About our founder,

shayna yvonne rudd

Shayna Yvonne Rudd, LPC is the Founder and Executive Director of The Legends House, an award-winning arts, healing, and leadership organization dedicated to the emotional wellness, creative expression, and empowerment of girls and young women.

A licensed psychotherapist, educator, poet, and performing-arts director, Shayna is nationally recognized for her innovative integration of mental health, performance, cultural storytelling, and leadership development. Through The Legends House, she has created a transformative ecosystem where girls are not only trained as dancers and performers—but supported as whole human beings.

The Legends House was born from Shayna’s deep belief that when girls are allowed to heal out loud, they rise differently. What began as a small dance collective has grown into a powerful movement offering performing-arts training, community healing circles, school partnerships, counseling services, and nationally recognized productions—many of which center the lived experiences, grief, joy, and brilliance of Black girls.

Shayna’s work has been featured on national media platforms, in schools, universities, and community spaces across the country. She currently serves as an Upper School Counselor and Racial Equity Consultant, teaches at the university level, and leads professional development on youth mental health, racial trauma, grief, and culturally responsive care.

As a clinician, Shayna specializes in depression, grief, trauma, and identity development. As an artist, she uses movement, storytelling, and performance as pathways to healing. As a leader, she is committed to cultivating environments where girls learn to trust their voices, honor their emotions, and recognize themselves as legends in the making.

At The Legends House, Shayna’s mission is simple and radical:

to ensure that girls are seen, supported, celebrated, and never asked to shrink.