A Statement on Violence and the Racial Divide in America One of the first questions heard after the mass shootings across three Atlanta-area massage parlors was, "Where is Black Lives Matter?" After the murder of six Asian American women, amid a year of escalating...
Reframing Nice
We are all socialized to be nice people, believing nice to mean good, kind, and honest. And of course, we should all want to be those things. But the word nice is too often co-opted and weaponized, especially against women and people of color. Being nice is...
Advancing Your Own Equity
We’re seeing signs that individuals and corporations want anti-racist change right now. There’s real talk about police reform, open support of Black Lives Matter, and new or revived company DEI initiatives. There is movement in the landscape of social response and...
Corporate Social Justice Starts Within
In the past few months, we have had many organizations reaching out to Leverage to Lead for support in building their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. We talk a lot about corporate culture and safety, so it’s encouraging to see leaders understand the need to...
Reframing Uncertainty
We’re no strangers to working through difficult or uncertain times. But the current civic, economic, and personal upheaval we are experiencing can leave us feeling overwhelmed and despairing. All of our training, experience, and skills couldn’t have prepared us for...
Our Addiction to Racism is Killing Us
We like to think of racism as individuals mistreating other individuals. We don't understand how we, nice people, are doing any harm. I'm not hurting anyone is what all junkies say. If only "the racists" would get clean, racism wouldn't be a problem. But that's not...
Deep Listening with Jennifer and MJ
MJ Mathis joined Leverage to Lead as an Associate Coach this past March. You’ve already seen her voice added to our biweekly newsletters, and we’ve been busy with corporate trainings and DEI work across many different spaces. In July, we’re offering a session called...
Power, Influence, and the Limits of Comfort
We hear the word influence a lot these days. Celebrities on Instagram, CEOs lobbying in Washington, high-profile political endorsements. In a recent Facebook conversation, culture-maker Kelly Diels discussed influence along with power. Often, the terms get conflated...
Leading Through Uncertainty
What Showing Up Looks Like Now At Leverage to Lead, we help women and people of color show up with agency and authenticity. But what does that look like in the midst of a crisis? Our civic, professional, and personal lives are undergoing unprecedented change. What...
A Space for Our Vulnerable Selves
“We are saying, if you have money and you’re white, you can do well here. If you’re not, good luck to you.” – Dr. Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the former acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)....