D’Shonda Brown on the Guiding Principles that Inform Her Work

What guiding principles inform your work?

D’Shonda Brown, Corporate Communications Manager at Tris Pharma, is a storyteller, strategist, and speaker who explores the intersection of creativity, technology, and representation. With a background in journalism and corporate communications, she’s passionate about helping others harness the power of authentic storytelling to inspire change and shape culture.

In this episode, D’Shonda joins Kristen to discuss how her guiding principles influence her approach to communication.

Watch or Listen to the Episode

Watch the full episode here or listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

The Big Idea: Guiding Principles as a Foundation for Meaningful Communication

D’Shonda explains that she views communication as a responsibility to make an impact—to shape how people feel, how they interpret a message, and ultimately, whether they trust a brand or organization. She consistently pushes herself to take her own goals out of the equation and ask what value an interaction creates for someone else.

Her guiding principles—impact, strategy meets story, culture as currency, representation, and authenticity—help her stay anchored in that responsibility. She dives deeper into the concept of culture as currency. For D’Shonda, culture is a broad category encompassing identity, background, lived experience, and more—and something she actively brings into how she collaborates and makes decisions.

Whether leading internal communications or contributing to corporate social responsibility initiatives, she focuses on creating an environment where people feel comfortable participating. That includes incorporating diverse perspectives; making space for people to engage, even if they’re still learning; and continuously seeking feedback.

“Impact is something that I don't take lightly because whenever you're in a room with somebody, whether it's the way you talk, whether it's the way that you walk in, whether it's the feedback that you give, you're leaving an impact no matter what.”

D’Shonda Brown

Corporate Communications Manager at Tris Pharma

Key Takeaways

D’Shonda approaches her work by asking what value someone else will take away from the interaction, which shifts communication away from promotion and toward something more meaningful and useful.
The way someone speaks or gives feedback leaves an impression that contributes to trust, reputation, and relationships.
Understanding how background, identity, and experience shape perspective leads to more thoughtful and informed communication.
Having the right voices in the room matters, but so does creating space for others to listen, ask questions, and build awareness.
When employees feel heard and included, that experience carries through to external audiences.
Treating feedback as part of the process—not a personal critique—helps strengthen both the message and the outcome.

Ways to Connect with D’Shonda

If you’d like to connect with D’Shonda, you can do so here:

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