Community & Youth Development
Decades of experience supporting youth, families, neighborhoods, after-school environments, and community-centered initiatives.
Home / Meet the Founder
Author. Strategist. Trainer. Community advocate.Toni E. Washington-Shinn
Toni helps organizations close the gap between what their brand promises and how their people actually behave.
The Inner-City Guru™More than 30 years of people-centered work.
Toni E. Washington-Shinn is an author, brand strategist, community architect, trainer, and leadership advocate who has spent more than three decades giving youth, families, neighborhoods, community organizations, and entrepreneurs a voice.
Her work is shaped by service to people and organizations that are often overlooked, underestimated, challenged, or under-resourced. She brings practical experience from youth development, after-school programming, community outreach, grassroots leadership, branding, staff training, nonprofit development, entrepreneurship, storytelling, and organizational culture.
Credibility and experience
Built through service—not theory alone.
Brand & Marketing Strategy
Chief Strategist of Guru Marketing Group and a Full Sail University Digital Marketing alumna.
Author & Framework Creator
Author of Brand Is Behavior, creator of the companion workbook, and developer of the KEEP IT REAL™ Framework.
Youth developmentAfter-school programmingCommunity outreachBrand developmentStaff trainingOrganizational cultureEntrepreneurshipNonprofit developmentStorytelling
“I created Brand Is Behavior because I watched organizations invest in how they look while overlooking how people feel when they encounter the brand. Real branding begins with people, culture, accountability, and the courage to live what you say.”
Toni E. Washington-Shinn
From the book to the Academy
A philosophy became a practical system.
Brand Is Behavior began as a challenge to traditional branding. Toni recognized that organizations were investing in logos, colors, websites, and marketing while overlooking the behaviors that determine trust.
The book, companion workbook, KEEP IT REAL™ Framework, and Brand Is Behavior Academy™ now give leaders and teams a practical system for turning values into visible action.
Speaking topics
Bring the message to your audience.
Brand Is Behavior
Why reputation is created through actions—not just marketing.
KEEP IT REAL™ Leadership
Reliable, Ethical, Aligned, and Lived leadership practices.
Culture Is Everybody’s Responsibility
How leaders and frontline teams collectively shape culture.
Building Brands in Overlooked Communities
Serving communities with authenticity, dignity, trust, and consistency.
Bring The Inner-City Guru™ to your next event.
Conferences, retreats, professional-development days, leadership events, and community gatherings.
Chief Strategist
Guru Marketing Group
The Brand Is Behavior Academy™ is powered by Guru Marketing Group—the Florida-based brand development, strategy, and community outreach company behind Toni’s work with organizations, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.
