Marion celebrating at the Teach For America Chicago 25th Anniversary Gala

Summer 2025

Opening Message from Marion

 Twenty-five years ago, as a young founder, I almost failed at launching Teach For America Chicago because I didn’t know how to build culture. I was so laser-focused on hitting key milestones that I never sat down with my team to envision and define our region’s culture. The result? We spent precious time navigating avoidable conflicts, and, at our lowest point, our reputation and impact were at risk. Fortunately, some amazing mentors and colleagues taught me a lot in those early years and helped us to turn things around. But it didn’t have to be that way.

Here’s what I learned, and how we can help you avoid the same mistakes:

1. Culture will fuel your success or your demise. It’s that important. We all know the Peter Drucker quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s true – and the workplace is rife with examples.

2. You’re building culture from day one: You will have a culture whether you are deliberate about it or not – so make sure you have the one you want. The way to build culture is to be intentional. Sit down with your team and brainstorm together. Ask: What words describe the culture we want? What values are important to our business and why? Then identify – and start doing – key actions or behaviors that align with that desired culture.

3. Culture building is ongoing work: Once you have a vision for your culture, it’s important to consistently make time to cultivate and monitor it with your team. One small way to do this is to take a pulse check. Ask your team and stakeholders to share three words that describe how they experience the culture. Do the words they share align with your vision? If not, get curious and ask more questions to understand what’s going on. Be open to what you hear, as it will help you course correct.

If you are a founder and thinking, I’ll focus on culture when we’re more established, trust me, that’s exactly when it becomes ten times harder to fix! This is why we’re excited to share our new offering, Culture Engine.

At Culture Engine, we help founders launch successful companies by establishing a strong, values-driven culture from the beginning. We provide the expertise and capacity to help our clients define their culture, put key strategies in place to build that culture and then sustain a strong culture as they grow.  

We were inspired to create Culture Engine by our work with two different clients: a corporate start-up that needed to define its culture quickly as it rapidly expanded, and a merger of two non-profits with aligned missions and distinct cultures. By prioritizing culture at the point of launch and merger, both clients succeeded in staying grounded in core values, attracting and retaining top talent and supporting high performance at scale.

Let’s spend 30 minutes discussing your culture needs.

Summer Collective Conversation – July 18th

We have a special summer Collective Conversation planned! On Friday, July 18th at noon EST we’re welcoming our friend and colleague Chelsea Kasen-Kells, Founder of Color Mending Therapy, to lead us in an interactive session that combines neuroscience with the simple act of coloring.

Based on the Theory of Constructed Emotion, Color Mending helps you decode the messages behind your feelings by translating body sensations into colors and shapes on paper. You’ll discover how this surprisingly powerful tool can transform overwhelming emotions into clear, actionable insights.

This session is accessible to everyone – no artistic skills required! Come ready to participate: bring a piece of paper and something to color with (crayons, markers, colored pencils—whatever you have). You’ll walk away with a new understanding of your emotional language and practical tools for navigating stress, transitions, and those “big feelings” that show up in work and life. (Plus, if you’re feeling brave, you might have your coloring interpreted live!)

Please plan to join us to connect, reflect and color this month!

Illuminate at Work (And Resources for You!)

There’s been a theme in our facilitations this year – supporting leaders and teams through change and uncertainty.  See below for some resources we shared with clients that may be helpful for you too.

Leading Change:  Miwa facilitated a “Leading Change Equitably” session for the Leading Edge Alumni Network in May. Leaders engaged with foundations of leading change, including understanding identity and power dynamics, communicating with clarity and care and involving stakeholders in meaningful ways.

Leading in Uncertain Times: Marion recently had the opportunity to meet with a group of inspiring nonprofit leaders, convened through ImpactEd’s Nonprofit Leaders Circle, to discuss how to lead and show up for their teams during uncertain times. See here to learn more and here to access a Padlet of Resources for Leading During Uncertain Times.

We can help you and your team navigate these uncertain times. Let’s talk to explore how.

Partner Spotlight

Julie Cohen

When Marion first started coaching a decade ago, she reached out to Julie Cohen, an established coach and consultant in her community.  Ever since that first conversation, Julie has been a mentor and resource and we were thrilled to collaborate with her as a guest on her Work. Life. Leader LinkedIn Live series earlier this summer. We had a blast talking with her about all things culture and our new offering, Culture Engine.  Check it out at the link here.

Julie is an executive coach, author and leadership development expert with over twenty years of experience helping professionals and organizations thrive. She is the Founder and CEO of Work. Life. Leader., and her insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time. She is also the author of Your Work, Your Life…Your Way: 7 Keys to Work-Life Balance.  Learn more about her and her company at Work.Life.Leader.

Marion & Miwa Recommend

Summer Reading

Broken Bayou by Jennifer Moorhead

A summer thriller set in Louisiana written by Marion’s high school friend.

Summer Listens

Our Lives Are an Endless Series of ‘And’ from The Ezra Klein Show

Did you know that in the early 1800’s, the alphabet concluded with an “&” after the letter Z? In this podcast episode, author Kathryn Schulz shares, “What a beautiful idea that anything should end in “and” . . . an ending is actually an explicit reminder that there’s always more, that something else can be connected, that something else can happen next.”

Gratitude

We’re ever grateful for the “and.” The world is heartbreaking and challenging. And green leaves appear, dragonflies hover, leaders keep moving the work forward, love finds a way. We’re deeply thankful for this community and all the ways we’re showing up.

Keep shining,

Marion and Miwa

Image credit: Morgan Harper Nichols

April 2025

Discouraged. Motivated. Overwhelmed. Anxious. Connected. We’re experiencing a range of feelings in these chaotic times. When Miwa had lunch with a coaching colleague earlier this winter, the first question her friend asked was, “What is keeping you grounded right now?” It was such a thoughtful invitation.

Grounded. Centered when you’re thrown off balance. Steady in the storm. Present when so much is swirling around you.

One practice that consistently grounds us is pausing to breathe. We’ve learned so much about the impact of mindful breathing as coaches and facilitators. We open many of our trainings with a Pause, Notice & Breathe practice. We invite everyone to plant their feet on the ground and settle into their seats. Take a deep breath in and then a slow exhale out. Pay attention to what is coming up for them. Be still for a moment.

What else is keeping us grounded right now? A baby niece’s laugh. A morning walk with neighborhood friends. Volunteering on Sundays. Coaching calls with resilient clients. Singing loudly in the car. Learning from wise women activists. 

Our next Collective Conversation will focus on practices that center us when we feel scattered (please see info below and join us if you can!). In the meantime, we invite you to consider what is keeping you grounded right now. And then share this question with someone else and prepare to be inspired.

Join us!

April Collective Conversation:

Staying Grounded in Chaotic Times

In our April Collective Conversation, we’ll explore practices that bring us back to center and help us to stay present in the midst of change and challenge. Our friend Cat McLaughlin of Rosemary Collaborative, psychotherapist and certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, will lead us through exercises that give us space to pause, breathe and reflect.

Please join us on Thursday, April 17th at 12 PM ET to share and learn in community with others. We hope to see you there!

Illuminate at Work

So much of our coaching and facilitation work focuses on exploring how to stay grounded and present as a leader. This has shown up in multiple ways in recent months.

• We’ve explored organizational leadership as part of a manager training series, focusing on grounding in our purpose and values and holding the big picture for our teams as managers and leaders

• We’ve reflected on “conflict hooks” (based on the work of Tammy Lenski) and practices for understanding the perspectives of others with multiple groups of leaders who are seeking to deepen collaboration across teams

• We’ve supported a leadership team in creating a management vision for their organization by naming what strong management looks like and what it means for both the team member experience and the organization’s outcomes

If you’d like to learn more about what these offerings can look like at your organization, please reach out to schedule a call with one of us.  We’d love to connect!

Partner Spotlight

Maelle Fonteneau

Navigating a career transition can feel overwhelming. Having a thoughtful coach alongside you can help keep you grounded. We’re excited to feature our friend and colleague Maelle Fonteneau, a career and leadership coach, in our Partner Spotlight this month. Maelle has helped hundreds of leaders take their next professional step with clarity and confidence. She brings her experience as a recruiter and People Team leader to simplify the job search process and help you craft a strategy that plays to your strengths.

Whether you’re making a big career pivot, re-entering the job market after some time away or just need a boost in your search, Maelle offers flexible coaching options to fit your needs:

• Career Transition Coaching: A deep-dive program designed to help you clarify your priorities, build a targeted job search strategy and confidently pursue the right opportunities.

• Empowered Search Program: Perfect if you know what you’re looking for but need support in streamlining your search and networking effectively.

• One-off Sessions: Need expert guidance on interview prep or job search strategy? A focused, single session can give you the edge you need.

You can learn more about Maelle’s work at www.maellefonteneau.com.

Marion & Miwa Recommend

These are a few of the resources that have helped us stay grounded of late!

The Telepathy Tapes with Ky Dickens: A docuseries exploring consciousness and human connection that we learned about from thought leader Bob Anderson in our Re-imagine Leadership coaching course.

Gratitude

When we feel scattered, community always grounds us. Thank you for everything you do to stay steadfast in this work.  

Keep shining,

Marion and Miwa

Image credit: Brandi Kincaid

December 2024

It is officially candle season in our corner of the world. When the winter becomes colder and darker, we treasure warmth and light even more. We decorate with twinkly lights. We light candles to celebrate holidays. We look for “glimmers” and “bright spots” as we reflect on the year. We remember that stars seem to shine their brightest on the clearest and coldest nights.

As we close out a tumultuous season, we’re thinking about how we keep shining. And we always come back to care and connection as our foundation. What are we doing to restore ourselves? What lights us up? Whose hands might need holding as we navigate the dark? What circles of community and caring are we a part of, and how do we open and expand those circles moving forward?

We are sending wishes for a new year that is grounded in care and connection, when we can all shine a bright light. In this candle season, let’s tend our own flames and fortify each other.

Join us!

January Collective Conversation

Join us as we lean into connection to start the new year. Our focus for our January Collective Conversation will be community. What does “being in community” mean to us? How can we make space for and nurture relationships that restore us? How do we build circles of care and connection, especially in challenging times?

Please grab a mug of tea, coffee or hot cocoa and join us on Friday, January 10th at 12 PM ET. We hope to see you there!

Illuminate at Work

Understand the Foundations of Leading Change

As human beings moving through this complex and beautiful world, we are constantly experiencing change. In our work with leaders, we’ve found that the topic of leading change always feels timely and relevant. We focused on change management as part of a Manager Learning Series with a longstanding client last month, giving managers the opportunity to reflect on the critical role they play in leading their teams through change as well as the time and space they need to process change themselves.

Our Foundations of Leading Change are grounded in our Illuminate Collective Management Foundations and informed by our experience navigating change as team members and team leaders. You can access our Foundations of Leading Change resource here. We hope it will be a helpful reference through whatever changes you and your team move through together in the coming year.

Deepen Self Awareness with the Enneagram

We had an amazing time sharing the foundations of the Enneagram with guests at The Lodge at Woodloch in August. The Enneagram is a powerful framework for deepening awareness of self and others. This awareness is useful for individuals looking to develop their leadership impact as well as for teams seeking to deepen trust and collaboration.

We are returning to Woodloch from January 31st – February 2nd to lead our Enneagram Learning Series with our friend Cat McLaughlin of Rosemary Collaborative. We’d love to share the Enneagram with you and/or your team as well! Contact us to explore leadership coaching with an Enneagram lens and Enneagram for Teams sessions that are ideal for retreats and stepbacks and designed for your context.

Partner Spotlight

Laura Owens

We’re thrilled to feature our friend and frequent collaborator Laura Owens of L Owens Consulting, LLC in our Partner Spotlight this month. When Laura was newly venturing into independent consulting several years ago, she emailed Marion to schedule a virtual coffee on the exact same day that Marion was seeking a partner to help build a performance review process for a new client. Their connection, sparked through the both Tide Risers program and White Leaders Working on Antiracism, felt meant to be.

Since then, Laura has collaborated with us on a range of people-focused projects – helping organizations prioritize their people by creating impactful employee engagement programs, coaching managers to provide timely feedback that fosters employee development and designing systems and processes that make work more effective and, hopefully, more fun!

Laura’s superpowers are being an energizer and a systems builder. She loves being part of a team and helping teams grow stronger. In her free time, Laura enjoys coaching her kids in youth sports, walking her mini husky Kai Kai, and exploring new places – preferably while eating her way through them. You can check out her LinkedIn here.

Circles of Care & Community

Art by: Suzanne Vinson of Silver Tree Art

To celebrate this season of love and light, we wanted to shout a few circles of care and community that we are grateful to be part of. We’re excited to keep leaning into community and expanding our circles in the new year.

Anoa + Flow
“To Be Continued . . . “ Writing Community

Voices of Jubilee
Accompanying incarcerated youth and their families in Richmond and throughout Virginia

Cheltenham Education Foundation

As we move into the new year, we’d love to know, what circles of community and care are you grateful to be part of? Please respond to let us know! We look forward to continuing the conversation with you.

Gratitude

We continue to be thankful for the bright lights in our lives – the family, friends, colleagues and clients who inspire us every day. Thank you for being an important part of our community!

Keep shining,

Marion and Miwa

Image credit: Adobe

October 2024

Dear friends,

As we prepare to celebrate our third anniversary as Illuminate Collective, we’re reflecting on the magic of the number three. Consider a few of these fun facts:

• The number three is the only number equal to the sum of the previous numbers. For this and other reasons, the Greek philosopher Pythagoras considered three to be the perfect  number – a number of harmony and understanding.

• The triangle is considered the most stable shape in construction and engineering.

• All colors are derived from three primary colors.

• The “rule of three” suggests that words and ideas expressed in groups of three are more memorable and resonant with people.

We’ve also experienced the magic of the number three in our ongoing partnership with Natalie Basham. Natalie has been a friend and colleague for more than a decade. Anyone who knows her has experienced her warmth, empathy and powerful insights about how we build community.  Over the past three years, Natalie has joined us at Illuminate Collective to coach leaders and teams in a range of contexts, and we have loved making an impact as a trio. We’ve featured Natalie in our Partner Spotlight, where you can read more about her insightful leadership and the coaching and facilitation we’ve done together over the past three years.

In our third year of Illuminate Collective, we’re excited to tap into the power of three as we:

• Continue to collaborate with and learn from Natalie and other incredible colleagues.

• Expand our offerings related to developing managers and building team culture.

• Coach our amazing clients to lean into what is magical and true about their leadership.

Hopefully those last three ideas will be memorable and sticky! 😊

Join us!

Learning and Growing with the Enneagram

We were thrilled to partner with Cat McLaughlin of Rosemary Collaborative to lead a series of Enneagram workshops at The Lodge at Woodloch in August. We had inspiring conversations with our workshop participants about the Enneagram as a tool for building self awareness and understanding our opportunities for growth. We’ll be heading back to Woodloch on January 31st – February 2nd to lead another Enneagram workshop series. You can learn more here if you’d like to join us!

We’re excited to expand our Enneagram offering to introduce the Enneagram for Teams as a framework for building more cohesive, trusting and effective teams. We can provide both live and virtual sessions during team retreats that are designed for your context. Please reach out if you’d like to schedule an exploratory call to learn more.

Free “Discover Your Enneagram Type” Session

To celebrate our third year of partnership as Illuminate Collective, we’re offering a free “Discover Your Enneagram Type” session with our friend Cat from Rosemary Collaborative on November 8th at 12 PM EST.

In this sixty minute session, participants will learn foundational concepts of the Enneagram and engage in a brief assessment to discover their Enneagram type. We’re excited to share our appreciation for the Enneagram with you! Please register below by date to reserve a spot.  Spaces are limited.

Partner Spotlight

Natalie Basham

We’ve been partnering with our amazing friend Natalie Basham to provide facilitation, consulting and coaching services to a range of clients over the past three years. We’ve delivered trainings on building a values-aligned culture, engaging in productive conflict and coaching and developing your team as a manager. We’ve coached leaders on diversity, equity and inclusion and supported racial equity pilots within organizations. And we’ve deepened our connection as colleagues and friends who are constantly learning and also laughing a lot. 

In her work as the founder of N.O.V.A. Services (Not Only Vision, but Action), Natalie specializes in building the capacity of individuals and teams to lead sustainable change and engage in healthy conflict.  N.O.V.A. Services provides a variety of employee relations and workplace culture services such as third-party reviews, culture assessments, mediation, ombuds services, grievance investigations, conflict coaching and restorative dialogue. You can learn more about Natalie’s experience and offerings here.

Third Anniversary Speed Round with Marion & Miwa

Marion

Current Favorite Training or Design Topic:  Collaborative Learning Spaces for Managers

Quality You Appreciate in Miwa:  Her genuine, heart-felt approach to life, work and people!

Favorite Song for a Facilitation Playlist:  “Rise Up” by Andra Day

Miwa

Current Favorite Training or Design Topic: Foundational aspects of team culture (the “Culture Engine”) for start up organizations

Quality You Appreciate in Marion: Abundant enthusiasm (in both life and work!)

Favorite Song for a Facilitation Playlist: “Golden” by Jill Scott or “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers

Gratitude

As we celebrate three years of partnership, we’re grateful for the inspiring clients we collaborate with every day and the opportunity to do work that we truly love. We’re excited to lean into the magic of the number three with you this year!

Keep shining,

Marion and Miwa

Image credit: Morgan Harper Nichols

June 2024

Dear friends,

Every new season brings change, but summers can bring particularly poignant transitions for many of us (including Marion celebrating her youngest child’s high school graduation and Miwa preparing for a milestone birthday!). We recently joined a group of leaders to share what we’ve learned about leading change. As we reflected on our experiences supporting leaders and organizations in navigating change, we kept coming back to the same key themes:

• Share the why so that stakeholders understand the purpose of the change
• Engage in ongoing, transparent communication, being clear about what you know, acknowledging what you don’t know, and naming next steps
• Lean into relationship and hold space for people to process, understanding that every change brings both loss and opportunity

As the summer begins, we’re reminded that navigating personal change requires the same intention. In what ways are we changing/is our context changing? Why is this change important to us? How do we honor and acknowledge what is lost while also celebrating what will be? How do we navigate (or even embrace!) the messy middle and what we don’t yet know? And how do we lean into relationship and acknowledge the impact of the change on others and ourselves?

 Whatever transitions you’re moving through this summer, we hope you can make space to ground in purpose, accept what is uncertain, move forward with care and celebrate with sparkle whenever possible.

Join us!

Come see us at The Lodge At Woodloch!

Nine years ago before the huge transition of starting her own business, Marion went to The Lodge at Woodloch to restore and reflect. During this visit, she envisioned teaching at Woodloch one day, and now, together, we have made it a reality!

 The two of us and our friend Cat McLaughlin of Rosemary Collaborative are thrilled to be facilitating three Enneagram workshops at The Lodge at Woodloch this August 9th – 11th. We’ve each experienced the Enneagram as a powerful framework for growth and transformation, and received our Enneagram Applications Certification through Enneagram Georgia last year. We have already been building this framework into our coaching and consulting offerings. You can learn more about our Woodloch workshop series here and reach out to us if you’d like to learn more about our Enneagram work.

Midsummer Collective Conversation

We’d love to take another Midsummer’s Pause with you! Please join us for our next Collective Conversation on Wednesday, July 10th from 11 AM – 12 PM ET. We’ll be at the halfway point of both the summer season and the calendar year. So we’ll take a collective pause to reflect on where we are and what we’re loving this summer and to set intentions, whether for the rest of the season or the rest of the year.

Please grab a cup of coffee or tea (iced!) and join us for this informal conversation. We hope to see you there.

Partner Spotlight

Melea Nalli

We’re excited to feature our friend and mentor Melea Nalli, partner consultant and leadership coach at Conscious Revolution. Melea and the Conscious Revolution team partner with visionary leaders across all sectors to co-create a world where thriving is accessible to all. Together, they are advocating for a new paradigm of conscious leadership that upholds human potential, nurtures interconnectedness, and sparks transformative change.

Conscious Revolution offers holistic support that considers how our bodies, hearts and minds are connected to the ways in which we lead ourselves, others and our systems. They provide organizational consulting support, leadership development programs, Soul-Full HR support, executive coaching and immersive experiences for leaders to resource themselves and to build community with each other.

Recommended Resources

We’re excited to dive into these books and resources this summer as we navigate transitions and move through change.

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg: Nonviolent Communication provides tools to help us deepen our understanding of our own and other’s needs and effectively communicate them- which is especially important during times of transition.

Gratitude

As we welcome another summer, we are deeply thankful for the teachers, mentors and school leaders in our lives, for our friends, family and colleagues who help ground us during times of transitions, and for our incredible community that radiates light all year long.

Keep shining,

Marion and Miwa