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Coaching As A Lifeline

For many BIPOC executives and HR leaders, 2024 and 2025 brought constant shifts and unfamiliar terrain. The workplace is changing faster than organizations know how to manage. Expectations are rising while structural support is shrinking. In the midst of this complexity, one truth became clear. 


Coaching is no longer optional. 


It is becoming a lifeline.


The demand for coaching is rising because the workplace itself has transformed. Corporate structures continue to flatten. Agentic AI is reshaping industries, redistributing responsibilities, and eliminating layers of leadership once essential to career progression. Leadership development budgets have been reduced. DEIB commitments have faded from view. HR teams are stretched thinner than ever. BIPOC leaders are navigating environments where the rules keep changing, but the cultural pressures remain the same. In this environment, coaching offers something increasingly rare. A steady, confidential space to think clearly, plan strategically, and lead with intention.


For many BIPOC executives, coaching has become that anchor. A place to process uncertainty without judgment. A place to evaluate difficult decisions with clarity instead of urgency. A place to understand how to adapt in workplaces where stability is no longer guaranteed. HR leaders are also turning to coaching as a way to strengthen their own leadership capacity while supporting others through unprecedented change. Coaching helps leaders identify what they need to release, where they need to grow, and how to move forward with purpose.


And then there is the reality of erasure.This experience has touched BIPOC professionals across industries, regardless of level or title. Visibility has become inconsistent. Influence has become conditional. Opportunities that once seemed aligned with our skills and contributions are suddenly harder to access. Succession plans shift without explanation. Sponsorship fades quietly. Systems that felt promising only a few years ago have retracted. Many BIPOC executives describe working in environments where they are valued for their results…but not always included in the rooms where those results are shaped.


This is where coaching becomes more than performance support. It becomes affirmation.Executives need spaces where their leadership is fully seen. HR leaders need spaces where their intuition and expertise are validated. 


Coaching provides that. 


It offers:

Someone who sees the whole leader, not just the role.

Someone who listens without questioning your lived experience.

Someone who reflects back your strengths when the workplace blurs them.

Someone who holds space for the identity, perspective, and wisdom you bring.

Someone who reminds you that you are not imagining the barriers you encounter.


Coaching becomes the mirror that counters erasure.

A place where your leadership, impact, and potential are named without hesitation.


AI disruption has also pushed many professionals into rapid reinvention. BIPOC executives are being asked to evaluate new skill sets, new pathways, and new expectations with limited guidance or time. HR leaders are navigating the same questions while supporting others through similar transitions. Coaching helps clarify which skills matter for the future, how to navigate flattened leadership structures, and how to strengthen your personal brand in a constantly shifting environment. Reinvention becomes strategic instead of reactive. It becomes a choice rather than a crisis.


But perhaps the deepest value of coaching in this moment is emotional restoration.We rarely speak openly about the emotional toll of being a BIPOC leader in today’s climate. Yet many are carrying the weight of cultural exhaustion, decision fatigue, and the silent pressure to stay composed even in instability. Coaching offers a place to release that weight. It provides rest. The kind that recenters you before burnout becomes irreversible. The kind that allows you to be honest about your needs. The kind that helps you reconnect with your purpose before making your next move.


Coaching becomes the place where leaders can:Release the invisible labor they carry.Relearn how to set boundaries that protect their energy.Rebuild confidence that uncertainty tried to erode.Restore clarity before stepping into their next season of leadership.Strengthen emotional resilience with intention.


This is what “Rest Is Resistance” looks like in the world of leadership.NOT stepping away from responsibility.NOT disengaging from the mission.Choosing RESTORATION so you can lead with clarity, presence, and focus.


For many BIPOC leaders, coaching is also becoming the bridge to what comes next. The next role. 


The next reinvention. 


The next chapter. 


Some are exploring entrepreneurship or consulting. Others are considering Board positions, global opportunities, or new sectors entirely. HR leaders are reimagining their place in organizations that rely heavily on them…yet struggle to fully support them. Coaching provides the roadmap for these transitions. It helps leaders ask, with honesty, WHO they are becoming and WHAT they want to create next.


As we prepare to enter 2026, I know many executives and HR leaders feel a shift coming. 


A desire to be more visible. 


More grounded. 


More aligned. 


More intentional. 


And for those who are ready to stand in that new space, there will be opportunities to step into deeper, more supported forms of leadership development. 


My highly-rated coaching program, Stop Being The Best Kept Secret ®, is undergoing a thoughtful revamp for the new year. This is not a formal announcement, but consider it an early preview that something meaningful is on the horizon for leaders who are ready to show up differently in 2026 and beyond.


In a world moving faster than anyone can control…


Choosing SUPPORT is wise. 


Choosing CLARITY is strategic. 


Choosing RESTORATION is leadership. 


Coaching offers space for all three. It allows you to center yourself and rise with intention. And as you enter a new year…that may be the most powerful commitment you can make to YOURSELF.


REST is not avoidance. 


REST is clarity. 


REST is resistance. 


And for leaders who carry so much…REST is how we RISE.



December Observances:

  • Universal Human Rights Month: A time to reaffirm that dignity, equity, and justice are universal rights; not privileges. It invites thoughtful reflection on how our choices, workplaces, and communities can better uphold and protect those rights for all.

  • World AIDS Day, December 1: Commemorates those who have died of AIDS and acknowledges the need for continued commitment to all those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

  • Giving Tuesday, December 2: Touted as a "global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world."

  • International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, December 2: A significant annual observance that focuses on eradicating modern forms of slavery, raising awareness about human trafficking, and promoting the rights and dignity of all individuals, especially those who have been victims of slavery.

  • International Day of People with Disabilities, December 3: Designed to raise awareness in regard to persons with disabilities in order to improve their lives and provide them with equal opportunity.

  • Extraordinary Work as a Team Recognition Day, December 4: A day to celebrate the magic that happens when great people work together. It highlights how teamwork sparks creativity, builds momentum, and turns everyday efforts into wins worth cheering for.

  • International Volunteer Day, December 5: It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.

  • Bodhi Day, December 8: The Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment

  • Immaculate Conception of Mary, December 8: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the solemn celebration by various Christian denominations of belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

  • International Human Rights Day, December 10: Established by the United Nations in 1948 to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  • Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12: A religious holiday in Mexico commemorating the appearance of the Virgin Mary near Mexico City in 1531.

  • Hanukkah, December 14-22: A Jewish holiday that is celebrated for eight days and nights. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, or Israelites, over the Greek-Syrian ruler, Antiochus, approximately 2,200 years ago.

  • Las Posadas, December 16–24: A nine-day celebration in Mexico commemorating the trials Mary and Joseph endured during their journey to Bethlehem.

  • Christmas Day, December 25: The day that many Christians associate with Jesus’ birth.

  • Boxing Day, December 26: A secular holiday also celebrated in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and South Africa.

  • Kwanzaa, December 26–January 1: An African-American holiday started by Maulana Karenga in 1966 to celebrate universal African-American heritage.

  • Zartosht No-Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra), December 26: A day of remembrance in the Zoroastrian religion. It commemorates the anniversary of the death of the prophet Zoroaster, or Zarathushtra.

  • Feast of the Holy Family, December 28: A liturgical celebration in the Catholic Church in honor of Jesus, his mother, and his foster father, St. Joseph, as a family. The primary purpose of this feast is to present the Holy Family as a model for Christian families.

  • Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28: A Christian feast in remembrance of the massacre of young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus.

  • Watch Night, December 31: A day for Christians to review the year that has passed, make confessions, and then prepare for the year ahead by praying and resolving.

  • New Year’s Eve, December 31: A festive close to the year marked by reflection, celebration, and anticipation for the opportunities ahead.


Until next month... Be well and protect your peace!


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