Our Story
Marion and Miwa have been friends, colleagues, and thought partners for over 20 years. They share a commitment to building more equitable and inclusive communities in their work as coaches and consultants and in their experiences as public school parents and community members.
Inspired by their experiences designing and facilitating together, they co-founded Illuminate Collective in fall of 2021. In their work, they stay rooted in abundance, connection, and a strong belief that we are always better together.
Marion H. Biglan’s Story
I’ve always loved connecting with and celebrating people. As a five-year old, I learned that I could have an impact on them too. While riding a streetcar one day, I decided to make my way to the front of the car and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Met with smiles and applause, I realized I could make people happy!
As I grew, my sense of curiosity led me to notice that not all people had the same opportunities to succeed. As a people person, this injustice felt unacceptable. I decided to pursue a career in education and nonprofit leadership, wanting to do my part to ensure that everyone could shine.
Little did I know that my desire to be positive had an unintended impact. My hopeful outlook sometimes led me to sugarcoat and placate the painful realities others faced. One day, a member of my team called me out: “You just aren’t hearing us! When you tell us everything will be okay, you are brushing over our concerns!”
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On another occasion, I found myself standing face to face with a Black male colleague who did the same. “You just don’t get it, Marion. And until you do, this organization will never do right by our kids.” Feeling shameful, I did what so many leaders do when faced with hard feedback; I pushed it into the shadows. I wasn’t ready to shine a light on these parts of myself.
Realizing something was missing in my leadership, I became more courageous. With support from colleagues and mentors, I pursued and uncovered insights that would ultimately lead me to a new way of seeing myself and the world. I discovered that leadership requires truly listening to and validating the experiences of others. I began to see ways that my own identity as a white woman informed my worldview and how I was unknowingly helping to perpetuate the very systems I was working to dismantle.
With this awareness, I became a more impactful and compassionate leader. My experience taught me the power of illumination, and my passion for helping others illuminate their paths led me to create my coaching business in 2015, now called Illuminate Collective.
Miwa Kamras’ Story
I’ve always been a writer. In elementary school, I started a family newspaper (I was the editor and only reporter!) and dreamed of opening my own card shop. I also wrote many first chapters of books, which always featured perfect main characters in two-story houses whose names were Michelle or Megan or Maggie – any other name that started with M and wasn’t different like mine. The thing is, nothing ever happened in those first chapters beyond introducing the idealized characters. There were no challenges or unique features, so there was no real story there.
What I didn’t know as a fourth grade aspiring author is that stories need real people – people with feelings to feel and issues to work through and identities to define. What I know now, as a coach who still loves to write, is how important it is to pay attention to our real lives – to both the wonder and joy and the difficulty and discomfort.
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On another occasion, I found myself standing face to face with a Black male colleague who did the same. “You just don’t get it, Marion. And until you do, this organization will never do right by our kids.” Feeling shameful, I did what so many leaders do when faced with hard feedback; I pushed it into the shadows. I wasn’t ready to shine a light on these parts of myself.
Realizing something was missing in my leadership, I became more courageous. With support from colleagues and mentors, I pursued and uncovered insights that would ultimately lead me to a new way of seeing myself and the world. I discovered that leadership requires truly listening to and validating the experiences of others. I began to see ways that my own identity as a white woman informed my worldview and how I was unknowingly helping to perpetuate the very systems I was working to dismantle.
With this awareness, I became a more impactful and compassionate leader. My experience taught me the power of illumination, and my passion for helping others illuminate their paths led me to create my coaching business in 2015, now called Illuminate Collective.
