Sara Usman Co-Founder & President

Sara is the co-founder of The Shameless Circle. Having experienced chronic shame in her life, she decided to use her experience to help other women. She recently completed her Masters in Educational Leadership.  Sara takes pride in volunteering her time to help support the community. She is also the mom of two beautiful kids.

Laur has lived in Winnipeg her entire life, and is passionate about contributing to her community. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Conflict Resolution, as well as a Health Coach Certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is strongly connected to activism within the 2SLGBTQ* and chronic illness communities and loves using social media as a tool for her work. Through working with The Shameless Circle, Laur hopes to contribute to positive changes in the city she loves. 

Jen Brandt is passionate about mental health awareness, women’s empowerment, and ending the stigma surrounding these. In the past she has volunteered as a director on the board for a local women’s shelter, as well as an early learning centre/daycare. She has also volunteered on the board of directors for two other boards in her professional field of study and career. Jen is a candidate finishing her designation in appraisal. She is the mother of two daughters, as well as a step-mom to a third daughter. “I want to show my daughters through volunteer work and compassion for others, that anything is possible and that we are all valid and valued”. 

Rossana is a proud mother of two children. She has worked in the social services field for over 15 years supporting children, youth, and families. Rossana is passionate about creating change, advocacy, and empowering others. Rossana is delighted to be part of the Shameless Circle.

Mandy Smith is the proud mother of five children. Having worked in the social services field for the past 16 years, her professional and personal interests lie in working with others to build stronger communities, and promote equality and opportunity for all.  Mandy is passionate about women's empowerment and is delighted to have the opportunity to be involved as a volunteer with The Shameless Circle. "It brings me so much pride and joy to see women coming together to learn from each other and to lift each other up."

Angela Ciceron is currently pursuing an Arts degree at the University of Manitoba in Global Political Economy. She also works as an intern for OMundial, a Portuguese newspaper in Winnipeg. "As a person of colour and as a woman, I have experienced situations wherein people push negative stereotypes onto me for those aspects of my identity alone. Thus, working for the Shameless Circle allows me to empower women, as well as the people who surround them, to escape the shame found in situations such as these."

Sofie is currently a Glenlawn Collegiate student. She has taken part in her school’s musical theatre props crew and is currently a part of the Ignite team, which is a group of students that produce the school’s creative arts book. Over the past year she has volunteered at different organizations and events.

“I feel deeply connected to the Shameless Circle because I feel very strongly about the views and values of the organization. Being a part of the Shameless Circle is important to me because it gives me an opportunity to support women who are experiencing unnecessary shame in their lives. Therefore, I can actually make a difference in an issue I feel strongly about”

 Madison is a Conflict Resolution Studies major at the University of Winnipeg. “I’ve always felt passionately about helping others. I believe that every woman deserves to be empowered. I love to be a part of the Shameless Circle where I can support women and be a part of changing their lives.” 

Experienced Director of Finance and Administration with a demonstrated history of working in the charitable and non profit sector. Responsible for overseeing all budgetary, grant management, administrative, and human resource activities for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.  Before joining the Canadian Centre, she worked for an accounting firm managing small business portfolios and for a humanitarian non-profit organization.

Keziah Toews studies Conflict Resolution at the University of Winnipeg with a focus on community health. She cares deeply about the effects of shame, how it can be used, and the power it can have over people in their communities. Keziah believes in self-efficacy and recognizes its significance in healing and success.

Debra’s background is in accounting and law, and she has been a lawyer in Winnipeg for over five years.  Her hope is to contribute to the Shameless Circle’s vision of a world without shame, and especially, to help combat  the non-consensual distribution of intimate images and other forms of image-based sexual violence.