“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
― Barack Obama
About the Black Conductors Program
Anti-Black Racism is alive and present in communities around the world, and the lives of Black people are under constant attack. This battle is intentional, and held in place by people and systems that perpetuate physical and psychological harm towards Black people. The impact of this ongoing trauma has left many members of the Black community in a continuous cycle of survival that hasn’t allowed for intentional growth and healing. It has also caused many of our most skilled Black leaders to burnout early as they attempt to provide healing to others in the community.
Blooming Willow’s Black Conductors Program was created to provide a safe and supportive growth and healing space for self-identified Black people from around the world to gather, learn and reimagine communities where they thrive. This five month offering provides an opportunity for Black students to grow, heal, challenge themselves, and becoming partners in each other liberation as they build Healing Centered Coaching skills.
The Black Conductors Program creates a Healing Centered Coaching space that invites self-identified students to learn in an intentional community of Black people. This process in supported by Black Healing Centered Coaches that provide a mix of ancestral, culturally relevant strategies that support students to look through 9 Healing Centered Coaching Power Lenses: race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, class, physical, developmental and psychological ability, age and ethnicity as they learn to hold Healing Centered spaces.
Cost: $6,500
Register for the All Aboard Conductors Cohort by November 1, 2023 for Early Bird Discount $500 Off Price
Upcoming Black Conductors Coach Certification Program
Dates: March 10th - July 28th 2023
Cost: $6,500
Students & Faculty: Black People (Self Identified)
Weekly Virtual Teleclass: All Friday classes are from 9am-1pm PST every first Friday, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Friday 9am - 11am PST (see schedule below)
76 Hour Virtual Program Components:
20 - Hours of Reading, Practice Coaching, Portfolio Assignments and Video Reviews (Per Month)
20 - Live Virtual Learning Sessions (5 Mandatory Half Days, 15 - 2 Hour Weekday Classes)
20 - Practice Coaching Hours Completed with Peers and Clients Outside of Class (4 Per Month)
10 - Mentor Sessions (5 one-one and 5 group)
5 - Coaching Portfolio Assignments (1 Per Month)
Pass the International Coach Federation Coach Knowledge Assessment with a score of 70% or higher
Pass the Healing Centered Coaching Oral Competency Assessment with a score of 70% or Higher
5 Month Virtual Program:
Friday, March 10, 2023 (Half Day)
Friday, March 17, 2023
Friday, March 24, 2023
Friday, March 31, 2023
Friday, April 7, 2023 (Half Day)
Friday, April 14, 2023
Friday, April 21, 2023
Friday, April 28, 2023
Friday, May 5, 2023 (Half Day)
Friday, May 12, 2023
Friday, May 19, 2023
Friday, May 26, 2023
Friday, June 9, 2023 (Half Day)
Friday, June 16, 2023
Friday, June 23, 2023
Friday, June 30, 2023
Friday, July 28, 2023 (Half Day/Graduation)
Friday, July 7, 2023
Friday, July 14, 2023
Friday, July 21, 2023
Max – 24 Participants
Program Cost: $6,500
Application Deadline: New Extended Deadline: Friday, February 10, 2023
Students being considered for the program may be invited to participate in an interview with Conductors Alumni or Faculty prior to admission. We use a rolling admissions process for this cohort and the application pool will close once the cohort has been filled.
*Please note that students are able to miss and make-up to 30% virtual classes.
March 2023 - July 2023 Faculty
Leslie Avant-Brown, MPA, MCC
CEO - Principal Owner
Leslie Avant-Brown, Conductor# 1, is an innovator, facilitator, coach and thought leader within movement work. Her relentless desire to fuel systems change in support of vulnerable communities has changed the fabric of this work. With her down to earth demeanor, she brings a unique mix of laughter, curiosity, healing, creativity and strategy to support conductors of change – those who are designing innovative strategies that benefit future generations. She believes that moving beyond traditional leadership approaches will revolutionize the way that people work and thrive. “I have dedicated my life to supporting communities to build trust, identify new leadership, increase diversity of voice and choice, incorporate growth and healing strategies and build sustainably. I do this because I know, what we plant today will bloom tomorrow”
In 2016, through a partnership with Beyond Emancipation, her CCRW Coaching Model (focused on foster and probation youth) received the notorious International Coaching Federation Prism Award Honorable Mention (Coming 2nd only to Coca-Cola Russia) for its innovative design supporting culture change. She went on to support the development of an ICF Accredited, Community Coaching Certification Program at Leadership that Works, the first of its kind. Through this pioneering effort, she certified over 100 coaches in this new community accreditation, radically shifting how communities are supported through coaching.
Leslie serves as CEO at her firm Blooming Willow Coaching, a culturally relevant, Healing Centered Coaching practice that allows her to partner with individuals, organizations and businesses. Her specialization areas include “all things” coaching including: one-on-one and group coaching, coaching facilitation, coach training, and designing sustainable coaching models that support growth and healing in communities.
Previously, she worked as the International Program Director for Leadership that Works, and supported the development, implementation and facilitation of cutting edge coaching programs that supported value-driven transformation in India, Europe and the United States.
Prior to earning her coaching certification Leslie worked in the nonprofit capacity building sector, supporting work that promoted social justice -- she has a background in leadership development and evaluation. “What brought me to the field of coaching was the idea of supporting deep change while aligning my strengths to support conductors of change.”
Leslie received her professional coaching certification through Leadership that Works and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Michigan. In her free time, Leslie enjoys finding new adventures, spending time with her wife, belly laughing, eating delicious food and of course creating!!
Oseloka Idigbe, CPC
As a facilitator, organizational development consultant and coach, Ose Conductor#29, is passionate about developing leaders and bringing people together to connect, exchange ideas, and collaborate. During his career, he has supported strategy and leadership development at government agencies, organizations, and foundations in over 100 engagements across issue areas including health, education, housing, immigration and youth development.
As a consultant and facilitator, Oseloka works with nonprofit organizations in board development, planning, and risk management.
Before coming to Blooming Willow Coaching, Ose was part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Digital Jobs Africa initiative, where he helped to develop strategies for private sector engagement.
Prior to his transition to the nonprofit sector, Ose worked as an analyst at Standard Bank of South Africa in Commercial Property Finance. He holds Flawless Consulting certification and Facilitative Leadership for Social Change accreditation, and is an International Coaching Federation certified coach.
Oseloka received his M.P.A. from New York University, as well as a B.A. in Philosophy from University College London and a L.L.P. from BPP Law School.
He enjoys exercise, especially playing and watching soccer, and has had fewer than five cups of coffee his entire life.
Nyla Hassell, CPC
As a personal development and mindset coach, Nyla, Conductor# 10, supports her clients in gaining tools and insights to successfully navigate life and career changes, while prioritizing wellbeing.
She works with highly motivated women and creatives to develop clarity and confidence— focusing on unlocking the barriers and beliefs holding them back—and developing strategies and tools to achieve fulfillment on their own terms.
Nyla has supported clients through burnout prevention and recovery, managing perfectionism and imposter syndrome, cultivating whole life balance, and navigating career and life transitions. She is a certified Healing Centered TM coach and Reiki practitioner; and has extensive experience building brands and collaborating with artists, athletes, and internal teams to clarify their values, align their narratives, and deliver purpose-driven work.
Nyla brings a love of music, art, and creativity into her coaching practice and provides clients with a variety of different modalities to help them get unstuck.
Spring Opara, CPC
spring opara, Conductor# 90 completed her second coaching certification via Blooming Willow Healing Centered Coaching in July of 2022. Her first coaching certification via Leadership That Works - Transformation Coaching certification program, was completed in February of 2017. Her intuitive, grounding and accepting nature makes spring easy to talk with and her ability to stay focused in the now, to see the beauty in the chaos, to reflect and remind others of their own divinity is all part of her coaching approach. One of her favorite sayings is, “I can give you a fish and you will eat for a day, I can teach you to fish and you will eat for a lifetime”. spring is all about lifetime, self-sufficiency. By coaching from an intuitive and lived-wisdom stance, spring seeks to assist individuals in finding alignment in all activities of their life – both personal and professional.
Her enthusiasm for helping people, Black women in particular, to recognize and embrace their divine selves and to understand their true, authentic power, led her to pursue coaching certification. spring truly enjoys working with established and emerging leaders who are navigating oppressive systems, to step into their power in order to complete the radical work necessary to create an equitable world for everyone.
In her time at CompassPoint, spring has pursued her life’s purpose—deconstructing and dismantling white supremacy through a self-care lens and centering self-care as a radical act of liberation for our most marginalized communities. She designed and co-facilitates the Self-Care for Black Women in Leadership program, a leading edge, health, wellness, and self-care program for Black women in leadership, which she delivers for CompassPoint through their public workshops and cohort leadership programming. She's also a certified Witch and a Reiki Level 1 and 2 practitioner (practices she learned through her graduation from The Black Witch University in New Orleans, LA). She is a Taurus (based on astrology), an INFJA (based on Meyers-Briggs), and an anime enthusiast based on the LOVE of the genre!.
Feedback Coaches
Nicky Avant-Brown, PCC
Described by clients as highly creative, intuitive and collaborative. I enjoy building internal capacity and empowering communities. Using a social justice lens I hold brave space to explore culture and its impact on how we relate in the world.
As a facilitator, I have centered community coaching, intergroup dialogue and experiential learning in my work strengthening teams and partnerships. I have extensive training and experience in group facilitation, coach training & integration, and social cognitive development.
My social-relational approach to facilitation often engages community members in exploring needs, inner wisdom and next steps. It also explores human interdependence and the impact that systems of oppression have on individuals and communities.
My Philosophy
I believe that opportunities for coaching, experiential learning and intergroup dialogue are driving motivators and predictors of positive development, growth and healing. To prepare ourselves for change we must honor ourselves for who we are, how we are and what’s possible for us in the future. The first step toward community growth requires that we open to dreaming collectively, thinking creatively and communicating authentically.
DeShauna West-Anderson, MSW, ACC
In 2008, I received my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, with additional coursework in Forensic Psychology. During this time, I also began working for a non-profit agency that contracts with Alameda County Social Services supporting former foster youth, emancipating from care. After working in this field I realized that the core of our problems and stress often correlate with symptoms in our bodies. In 2010, I decided to challenge my mind, spirit, and body alignment by beginning my yoga practice. Also, I discovered life coaching, which quickly became an important tool to my client-centered work. This allowed my connection with clients to become more than just a mentorship, but a partnership in their goals. Through self-discoveries in yoga and coaching, I resolved to deepen the mind/ body connection and received my yoga certification from CorePower Yoga in August 2015. I’ve learned that mastering the “self” is a lifelong path, yet the journey there is where meaningful experience happens. Recently, I became certified a community/life coach. My ultimate goal is to create a connection with individuals throughout their personal journey, with the hopes of helping to empower them to reach their desired destinations.