Meet Shantell L Steve | Research Scientist, Cultural Strategist, Writer, Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shantell L Steve and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shantell L, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
For me, success has always come from alignment. It’s never been about checking boxes or chasing whatever’s trending. It’s when what I actually do lines up with who I am deep down.

I live at this unusual crossroads: research, representation, and reclamation. Big words, I know but really, I’m someone who moves between social and behavioral health sciences, public health, fashion and narrative design. From editorial and commercial modeling to leading international and national research projects, every space I step into is about expanding what’s possible when people are truly seen and heard, not just tokenized, or extracted for data.

At the heart of my work is phenomenology, “the study of lived experience”. It’s a formal term, but it really comes down to honoring how people actually live, how they make sense of their own stories. No one exists in a vacuum, we’re all shaped by memory, culture, relationships, and the ongoing journey of being alive.

That’s the lens I carry whether I’m crafting a research study that centers lived experience or stepping in front of a camera to challenge what “beauty” is supposed to mean. Every time, I come back to the same question: Does this actually honor how complex people really are? Not just reducing them to spreadsheets, research insights, or neat little labels.

The most important factor behind my success isn’t a single skill, it’s a way of seeing. A way of working that refuses to flatten people into roles, outcomes, or statistics. It’s about holding space for nuance, for contradiction, for becoming.
Success, to me, isn’t just about recognition, it’s about resonance. It’s about doing work that reflects your values, even when the world hasn’t fully caught up. Yes, there were times I had to build my own door. And while recognition matters, real success lives in creating something that feels true, something that lands, even if the world is slow to catch on.

Sometimes the doors don’t open right away. But if you hold your ground and work with care, things begin to shift. Maybe not overnight but they do. Truth has a gravitational pull. It draws the right people and places to you, not because you performed, but because they feel it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve never followed a linear path and I think that’s what sets me apart. My work isn’t defined by one industry or lane. It’s defined by a commitment to honoring human experience in all its complexity.

I’m a research scientist, a storyteller, a writer shaped by lived experience, and a creative who believes that truth can show up in both data and design. My career moves fluidly across disciplines, not out of indecision, but from a deep understanding of patterns and connections others often overlook.

What I’m most proud of is the way I’ve built a body of work that doesn’t flatten people, it expands how they’re understood. Whether I’m leading a mixed method study, modeling for a campaign that redefines beauty standards, or co-creating spaces for community voice, I do it all with the same question in mind:
Does this reflect how people actually live, love, resist, and remember?

It hasn’t been easy. I aged out of the child welfare system. There was no roadmap for this kind of career so I had to make one. I’ve learned that your story is not a limitation; it’s a lens. And when you know how to name your truth with clarity and care, you become unstoppable.

If there’s one thing I want the world to know, it’s this: You don’t have to fit the mold to be meaningful. Sometimes the most powerful work happens at the edges, where disciplines blur, where truth takes shape, and where new frameworks are born. That’s where I live. And that’s where I create.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting L.A., I’d keep it soulful, local, and full of intention. We’d start with brunch at Post & Beam in Baldwin Hills, Black-owned, rooted, and always vibing. Then wander through Leimert Park for art, music, and ancestral energy—maybe pick up some incense or books from a street vendor.

We’d hit the Moxy Level 8 rooftop one evening, smooth DJ sets, skyline views, and cocktails that feel like a soft flex. For dinner, I’d rotate between Yamashiro Hollywood for elevated experience and Barton G. for an offbeat, theatrical meal that still feels intimate.

Midweek, we’d grab smoothies from Simply Wholesome, then head to Point Dume for a quiet Malibu sunset. One morning would be dedicated to grounding—Kenneth Hahn Park for a hike or some journaling, then yoga at Crenshaw Yoga & Dance.

And of course, a little art, maybe The Broad if the vibe calls for it.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My story isn’t a solo act, it’s a symphony of voices, care, and wisdom that’s carried me through every chapter. So many people have helped me become who I am, and I hold deep gratitude for each of them.

I want to give a special shoutout to my Godmom, Dr. Yolanda Quam. She didn’t just love me, she mentored me, modeled excellence, and showed me how to move through the world with both fire and grace. Her presence in my life has been a grounding force, especially as someone navigating systems that weren’t built with me in mind.

Another person I want to shout out is Daniel Curtis Lee—actor, director, linguist and co-host of the Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide. That space reminded me how healing it is to laugh, reflect, and tell the truth in public. Working with Daniel reaffirmed that creative spaces can hold depth, and that nostalgia doesn’t have to mean going backward, it can be a way to reclaim what shaped you.

I carry immense love for everyone who, like me, has experienced the child welfare system. I see you. I am you. And I want you to know that you can make it out and thrive, not in spite of your story, but because of the meaning you’ve made from it. That’s what phenomenology teaches us: that our lived experiences are not just memories or data points, they’re knowledge. They’re evidence of our becoming. Every step I take is with those who never got the chance, and for those still trying to find their way through. You matter. Your story matters. And your future is not defined by your start, it’s shaped by what you choose to claim.

I also want to honor the brilliant thinkers and feelers who came before me—Bell Hooks, Audre Lorde, Octavia Butler, Cole Arthur Riley and so many unnamed ancestors, whose words gave me language before I had the courage to speak my own. Their legacy taught me that “lived experience” is not just personal, it’s political, poetic, and worth protecting.

And finally, to the ones who’ve held me through transitions, reinventions, and quiet grief, thank you. My story isn’t mine alone. It’s woven from the love, laughter, and lessons I’ve gathered along the way.

Instagram: blackhippie_queen

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shantell-l-steve-she-her-677b5679/

Image Credits
Daniel Curtis Lee

Damien Dear