Master Speaker/Facilitator/Train the Trainer
SMEs: Learning & Culture; Applied Emotional Intelligence, Trauma-Informed Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Hi.  I'm Amy.  I've had a lifetime of learning about people: Trauma & resilience, culture & character, compassion, conflict & social justice. These are my milieu. 

In my 14+ years and over 10.000 hours of facilitation and training, I've seen all the ways culture gets built both positively and negatively.  I've seen how trauma influences people's ability to learn, and hijacks organizational sustainability. In my 30+ years of transformational healing work, I've learned how to hold people, from large audiences to small teams with the kind of optimism, realism and compassion needed for the key ingredient of change to emerge: Vulnerability.

I am a master facilitator, trainer of trainers, coach and curriculum developer for leaders and their teams who are interested in creating a culture of collaboration, trust and high performance - both for the success of their organizations and the difference they can make in their communities and families.I facilitate profound changes, resolution of entrenched conflicts or oppressive dynamics, and bring practical AND engaging learning experiences to teams of 5 or 500.

I've presented to more than 100,000 people and my curriculum has reached half a million. I've led groups for SF Giants Jr. Giants and Golden State Warriors, for leaders at UCSF and USC, and for industry change makers like Anita Borg Institute, Gartner and DaVita Dialysys.

Learning is experiential and fun! Connection is fundamental to culture. Vulnerability is the master change agent. Facilitation and follow up are sacred and make the difference. ​

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What's it going to take? 

Culture is the sum total of the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of everyone in your organization.  It's the ethos you're swimming in.  When problems come up and don't get solved, like the proverbial frog in the heating pot, it can be really hard to see that the values you think are running your culture have been subjugated by people's conflicts, habits and unconscious biases. 

In order to see a whole system in action, you need to listen to all the parts.  It's going to take assessment, honesty and support to make necessary changes.   

So often, feedback systems are insufficient or hard to sustain.  Honesty gets relegated to the sidelines in favor of personal safety (if I say something, they'll a) perceive me as... b) retaliate, exclude, decide not to work with me... c) sue me! d) etc, etc...); personal comfort (I don't want to hurt their feelings, I don't want them to dislike me, I don't want to rock the boat), or just plain lack of time (it'll be fine, we've got other things to worry about! They should toughen up!  I'm not their therapist or parent! Just get the job done!) 

So it's going to take the kind of compassionate leadership that makes vulnerability accessible AND productive, so we can be honest for the sake of each other's well being and effectiveness, and we can build systems of support that really make change possible.