Mahoghany Coaching & Development is now Inclusion Alchemy, LLC.
As a young girl, I saw the movie Mahogany in 1975, starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams.
I was enamored by the determination of the lead character Tracy, a skinny, brown-skinned, black woman from the inner city of Chicago; played by Ross.
Tracy aspired to be a fashion designer and dared to dream of creating her own unique fashion line, while traveling and living abroad. I think what struck me as much as her determination to succeed, was her defiance and refusal of letting herself be placed in a box or be told by anyone who looked like her or didn’t look like her; what she could or couldn’t achieve. Although still a kid, I greatly identified with her character because of her physical appearance and attitude; both which were very similar to mine. As growing up in a racist, sexist and patriarchal environment in the deep South myself, I too was determined to succeed, see the world and defy those who tried to deter me; simply because I was a skinny, nappy headed, little, black girl growing up in the city.
Mahogany brought my daydreams to life, showing me that what I envisioned for myself was possible!
I committed to myself then, if I ever started a business, I would name it Mahogany! So, when I launched my boutique consulting practice in 2009 focused on helping underrepresented women leaders and professionals thrive in the workplace and beyond; that’s exactly what I did!
Now over the last decade in doing this work, both as an internal and external consultant, an integrative approach emerged as a result of a key insight that was reinforced for me time and time again from my experience as a multi-disciplined practitioner providing coaching, facilitation, organizational development, change and DEI support.
I recognized that in order for women and other diverse talent to truly succeed in today’s workplace, the systems around us must also change, which requires multi-dimensional support at every level of a system beginning with its leaders.
As too often, the interconnection of the system is not factored in the execution of DEI work as a part of the solution.
A relocation across the country in early 2020, brought with it an opportunity to rebrand ourselves to more explicitly reflect the work my team and I actually do in practice. While our name has changed, our mission remains the same to partner with leaders in cultivating inclusive workplaces where all talent can succeed and thrive; with a focus on underrepresented women professionals, who are often the most vulnerable and least supported in the system.
We specialize in helping leaders transform good organizations into great organizations that are diverse, equitable and inclusive. This is Inclusion Alchemy.