutique.

We partnered with Creative Images & Model Management and Kiwi's Boutique (Chiquita White), creating a space for designers, photographers, models, agencies, and boutique owners to make more fashion contacts in two hours than they could in six months. It was innovative, bold, and full of energy. It was the event that reinforced how creativity, community, and connection could change everything.

That night was more than a success; it was the start of a legacy.

This month, we’re celebrating 17 years of L’ Shanell, honoring our past, our partners, our growth, and our future. We’ve come a looong way from that incredible night in Pilsen, and seventeen years later, the same passion that started it still drives everything we do.

BIG announcements are coming all month. But today, I’m just standing in gratitude for the spark that started it all.

09/19/2025

📍 Orlando, FL | Tampa, FL
Family Vacation + Awards Gala

I was so busy last week that I completely forgot to post my signature Gone Flying graphic. As I always say, it’s a full-time job prepping to go on vacation from your full-time job! You honestly need a vacay just to recover from the vacay prep. We left Thursday, came back Monday, and it was the perfect mix of self-care and family care.

Last week was a whirlwind…a family trip to Orlando and an industry awards gala that my husband and I drove to in Tampa, all packed into a few days. This was our first vacation with both of our girls, and it gave me exactly what I needed: space to reset, connect with my family, and remember why I do what I do.

Between Epcot adventures, shared meals, a little shopping, and plenty of time to just breathe, I was reminded that moments like these are the true ROI of all the work we put in. Watching my girls laugh, explore, and live their best lives reminded me that these are the core memories we’ll carry forever.

The Takeaway? It’s easy to get caught up in the pace of business, but pausing to celebrate, travel, and create memories with the people who matter most is what makes the grind worth it.

➡️ How do you make space for both career milestones and personal memories? Drop your best travel or “unplug” tip below. I’d love to learn from you.

09/18/2025

Empathy is more than feeling for someone; it’s feeling with them.

It’s the bridge that connects us through shared humanity and reminds us that we are not alone.

However, empathy isn’t just something we extend outward; it’s something we owe to ourselves.

When we turn empathy inward, we give ourselves permission to slow down, acknowledge what we need, and offer ourselves the same compassion we so freely give to others.

As we honor caregivers tonight during Who’s Caring for the Caregiver?, let this be your reminder:
🤝🏼 Your feelings matter.
🤝🏼 Your well-being matters.
🤝🏼 You are worthy of care, too.

You cannot pour into your work, your brand, your family, or your community if your own cup is empty. Refill yours first, not as an afterthought, but as a strategy for leading and living well.

Join us tonight at 6 PM CT for a free virtual conversation created to pour back into those who give so much: bit.ly/caring4thecaregivers

If you’d like to receive future updates, resources, and event invitations:

📰 Become an L’ Shanell Insider: bit.ly/lshanellnews

09/18/2025

Tomorrow night, we’re coming together for Who’s Caring for the Caregiver? and I could not be more excited about this panel.

Meet the voices leading this powerful conversation:
▫️ Jamelia Amor – Purpose & Vision Alignment Coach
▫️ Jacquelyn J. Revere – Former Dementia Caregiver & Advocate
▫️ Jeanette Yates – Founder, The Self-Caregiver
▫️ Felicia Houston – Mental Health Consultant

Caregiving isn’t one-size-fits-all. It can look like parenting, caring for an aging parent, supporting a loved one with a disability or chronic illness, or stepping in during a recovery or crisis. However you show up for others, this conversation is for you.

🗓 Thursday, September 18
⏰ 6 PM CT
📍 Virtual on Zoom
🔗 RSVP here: bit.ly/caring4thecaregivers

This is your invitation to pause, breathe, and leave with tools and encouragement to keep going without running on empty. ❤️

09/16/2025

302 people have registered for this incredible discussion!! Please share this virtual event with your network.
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