2020 ACTO Virtual Conference

Re-Imagining Coach Education: Exploring Diversity, Equity & Inclusion


KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

We are delighted to announce the following Keynote Presenters for the Virtual Conference:

Jay Pryor: How Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming Stories Change Us All  (CCEs: 0.5 CC / 1 RD)

Jay Pryor is a speaker, executive coach and facilitator of corporate trainings and workshops around the world. They are the author of the acclaimed book Lean Inside: 7 Steps to Personal Power: A Practical Guide to Transformation for Women and co-hosted the podcast Doing the Work with Jay and Becca, devoted to awakening people to their own power to transform their lives. Jay is an advocate & educator for inclusivity and gender consciousness and the creator of The Gender Reveal Party, a one-human performance about their experience growing up a transgender non-binary person in the heart of the Midwest. Jay lives with their wife, Jessica, and two children in Lawrence, Kansas. JayPryorConsulting.com

To coach is to connect, so how do you establish trust with clients when feeling nervous about your understanding of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-confirming language and experiences? What does it mean to coach a human being beyond gender expectations society imprints on both coaches and clients? This talk is designed to have audiences notice their own assumptions about sex and gender and leave with new insights on awareness, communicating, and listening. Jay’s openness and humor about their own experience as a trans non-binary person creates a safe space for people to discuss and ask questions about their own assumptions and understanding.

Their story has been performed in a one-human monologue show called THE GENDER REVEAL PARTY, which has opened new doors of opportunity and connection as an executive coach. Jay will share part of the show, talk about the inspiration for creating it, and how doing
theater has improved coaching and connecting.


Veronica King: Ubuntu: Coaching for equity; Lessons from South Africa  (CCEs: 0.75 CC / 0.75 RD)

Veronica King is Black Woman and the founder and CEO of Emuthini Consulting based in Johannesburg, South Africa.  She is a communication specialist, master facilitator and global executive coach. Her coaching and facilitation experience ranges from individuals and teams to transitioning executives.

She has the wealth of various coaching methodologies from her four coaching qualifications, Co-active Coaching, Time to Think coaching, Systemic Business Coaching and ORSC (Organisational, Relationship, Systems Coaching). Veronica has worked in leadership development across a wide range of industries and Fortune 500 companies. Her previous senior executive positions in multi-national organisations both locally and internationally, include having worked for Richard Branson and as Stedman Graham’s business partner. This has earned her first-hand experience of the ever changing world of business, organisations and human dynamics. She brings empathy and business acumen from her past executive experience into her coaching relationships.

For the past 20 years Veronica has worked with organisations to embed transformation and diversity through executive coaching, capacity building for implementing employment equity and creating inclusive organisations which enables a sense of belonging. These interventions have helped identify the factors that create barriers to development and success.

Veronica will be speaking about Ubuntu, which means ‘I am because we are ‘ and her coaching for equity lessons from South Africa.  She will share what she has learned and experienced as a Black Woman from the frontline delivering transformation, diversity and inclusion programmes. Her primary focus is to support organisations to create diverse and inclusive environments by encouraging a culture of ubuntu, driving equity and a sense of belonging.

This session will be experiential with self-reflection activities, small group sharing and large group discussions.  The presentation will invite participants to take a close look at their internal beliefs and values, become aware of their internalised superiority and internalised inferiority and the impact of their stereotypical behaviours on others. Coaches and coach trainers will be called forth to hold themselves accountable, inclusive, authentic and empathetic when coaching clients who are different to them.

The session will end with a fun experiential activity with a serious take away – we call it serious fun !



SPEAKER LINEUP & PRESENTATIONS

Click on the session title to learn more!

Intercultural Competence as a Core Competency of Coaching: Uncovering the gap between coaching intention and the reality of practice (CCEs: 1 CC / 0.5 RD)Akiko Maeker

Asian; Japanese; woman; born and raised in Japan; resides now in Minnesota, USA; business owner and professional coach; Buddhist; in international, intercultural, inter-racial, and inter-faith marriage with a white US American man; mother of two bicultural, bilingual, and biracial teenaged sons; first in family to graduate college and earn Master’s and Doctoral degrees; lives with non-visible health challenges and childhood trauma; HSP (Highly Sensitive Person); sports enthusiast.


Incorporating Competency to Coach Marginalized Populations Into Your Coach Training Program (CCEs: 0.75 CC / 0.75 RD)Bobbi and Sarah Parish

A same sex married couple, multiculturally representing both The United States and Great Britain. White women, both raised in working class families with substantial intergenerational trauma, leaving both to suffer significant abuse at the hands of those who should have protected them. Survivors of domestic violence. As a result, both have invisible disabilities. Religious heritages had little to do with god and everything to do with grooming and supporting abuse. First generation entrepreneurs and business owners. Fierce champions of breaking the cycle of abuse, cheerleading marginalized populations, cutting a path through the “unique coaching population” jungle for other’s to follow, laughing until you snort, being cool moms and perfecting the ultimate cheesecake recipe.


Participatory Social Justice in Coaching (CCEs: 0.5 CC / 1 RD)Deborah Miller

White, middle class and university educated (currently completing a terminal degree), survivor of a long-term abusive first marriage who has created a safe and flourishing second marriage. Jewish in faith of origin, Unitarian-Universalist in chosen faith (leaning more toward Universalist). Parent and fierce advocate for and with a young adult with non-visible disabilities. Somewhere along the way, I figured out the work of learning on this journey is all for nothing unless I am using what privilege I have toward social justice – that there is really no point to belonging unless it is to pave the way for others who might never had access to the opportunities I have had. Sine qua non – without which, nothing.


Exploring neurodiversity (CCEs: 1.25 CC / 0.25 RD)Denslow Brown

White woman/lesbian with inattentive ADHD. Recent widow after 30 years, including 8 years of intensive caretaking. 4th generation Californian, middle of five children from an upper middle class family and small town in the Los Angeles foothills. A painfully sensitive, people-pleasing girl; raped as a teenager; on auto-pilot thru high school, college, early marriage. Woke up with the women’s movement of the 70’s/80’s; helped build an international festival village for several thousand women and children for 40 summers. After living in NYC in the 80’s, I’ve been in the Ozarks Mountains on an environmentally-protected lesbian land trust in a home I designed and helped build. Raised Christian, now atheist & budding Buddhist.


Supervision and Mentoring: Merging the What, How and the Who   (CCEs: 1 CC / 0.5 RD)Eliana Dutra and Silvina Spiegel

Eliana Dutra Proud Portuguese speaker, also speaks English, Brazilian, woman, white, single, grandmother, has a non-visible disability. Loves to travel to Paris, New York and St. Petersburg to watch ballet and opera.
Frequent speaker and workshop leader, she has spoken to groups of 30 to 2000 people. For the last 20 years, she has worked at her own company as supervising-mentor, trainer and coach for large Brazilians and multinational organizations such as Amnesty International, Petrobras, and L’ Oreal.
She teaches at her own coaching school: MAGISTERE COACH PROGRAM, since 2008; (ACTP since 2012). Eliana is also the author of the book: Coaching – O que você precisa saber. (Coaching – What you need to know – Portuguese only)

Silvina Spiegel: Argentinian Jew born in Rosario, Hebrew and Jewish Culture teacher with a huge experience in front of different audiences from 3 to 100 years old.
Granddaughter of European refugees, spent a year and a half studying in Israel. Lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil since 2008. Has a Brazilian son, stepson and 4 step grandsons, apart from two Argentinian stepsons almost her age, managed to create a loving family.
Classical Singer sang for more than 20 years in the local choir (soprano solo).
Worked on retail, education, mentoring and coaching for a wide variety of people and industries, in four languages from more than 15 different countries.
Recognized for her flexibility, empathy and out-of-the-box thinking.


Teaching Coaching in Intercultural Settings: Decentering Dominant US Cultural Norms (CCEs: 1 CC / 0.5 RD)Emily Clawson

Cis white woman, raised in the US midwest, raised evangelical Christian and has a Masters in Divinity from Harvard University, Bachelors from University of San Diego. Passionate about learning, critical reflection, equity, connection, and creativity.

 

 


Cultivating the Coaching Mindset (CCEs: 1 CC) ICF – Carrie Abner, Micki McMillan and Luke Davis

White, middle-class southern girl whose somewhat traditional family valued education, learning and exploration of the world. Daughter of a foreign language teacher and a microbiologist, she’s passing along her love of discovery (at the macro and micro levels) on to her two children. An avid runner, her preferred way to explore new places is by foot. Married to her best friend for 20 years.


What is coaching’s greatest possibility for humanity and the planet? (CCEs: 1 CC / 0.5 RD)ICF Foundations Saima Butt and  Amy Friskney

Saima Butt: Asian, straight, cis gender, married, living in Oxford, England and have a 20yo at uni. Born in Tanzania to second generation Pakistani parents who separated when I was five. Brought up by grandparents in Kenya, moved to England with my mother and younger brother before I was ten. A uni degree and becoming a lawyer, doctor or accountant (!) was assumed and I conformed for a while until being awakened by choice. I now live a joyful life with my husband of 26 years committed to serving humanity and its potential.


Race, Social Location & Power in Coaching (CCEs: 0.75 CC / 0.75 RD)Imani Romney-Rosa Chapman

Cisgender, able-bodied, middle-class, Jewish afrolatina who lives in Harlem, USA with her daughter, her wife and her wife’s two children. I continually strive for shalem (wholeness) in myself and to build it in the world.

 

 


Coaching Across Differences (CCEs: 0.5 CC / 1 RD) La’Wana Harris

La’Wana Harris is a survivor. She is a strong, Black woman of faith who is unapologetic about taking up space and living on purpose. A life riddled with poverty, tragedy, and fear fuels her insatiable desire to make things better for the next generation. She writes children’s books featuring children of color to help eradicate illiteracy and tell the stories that are omitted in the mainstream narrative. She is married to her high school sweetheart, mother of three complicated millennials and “Gigi” to the cutest little boy in the world.


Coaching, Being, and Spirituality (CCEs: 1.25 CC / 0.25 RD) Lee Coffee

Black, American, Male; Leader, Baptist parents; first in my family to earn a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree, former paratrooper, and soldier-medic for 24 years; has a non-visible disability; former marathoner, and tri-athlete who enjoys theater, reading, and touring museums.  Lived on three continents, speaks German, and some Spanish.  Has contributed to two books, and contributed 15 articles to magazines or newspapers.  Enjoys coaching to the human soul and has been helping people give birth to themselves for 33 years.


Expanding the Possibilities of Coaching (CCEs: 1 CC / 0.5 RD) Linal Harris

Husband; father; black man from Chicago raised by working class parents, both of whom were born in the south and were brought to Chicago by their parents during the Great Migration; first in family to earn a college degree; worked in corporate America for sixteen years and achieved the level of executive and officer, before leaving to become a full-time coach, radio host and serial entrepreneur.


Getting Naked (with your clothes on) Going Deeper in Coaching (CCEs: 1.5 CC) Pat Williams

I am influenced by my Midwestern Kansas youth, where as a white male, I was exposed to people from various cultures who lived in our house while studying manufacturing and personnel techniques from my father, and exec with the Coleman Company in Wichita. In College (68-72) i was aware of my natural bias and joined many discussion groups about Black, Gay, Womens groups, and more to increase my consciousness. In 25 years with Rotary International, I have housed 7 exchange students from various cultures in my house with my family when my daughters were teens. Today, I am always learning more about what I don’t know and my inherent white privilege. I have a son in law who is Puerto Rican and one who is African American.


Reinventing Coach Training from Welcoming Diversity to Shared Power, Co-Learning, & Redesign (CCEs: 1 CC / 0.5 RD) Sharon Brown and Steven Filante

Steven- I am a white, bi-sexual cis-gender male in my 60s. Born to two doctors in California, I brought the tendency to tell intimate details of my life within the first 5 minutes to rural Northern Pennsylvania in 2003. Raised Jewish, I currently find my spiritual aliveness in my connection to the earth. I am a coach and coach trainer, living to bring forth the magic in others.

 

Sharon – I identify as Black, African American, cis-gender heterosexual female in my 60s. Mother, partner, grandmother, coach, coach educator, social change agent. Partially visible disability. More spiritual than religious. Grew up in a working-class home with parents who valued the higher education they were denied.  Live in northern New Jersey, USA where I was born and raised. Passionate about learning, indigenous wisdom, supporting cross-cultural connection, and contributing to social change.


Social Group Identity in the Coaching Relationship: A Quest for Resonance (CCEs: 0.75 CC / 0.75 RD) Sukari Pinnock Fitts and Amber Mayes

Sukari is a Cisgender, heterosexual woman and a member of the Black Diaspora. She is a Baby Boomer, living with some degree of socio-economic privilege as a U.S. National. She has no religious affiliation, however does consider herself a Pantheist — believing strongly that the “Universe Provides.” She is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant father and South Carolinian mother, and was raised with one sibling in a middle-class, multi-racial neighborhood in Los Angeles. Now residing in Northern Virginia, Sukari has been coaching leaders in all sectors for over 18 years, supporting clients in the U.S. and abroad.

Amber is an African American & Greek, Gen X, heterosexual, Cis woman. She grew up in the Boston area in a fairly racially diverse working class neighborhood. Raised in a multicultural household by an African American father from Georgia and a Greek immigrant mother, she developed an early passion for helping people communicate across differences. In the past 20 years Amber has developed a global leadership coaching and organization consulting practice that integrates issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is based in Northern California and is a proud auntie of the best 6-year-old on the planet!


Coaching Cognitive Distortions: Resolving Erroneous Thinking One Mind at a Time for Cultural Renaissance (CCEs: 1.25 CC / 0.25 RD) Tijen Genco

First generation Turkish American single female, with a thirst for cultures and natural wonders of this planet. Worked in 7 countries and visited over 50. As a meditation teacher and a scientist has admiration of how culture shapes the psyche and human architectural blueprint. Exemplifies cultural diversity in various avenues such as perspective of a scientist, as a yoga teacher; Turkish and American citizen; vegan, living in a materialistic culture as a socially conscious being; working inside the Corporate America, being an external coach to Corporate America; working with spectrum of fortune 100 boardrooms to rural villages of India for social projects. Embraces building bridges across seeming to be diverse environments and cultivates compassion and understanding for all involved.


CC = Core Competencies
RD = Resource Development

*Attendees will earn CCEs for each session attended.  Each session attended must be attended for the entire length, no credit will be given for attending partial sessions.