Meet Shantelle “S.LadyBug” Brumfield | Author | 13-Year Caregiving Veteran | Patient Care Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shantelle “S.LadyBug” Brumfield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shantelle “S.LadyBug”, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
There are 53 million family caregivers in America right now and most of them never saw it coming. The call just arrived. A heart attack. A diagnosis. A fall. And suddenly, someone who had a career and a life became the person their family was counting on, with no roadmap and no support system.

That was me on Christmas Eve 2012, when my father suffered a massive heart attack and I walked away from my Hollywood career to become his full-time caregiver. Thirteen years later, that journey became They Are Not Coming, a book, a framework, and a movement built to make sure no family has to figure this out alone.

Through the TANC Framework, Healing Circles, and Crisis Strategy Calls, we give families the practical tools, the community, and the confidence to navigate caregiving before crisis hits. Our mission is simple: 100 Million Prepared, Not Scared.

Because a prepared family doesn’t just survive the journey, they show up as advocates, protectors, and the answer when everyone else isn’t coming.

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.
Long before They Are Not Coming was a book, it was a life and long before I was a caregiver, I was a dreamer.

I am the Founder and Executive Director of Believe In What You Dream (BIWYID) — an organization rooted in a simple but powerful mission: helping people discover their superpowers. Because I believe every single person walking this earth has a gift that was placed inside of them on purpose, and my life’s work is creating environments where those gifts get activated, not buried.

That work began to take shape in a way I never anticipated when I started building what I call a contact distribution list — a structured, intentional network of people who were aligned with the mission and willing to show up. It wasn’t just about numbers. It was about relationships. It was about knowing who was in your corner, what they could offer, and how to mobilize them when the moment called for it. That strategy, built and refined over time, became the engine behind raising over $30,000 in just 90 days — funding that launched programs and ultimately became the foundation for the International Empowerment Tour. We took the mission global. We carried the message that your superpower is not something you earn — it is something you uncover.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that the same skill that fueled that fundraising — knowing your line of support, mapping it clearly, activating it strategically — was the exact same skill that would save my family’s life when crisis hit on Christmas Eve 2012. That contact distribution methodology became the framework behind the Emergency Contact List you’ll find in They Are Not Coming. Same principle. Different battlefield. Your network — built before you need it — is your greatest protection.

That’s what sets me apart. I don’t just teach from a curriculum. I teach from consequence. Every tool in this book was forged in a real fire. I’ve been in the hospital room at 2 AM. I’ve sat across from hospital administrators trying to pressure my family into surrendering. I’ve successfully challenged a $3.5 million hospital bill. I’ve navigated conservatorship, court, insurance appeals, feeding tubes, pacemakers, and the grief that no one prepares you for. And I’ve done all of it while simultaneously building a business, leading a community, and refusing to lose myself in the process.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. There were years I was running on fumes — working a part-time job just to have gas money to drive back and forth to the hospital, while also trying to build something sustainable. There were moments I questioned everything. There were seasons of complete isolation, where I felt like no one truly understood the weight I was carrying. What pulled me through was faith, community, and the unwavering belief that the pain had a purpose — that someone else was going to need exactly what I was learning the hard way.

The lesson I carry from all of it is this: your personal experience is not just your story — it’s someone else’s survival guide. What I’ve been through, I’ve duplicated into systems. Systems that other families can use so they don’t have to repeat my struggle. That is the heartbeat of everything I do — whether through BIWYID, through They Are Not Coming, through the Healing Circles, or through the stage.

What I want the world to know is this: I am not a victim of my journey. I am a product of it. Every sacrifice, every battle, every sleepless nigh, it made me the advocate, the author, the founder, and the voice that I am today. And I am just getting started. The mission is 100 Million Prepared, Not Scared – and I won’t stop until we get there.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh, you want the REAL Los Angeles? Not the tourist brochure version — the one locals actually live in? Let me take you there.

If my best friend was touching down for a week, here’s exactly how we’d do it:

Day 1 — Welcome to the Culture: Crenshaw & Community
We’re starting at Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen on Slauson — grab a latte and settle in, because this is community in a cup. Then we’re walking right down the street to Simply Wholesome — a Black-owned institution. Get the smoothie, the Jamaican veggie patty, and if you’re feeling adventurous, the crab patty. Round out the afternoon at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw — feel the heartbeat of this community, support Black-owned businesses, and soak in the energy.

Day 2 — Coming Home: Little Ethiopia, LACMA & Bossa Nova
This day is personal. We’re starting at Merkato on Fairfax in Little Ethiopia — this was my very first neighborhood in LA, and every time I go back it feels like coming home. The food, the culture, the community on that block — it’s unlike anything else in the city. From there, we head to LACMA for the Tavares Strachan: The Day Tomorrow Began exhibition — a multi-sensory experience that will move something in you (there is always something EPIC to experience. Snap your photo at Urban Light out front. Then cap the night at Bossa Nova on Sunset — my any-time meal. The cheese bread alone is worth the trip.

Day 3 — Hollywood Eats: Two Hidden Gems on Sunset
First stop — Volcano for the crab fried rice and those frosted fortune cookies. Delicious doesn’t even cover it. Then come back for dinner at Berri’s Pizza Hollywood for the lobster pizza. Oh my God. That is truly all that needs to be said. Open until 4 AM — so there is absolutely no rush to leave.

Day 4 — Venice Vibes & West Hollywood Magic
Hit the Venice Beach Boardwalk in the morning before the crowds show up. Walk the whole stretch, take in the murals, watch the skaters, feel that pure California energy that cannot be replicated anywhere else on earth. Then for dinner, we are heading to Gracias Madre on Melrose for the most epic plant-based Mexican food you will ever have in your life. My Lord. The atmosphere, the margaritas, the tacos — all divine. This one is an experience, not just a meal.

Day 5 — Downtown Night Out: Perch
Save this one for the weekend. Perch in downtown LA is where you go when you want rooftop drinks, live music, and a skyline view that will make your jaw drop. The vibes on weekend nights are absolutely unmatched — just dress cute, show up, and let the city do the rest.

Los Angeles is a city that reveals itself in layers — the culture, the food, the art, the community. There is no city like it on earth. And when you experience it through the eyes of someone who truly loves it, it’s magic every single time.

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?
This one comes straight from the heart because none of this would exist without the people who showed up when they didn’t have to.

First, all glory goes to God. Every step of this 13-year journey has been covered in His grace, and I don’t take that lightly.

To my mother, Blancho Brumfield — my partner in every sense of the word. She has lived out “in sickness and in health” with a devotion that still takes my breath away. We paddled together, and we survived together.

To Pastor Charles Johnson, Pastor of Cochran Avenue Baptist Church in Los Angeles — my second father. He took me in as his daughter in 2009, and when our backs were against the wall, his unwavering faith gave us the courage to press on.

To Sister Pamela Martin — who faithfully opened the Making the Kingdom Proud 5 AM Prayer Line every single morning without fail. She didn’t wait to be asked. She just showed up — and that line became our lifeline.

To Dr. Charles Bonner, Civil Rights and Environmental Attorney — a warrior for our family. When hospitals tried to override my grandmother’s documented wishes, he armed us with the legal firepower to fight back and win.

To David Lytle — my mentor and strategic advisor, who saw what I needed before I knew to ask. His wisdom transformed my isolation into community and framework. His belief in my story is the reason this book exists.

To Kiristin Reid — my forever sister, who poured her heart into editing this book. A labor of love that I will never forget.

And to the many doctors, nurses, caregivers, and angels who became a refuge of support over this thirteen-year journey: Pat Guiling Garner, Natonya Reed, Mary Dickson, Brenda Tillman, Stacey Brumfield Patrick, Annie, Donna Bean, Razel Nickerson, Evelyn, Darlene, Stephanie, Lolita, Tiffany, Destiny, Jackie, Nikki, Sandra, Cecilia, Adora Villamea, Burt, Ashley Aquino, Catherine Dickson, Angela Lofton, Lynda Daniels, Felicia Parker, Brenda Brumfield-Ross, Sarah Riolle, Neicy Merriman, Bathsheba Willis, Deborah Watson — thank you for your commitment to ensuring comfort and dignity for Grandmomma Virginia and Gary Brumfield.

You are all the answer when ‘They Are Not Coming’ 🐞

Website: https://bit.ly/theyarenotcomingbook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.ladybugofficial/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shantelleladybugbrumfield/

Image Credits
David Lytle, Story2Brand, Believe In What You Dream