Approach & Values
You are changing the world, and I would be honored to work with you.
I know that your work is hard, and right now it’s even harder. The transformative work needed to address and undo white supremacy, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and so many more issues that continue to plague our country and the world can be daunting and exhausting. The addition of a global pandemic and extreme political volatility has laid bare the depth and intensity of work needed to undo the myriad historical and systematic injustices baked into the very fabric of our country.
What you do is more important now than it has ever been, and I hold your work in the highest regard.
Everything we do is designed to bring your values and your mission to the forefront, and to ensure that our work together centers equity. We must be bold, honest, and transparent in order to lift up, address, and dismantle the cultural, institutional, and systemic barriers that perpetuate harm and continue to exclude BIPOC, LGBTQ people, women, and other marginalized communities within our organizations and in the world beyond.
If you’re ready to recharge and recommit to your work or to change the dynamic of how you work as a team, if you’re committed to new perspectives, open to new solutions, and we have shared values in our vision of not only your team but the world at large, we will work together to define your goals and design actionable change.
Our approach is tailored to our clients because each is unique and faces individualized team needs and dynamics. Our clients are our partners; we may craft an agenda to achieve the goals you seek, but the ultimate success of our work rests with you - what you bring to the table, how you choose to show up, and the energy you put into this work. Our relationship truly is a partnership; if we need to revisit the process, reflect on where we are at and where we are going, or adjust to factor in new information or opportunities, we will do that together.
We ground our approach in the following equity-centered values:
TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES
We believe that every challenge is actually an opportunity for us to grow, learn, and do better. Part of how we turn challenges into opportunities is by recognizing and challenging our assumptions, tackling them with a critical eye, realizing that two opposing ideas can be true at the same time, and coming at problems with a proactive vision and a willingness to innovate.
Moreover, in the political and nonprofit world, we often find ourselves operating from a place of scarcity, which can breed resistance to investing in teams, and thereby reinforce the cultural, institutional, and systemic barriers that harm, isolate, and silence marginalized communities. Doing so perpetuates that harm and denies ourselves, our teams, our organizations, and our communities the resources and investments that they need to be effective and to address and dismantle systems of oppression in the world at large and within our individual organizations. A fresh perspective can help you create the space for the bold and honest conversations needed for radical change.
REFLECTING YOUR NEEDS
You are unique and facing individualized team dynamics. Our approach will be tailored to you; your needs and goals will drive our work together. We create a personalized process that diagnoses and articulates the full scope of the situation at hand, identifies the root causes, and determines a way to address the issues, all while celebrating successes along the way.
BUILDING POWER THROUGH TRANSPARENCY
Leading with intentionality, transparency, and clarity builds power and alignment, inspires others to invest in your vision, and results in effective programs. When we share clear and direct feedback, when we create a culture that aligns around our common goals, we allow individuals and teams to learn and to do better. You will always know exactly where we are in the process that we’ve built, and we will ensure that our discussions and our work is based on what you need to hear and understand.
FOCUSING ON VISION AND MISSION
To begin meaningful work together, it is important to be on the same page about what we want to accomplish. We begin with vision and mission: this is where we set parameters, grounding our work together for your team. This step is fundamental, as vision and mission are based on understanding and acknowledging collective impact.
CONNECTING VISION TO IMPLEMENTATION
The goal we set with every client is to effectively create a plan to move forward that makes them feel in control, refreshed, and recommitted to their work. and hopefully achieves a more positive, healthy, and constructive culture. A healthy culture removes barriers to progress and gives teams the space and opportunity to be more effective in achieving the organization’s mission and creating their desired impact in the world.
ENSURING INCLUSION + CENTERING IMPACTED COMMUNITIES
The ability to live our values of equity and inclusion in our work externally starts with how we operate internally, how we build and deploy strategic planning processes, and the systems and structures we build to support our teams. We are committed to devising service packages and project plans that intentionally identify and engage a diverse and expansive set of stakeholders to ensure that the result of our work together is grounded in inclusion and is based on the needs, perspectives, and priorities identified by the communities most impacted by your work.
Everything we do is designed to bring your values and your mission to the forefront and to ensure that our work together centers equity. We must be bold, honest, and transparent in order to lift up, address, and dismantle the cultural, institutional, and systemic barriers that perpetuate harm and continue to exclude BIPOC, LGBTQ people, women, and other marginalized communities within our organizations and in the world beyond.