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MY APPROACH

My Theory of Change​

How does change happen within individuals and in groups? If I tend to be a perfectionist, can I really change that? If our work culture is fast paced and competitive, as much as we talk about inclusion, can we really change? True behavior change is one of the most challenging kinds of changes to take on, but one of the most rewarding.

The following describes how I pursue change with my clients:

  • Emotion

Emotions are a huge way us human beings experience the world. As an organizational leader, your feelings will either be your downfall or your superpower. Through coaching, I can support you and your group to develop an emotionally intelligent approach to leading and collaborating.

  • Action

We learn by doing. While background knowledge is important, as are tools and frameworks, none of that matters until it is put into practice. My approach is grounded in your lived experience at work and always includes practical application. I will work with you to set stretch goals, experiments, and work with you and/or your group to put principles into practice immediately.

  • Imagination

We need to imagine a better future to live into. I believe creativity is our birth right – we are all creative. I will work with your group to get past blocks, open up to possibilities, engage the right side of the brain, so we can imagine and move towards a better, more just future.

  • Community

We are social animals. We all need to feel seen, encouraged, and appreciated. We need each other to check our assumptions, see an alternative perspective, and broaden our world view. We need to practice how to give and how to receive. Today as we confront an assault on our values, expressed in a resurgence of state sanctioned violence, while still struggling to overcome the loneliness and isolation of the pandemic, remembering and prioritizing coming together is as essential as it has ever been.

My Values

Much of diversity, equity, and inclusion work has unfortunately not been successful. My approach seeks to take a new approach, informed by multiple spheres of influence including scholars, activists, artists, organizers, teachers, coaches and healers. My values guide my work with groups of multiple and intersectional identities, to acknowledge our shared humanity, celebrate our differences, learn together about how to evolve into the most caring, responsible, and effective leaders and teams we can be.

The following key values guide my work:

  • Truth​

I believe in surfacing a more complete and unbiased account of the history of the United States. I believe pretending to know all the answers sets us back. When we choose to be honest about the limits of our understanding, the questions we have, and the feelings that come up when faced with uncomfortable truths, real growth happens.  We need to create spaces where people can fill the gaps without experiencing shame, and that the full truth of our history is told. 

  • Compassion

I believe there is inherent dignity in every individual. Solidarity is not an abstract or strictly professional endeavor, but a way of walking through the world with a deep care for all those that are suffering, and a deep care for all who are dedicating their lives to build a world in which we can all flourish.

  • Courage

Courage, for me, is the willingness to share a perspective that may be uncomfortable or emotionally charged without making people who disagree with me wrong. Courage is a willingness to be vulnerable about what I don’t know. Courage is about making a loving but bold invitation for our community to expand rather than constrict.

  • Joy

Working through conflict can be excruciating. People are deep in their hurts, and defensiveness is high. . And yet, I believe it can be a joyful experience to notice our fears, to ask for what we need, and to give and receive feedback openly. It is a joyful (though not easy) experience to listen and be heard, as find the ways we can support each other in our individual and collective growth.

My Values

Much of diversity, equity, and inclusion work has unfortunately not been successful. My approach seeks to take a new approach, informed by multiple spheres of influence including;
scholars, activists, artists, organizers, teachers, coaches and healers. My values guide my work with groups of multiple and intersectional identities, and I seek to acknowledge the particular
responsibilities I see for myself as a white identified person working to dismantle systemic oppression.

The following key values guide my work:

  • Truth​

I believe in surfacing a more complete and unbiased account of the racial history of the United States. I believe pretending to know all the answers sets us back. When we choose to be honest about what we understand, the questions we have, and the feelings that come up when faced with uncomfortable truths, real growth happens.

  • Compassion

I believe there is inherent dignity in every individual. Anti-oppression is not an abstract or strictly professional endeavor, but a way of walking through the world with a deep care for the lives at risk, care for ourselves as we challenge ourselves to grow, and care for our colleagues – wherever they may be in the journey.

  • Courage

The other side of compassion is courage. I seek to balance my compassion practice with courage. Courage, for me, is the willingness to share a perspective that may be uncomfortable or emotionally charged for my white colleagues, friends, or family members. Courage is about prioritizing taking action to honor my principles over my comfort. Courage is about making a loving but bold invitation for our community to expand rather than constrict.

  • Joy

Examining privilege and implicit bias is often met with eye rolling, resentment, or defensiveness. I believe it is a joyful experience to notice my fears and move through them, to reckon with the horrors of the past and take action in a new direction. It is a joyful (though not easy) experience to embrace all parts of myself and others. It is a joyful experience to change.

My Theory of Change​

How does change happen within individuals and in groups? If I tend to be a perfectionist, can I really change that? If our work culture is fast paced and competitive, as much as we talk about inclusion, can we really change? True behavior change is one of the most challenging kinds of changes to take on, but one of the most rewarding.

 

The following describes how I pursue change with my clients:

  • Emotion

Emotions are a huge way us human beings experience the world. As an organizational leader, your feelings will either be your downfall or your superpower. Through coaching, I can support you and your group to develop an emotionally intelligent approach to leading and collaborating.

  • Action

We learn by doing. While background knowledge is important, as are tools and frameworks, none of that matters until it is put into practice. My approach is grounded in your lived experience at work and always includes practical application. I will work with you to set stretch goals, experiments, and work with you and/or your group to put principles into practice immediately.

  • Imagination

We need to imagine a better future to live into. I believe creativity is our birth right – we are all creative. I will work with your group to get past blocks, open up to possibilities, engage the right side of the brain, so we can imagine and move towards a better, more just future.

  • Community

We are social animals. We need to feel seen, encouraged, and appreciated. We need each other to check our assumptions, see an alternative perspective, or to broaden our world view. We need to practice how to give and how to receive. Today we have an impending epidemic of loneliness and isolation. For authentic social change to happen, we need to remember how to come together.