Self-Coaching for DEI Advocates and Leaders

Transcending the "woke wave" to co-create real and lasting shifts towards diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism at your company or organization

a free weekly email and check-in
with Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick
Principal & Founder of Co-Creating Inclusion

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In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and countless other Black lives at the hands of the police that ignited protests across the country and the world, on top of a global pandemic that continues to disproportionately impact Black and brown communities, came the "woke wave" of eyes opened up to the ongoing devastation caused by white supremacy, systemic racism and other forms of oppression, none of it new, all of it centuries old and all of it baked into the very foundation of this country, alive and well in every one of our systems.

Companies that previously never talked about any of this issued somber and earnest statements declaring that Black Lives Matter and pledging their commitment to antiracism. Even those organizations who have been doing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI, also referred to as EDI or JEDI in some sectors) and antiracism work for a while are looking at how they can accelerate their efforts.

For Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC), it can feel like we should be grateful, yet the reality is that the "woke wave" brings with it a wave of white fragility that is exhausting and still centers whiteness while threatening to drown out BIPOC feelings of "too little too late," layered over what is often intergenerational as well as cultural and racial trauma and retraumatization.

It's a lot.

At the same time, it is undeniable that conversations have gone mainstream in a way that was hard to imagine prior to George Floyd's murder and the protests in response.

The result has been a systemic and cultural lowering of the cost of speaking up that has already lead to long overdue but also much needed actions and results.

I'm Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick, Principal & Founder of Co-Creating Inclusion, a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm. 

We help leaders, teams and organizations integrate inclusion into everything they do so we can ALL be seen and validated for ALL of who we are and we can ALL do our best work as a result.

How can we transcend the moment in order to co-create the real and lasting change that will benefit us all?

Join us for this this free weekly email series designed to guide and support DEI and antiracist advocates and leaders who are committed to creating lasting change in their companies and organizations.

  • This is for you if you are in it for the long haul but may not be exactly sure what that looks like, or even what the best next steps are.
  • This is for you if you've been able to drive some progress but are exhausted from what often feels like screaming into the wind.
  • This is for you if you're feeling the whiplash of alternating between hopeful and demoralized.

There are no easy answers, and I don't have the inside track on the right way to do things - I don't believe any of us do.

As a DEI consultant, I try to reject the culture of "expertise" and instead seek to co-create inclusion by asking questions, listening, and yes, sharing best practices and recommendations based on my personal lived experiences as well as a multitude of professional experiences, including the DEI work we've been doing with companies and organizations for the past few years.

My goal and intention is to speak for my own healing while acknowledging where I have privilege and centering on the most impacted, rather than trying to educate, train or convince.

Introducing... Self-Coaching for DEI Advocates and Leaders

One of the practices that has been a game changer for me in my work is what I think of as "relentless self-reflection" although it is a much more gentle process than that makes it sound!

What I've found is that sustaining energy and motivation in the face of what can often feel like unsurmountable systemic obstacles is greatly helped by being present and mindful to the joys of daily and weekly progress in the forms of wins and lessons learned.

I didn't invent this, in fact I first used this with Breanne Dyck of MNIB Consulting, and in a different context with Magda Pecsenye of Ask Moxie. A weekly check-in or review is an integral part of many planners such as the Best Self Planner, EVO Planner, Momentum Planner and more (just to mention a few of my favorites that I've used).  

When it comes to DEI work, however, I've found this process is even more critical as we strive to make visible the invisible, at least to ourselves, but also to our companies and organizations, as we work to counteract the systemic, institutional, interpersonal and internalized gaslighting that is perpetuated by systems of oppression.

Self-reflection also helps us to "act, not react" and to pause, be intentional, counteract how we've been socialized to uphold the status quo, and move forward to create impact that is in alignment with our intentions and translates into tangible actions and results.

Of course, you can implement this for yourself, but if you do well with some external accountability, then Self-Coaching for DEI Advocates and Leaders is for you.

✔️ Every Sunday morning you'll get an email from me with my own thoughts, reflections and recommendations drawn from my DEI work with clients as well as all of the other aspects of my life (you can read past posts here).

✔️ You will also be invited to check-in via a link to an online form. I've tweaked my weekly check-in format over the years but it basically consists of a weekly reflection on your top 3 challenges, top 3 wins, and your top 3 lessons learned.

✔️ You'll get a copy of each week's check-in via email.

✔️ If you are interested in more support for yourself or your company or organization, you can schedule a consult and we'll talk about what that might look like - if you've done a few check-ins, we'll be able to hit the ground running!

Self-Coaching for DEI Advocates and Leaders is completely free, with no strings attached.

Why?  

☀️ It's automated and easy for me, I'm already doing it for some of my coaching clients, and I'd love for it reach and help more people.

☀️ I love being connected with other DEI advocates and leaders and hearing what their challenges and successes are - I learn a lot and it is inspiring and energizing for me.

☀️ I'm committed to helping and impacting as many people and organizations as I can and this is an easy way for me to reach more people.

☀️ If you end up wanting to work with us, that's great, but there is no obligation.

What you should know about me:

I'm really good at helping you to articulate what it is you want - your vision - and then figuring out the steps you can take to realize that vision.  

I'm the kind of person that knows what to do when everyone else is stuck, and take the lead or act as a catalyst to make it happen.

I'm passionate about disruptive inclusion - disrupting the status quo so we can co-create the conditions that allow us ALL to do our best work.  

I'm obsessed with the process of unlearning what we've been told, systemically and culturally, about who we should be, and instead understanding our true selves. I believe that seeing ourselves for who we really are is the first step towards being able to see others for who they are too.  

I am committed to authenticity, connection, courage, integration and transformation.  

My credentials:

As Principal and Founder of Co-Creating Inclusion, I have gathered a collective of talented and passionate consultants of different backgrounds around a shared methodology that we are continually developing and evolving. We focus on leadership & team development, gender and race equity, workplace culture, and business integration.

Our clients include non-profit and professional organizations such as American Institute of Architects (AIA), Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, Bronx Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Camp Fort Greene, International Living Future Institute, International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Institute for Market Transformation, MDRC, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), New York Immigration Coalition, play:groundNYC, SF Fire Credit Union, United Hospital Fund & Verity Credit Union as well as corporate and private clients such as Google, Langan Engineering and PBDW Architects.

I have a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. and am an Advanced Certified Leadership Coach as well as a Myers-Briggs Certified Practitioner (that means I can do Myers-Briggs assessments).

My background is in architecture, so I am also a licensed architect with almost 20 years of experience managing workplace strategy and corporate interiors projects for global brands. Somewhere in between all that, I was a family and brand photographer and photography coach for parents and to this day, I still love to use photography as a tool for joy, connection, inclusion, gratitude and storytelling. Born and brought up in the UK, I live in Brooklyn with My husband and my 10 and 12 year old boys.

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