1:1 coaching
I started coaching professionally four years ago. I've advised and "coached" executives for much longer, but I was advice giving, not coaching, which is holding space to find your own answers from within you.
Recently I reviewed 4 years of client feedback saw three themes:
- Clients move from stuck to unstuck— they transform overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and indecision into clarity, confidence, and a clear path forward.
- This work goes deeper than work strategy — clients learn to trust their instincts, quiet inner critics, and advocate for themselves in ways that show up both at work and at home.
- External and internal results — clients have earned promotions, navigated career pivots while fundamentally shifting people-pleasing and playing by other people's rules to grounding in genuine self-belief and self-worth. On the outside this looks like powerful and authentic leadership.
The thing I'm most proud of is that women of color say they feel truly seen. Clients say how much it matters to work with a coach who understands their lived experience and knows that the generic career advice like "lean in" or "let them" doesn't work for many women of color.
Rupture and Repair
I am so excited about Priya Parker's next book, The Art of Fighting. Like, look at this cover!!!
If the Art of Gathering is sweet harmonious watercolour, the Art of Fighting is messy, real fingerpaint.
We say we want community. High-performing colleagues and workplaces. Dynamic friend groups. Yet many of us don’t understand the crucial element we need to forge long-lasting relationships in our lives: healthy conflict.
In The Art of Fighting, Priya Parker explains that we can’t form and grow effective community without conflict. She rejects the idea that good groups don’t fight. Indeed, it’s because people disagree that groups flourish.
Resources on gathering
Recently I removed someone from a small online group I was facilitating. I wrote about this on LinkedIn and the post blew up.
They didn't do anything offensive, but they weren't really there. Their camera and mic were off. They didn't introduce themselves, even after a couple of invitations. I put them in the waiting room and sent them a message saying that it didn't seem like they were there and if they wanted back in to rejoin. They didn't.
My spidey sense was that they were recording the meeting.
It was uncomfortable for me to do, and it was in service of the group to do it. We wanted a space for honest conversation and real connection. Having someone lurking doesn't help create those conditions.
As meeting hosts we have a responsibility to the group.
Afterwards I remember one of Priya Parker's New Rules of Gathering: Make Purpose Your Bouncer.
How have you made purpose your bouncer for a gathering?
Ways to work with me
- 1:1 coaching — 3 or 6 month packages. Book a free chemistry call to see if we're a fit.
- Team offsites — I design and facilitate in-person experiences for teams. I'm actively looking for more of this work. Reply with the basics (who, what, when) and let's talk.
- Speaking — keynotes, panels, fireside chats. I'm a strong interviewer if you need someone to draw out a great conversation. Here's my current keynote on leadership and values.
- Inclusion consulting — strategy, thought partnership, and culture work for organizations building high-performance inclusive workplaces. Reach out here.
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