Facilitation

For Groups

I build custom-designed processes to hold dialogues where race and power dynamics are present (hint: it’s always present). 

As a facilitator, my intention is to always create engaging, experiential, and embodied spaces that help the group move together towards a shared understanding or goal. The goal could be fostering relationships and setting working norms among a new team (or an existing team with a new leader), to having challenging conversations about members of a group are impacting one another across lines of difference.

I do not position myself as the outside expert here to fix your problems, I am here to hold the space with compassion and courage, to ask empowering and thought-provoking questions, to help name the elephant(s) in the room, and to support the group towards identifying shared goals and taking action. My goal is always to facilitate connection and healing in order to strengthen organizations and communities.

At the discovery session, my goal is to understand the purpose and intention of your meeting(s). Once that is clear, I use that as the intention behind designing the facilitation process. During the session, I loosely hold the  design to respond to the needs of the group in the moment, but always with the purpose and intention in mind.

Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, reveling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community.

bell hooks, Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope

WHEN MIGHT I NEED A FACILITATOR?

When you want to host a meaningful gathering

When there is a need to build community within an organization

When there is a new group or team forming OR there’s an existing team with a new leader, and there’s a desire to be thoughtful about how to they want to work together.

Any group where there are unnamed tensions that need to be named and worked through.

 If your group would like to have courageous conversations about how race and power is playing out among the members.

Emily was a masterful facilitator. Through her sessions, I gained awareness of myself and my culture, and gained a language to speak about what I had experienced. As a result, I gained confidence in my ability to speak up at work. Additionally, I gained tools to better navigate conversations about race with my family members. Emily created an accepting space that made it possible for me to speak honestly. Through small moves, she pushed me to reflect on why I held certain beliefs. I rarely ever get to experience facilitation that directly gives me feedback, yet does so in such a warm way. She taught us how to process trauma through embodiment, which felt refreshing and empowering. Through a short four sessions, I healed, and gained a strong supportive community.
Kathleen Li
Science and ESL Teacher, Phoenix Charter Academy
Emily has been an incredibly influential voice at Alliance. She has pushed us to be more inclusive and equitable by asking hard, uncomfortable questions when others don’t, and by leading learning communities that helped dozens of staff – all engaging in the communities on a volunteer basis – to deepen their understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She also brings a strong understanding of intersectionality to the table, and in particular the interplay of race and sexuality. Alliance is a better place because of Emily’s strong voice and leadership.
David Foster
Vice President of Strategy and Implementation
Emily is an equity leader who is an expert in facilitating difficult conversations about race across difference. I had the opportunity to support Emily in developing learning opportunities for coworkers in our previous job we held together and was always inspired by her ability to simultaneously communicate systemic racism, and make space for individuals to process their own identity. One on one, I have joked that Emily is the white people whisperer. She carefully navigated and helped me reflect my own white fragility, privilege, and position of power in this organization. Emily taught me that being an ally is not an identity that one can claim, but an action verb you must demonstrate over the course of your life.
Kelly Reilly
Comedian, and Budding Activist

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