Spotlight

✨ Brigitte Owensby ✨

Elder, Friend, Family, Lab Assistant, A Matriarch of the Mission

Brigitte Owensby isn’t just our lab assistant - she is the beating heart of House of VXN. A wise elder, a steady hand, and a living bridge between generations.

The mother of co-owner Marrana James, Brigitte has poured hundreds of hours into the foundation we stand on today. When resources ran thin and morale wavered, she volunteered her time, her strength and heart into the dream we are fighting for.

Diagnosed with cancer in 2024, Brigitte still chose to show up - with more energy, more excitement, and more devotion to our mission than ever before - bottling formulas, labeling products, packing boxes, and infusing every single item with the kind of love you can feel in your bones.

Even while navigating her own healing journey, Brigitte continued to give

She grows her own cannabis and mushrooms - sharing her wisdom freely with our team.
Prepares healing meals for Shauna and others in the team (especially when Shauna forgets to eat).
Tends a lush backyard garden and shares her fruits and veggies with co-workers and community.
Pours intentional energy into every product she touches, as if she is blessing them with her own heart.
Shows up with the spirit of a healer and the mind of a master gardener while offering supplement suggestions, food tips, and lifestyle lessons learned through her experience.

When Brigitte walks into a room, it fills with light.

When she works, she sets the rhythm of ritual - a reminder that healing isn’t something you sell; it’s something you embody.

She has become the living proof of what House of VXN stands for: Multigenerational wisdom. Healing as service. Radical, unconditional care for each other and for ourselves.

Brigitte teaches us, every day, that wellness is not a concept.

It is a choice. A way of life. A rebellion. A love letter to existence itself.

It is an honor to build this house with her - and because of her.

Woman in a striped outfit sitting on a bench with a '2019 A-List' Dermascope award above her.

Shauna Blanch, LMT, RYT, Co-founder & Co-owner

Shauna Blanch's life is defined by the grit and integrity she learned growing up in a family business, and the relentless drive to fight for better medicine and mental health care in America. Leaving the pharmaceutical industry after witnessing the height of the opioid crisis, she moved to the cannabis frontlines in 2013 with a conviction that healing gets lost in systems built purely for profit.

Since founding Color Up in 2015, Shauna has been the visionary force, turning a philosophy of plant-based wellness and community support into a trusted, national brand. Her journey is etched in years of standing up for her beliefs and she carries forward her parents' lesson: Do the hard work, stand by your people, and fight for what you believe in.

Amber, co-owner of Color Up with a black hat on, in front of mountain range with sun shining in the background.

Amber Lanzaderas White-Benzel, B.Sc., Co-owner

Amber White-Benzel is a first-generation Filipino American from Denver, Colorado with a lifelong passion for wellness, plants, and spirituality. Her journey began in 2018 as a lab assistant at Color Up while completing her B.S. in Biology and Philosophy at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Over the years, she grew into leadership roles and, in 2025, became one of the co-owners of House of VXN.

Living with an anxiety disorder inspired Amber’s mission to create intentional, plant-based skincare and to mentor women—especially those who have experienced trauma or debilitating anxiety—showing that healing and leadership are possible. She continues to bring compassion, creativity, and care into every part of her work, blending scientific precision with a holistic approach to wellness.

Two people embracing on a beach with a sunset in the background

Ellen Blanch + Phil Blanch

Though she lives across the country and doesn’t work with us day-to-day, Ellen has been a guiding force behind our journey since the earliest days of Color Up. Her quiet strength, unwavering belief in us, and deep well of wisdom have grounded us through every transition—from startup chaos to our evolution into VXN, and back to Color Up. For over a decade, she’s been a trusted advisor to Shauna, offering care, counsel, and perspective that has shaped this house more than most will ever know. She now answers our Color Up line, helping our customers and making sure everyone feels loved.

Person holding a bottle of phouse of vxn products in retail store setting

Brigitte Ownsby

Brigitte's belief in plant-medicine is not just a profession but a way of life. A devout believer in plant-medicine throughout her life, she infuses her passion into everything she does. Her positivity and contributions in the lab make her an invaluable and beloved member of our team. She has a green thumb, growing her own cannabis, mushrooms and other herbs to share with the community, and her homemade bread and baked treats are more than just food; they're expressions of the care and love she offers to our team every day. She is the embodiment of the nurturing spirit we stand for, and she never misses an opportunity to remind us all how fortunate we are to be doing this work. She’s Marrana’s mom, house momma to all of us, and a motherly reminder of how mother earth should be honored and cared for every day.