September 2026

Sep 8, 2026

September 2026

In September 2021, we introduced Illuminate Collective to the world (or our small corner of it), making the formal jump from “I” to “we” in our work. We defined Illuminate Collective as a joint venture that enables us to live our values of community, abundance and commitment to equity so that our clients can grow as leaders and work better together.

We took an intentional approach to defining how we wanted to work with each other and with our clients and came up with 5 S’s for Creating an Abundant Business. These principles continue to guide us five years later.

Space: Create space for our relationships and our whole lives
Share: Build trust through sharing honestly and transparently
Stand Side by Side: Work side by side, as opposed to over/under
Shine: Live in the “we” of Shine Theory, created by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, authors of Big Friendship. We don’t shine unless both of us and our colleagues shine.
Show Down to Speed Up: Take time to brainstorm, plan and reflect together

We’re full of gratitude for our clients, the leaders and teams we’ve partnered with to achieve outcomes that matter to them, from gaining clarity on their vision and values to defining their commitment to equity and inclusion to developing management practices that grow their impact.

And we’re a collective because we do this work in partnership with generous and talented colleagues. We want to especially thank our partner Natalie Basham of NOVA Services, whose wisdom and warmth have made us an incredible trio when we work together.

To celebrate the community we’ve built over the past years, we’re hosting a 5th Anniversary Illuminate Collective Happy Hour on Friday, September 25th from 4 – 5 PM ET. We’ll connect with each other, share resources, have a fun giveaway and look ahead to the coming year. Please register here to join us.

And to close out, here are five “Top 5’s,” including ways to partner with us as we start Year Six!