Leadership voice development for Black and Latinx women

Meetings are not always neutral spaces. I’ve been in meetings where my strategic insight directly led to career progression. I’ve also been in one where a water bottle was thrown at me by the Managing Director, and no one batted an eyelid (story for another day!). That’s why I didn’t hesitate to say yes when I was asked to deliver a masterclass on Elevating Your Voice in Meetings for the R.I.S.E program cohort. I understand how power and perception operate in meetings, and I wanted to equip the women with tools that help their thinking be heard and credited. You can walk into a meeting with a strong idea, and clear evidence, and still be: • spoken over • dismissed • labelled “aggressive” for being direct One of the strategies I shared with the group was using the Voice Map Framework. Meetings are usually overloaded and people’s attention span is limited, your message needs to be concise. • Intent: what decision is needed? • Position: what is my recommendation? • Proof: what evidence supports it? • Ask: what do I need from the room? • Record: how will this be captured? You don’t need to be louder in meetings. You need a strategy that positions your thinking clearly, so it can’t be overlooked or repackaged, even in rooms that were not designed with you in mind. *Realise. Inspire. Support. Energise. (RISE) is a project that aims to build pathways to leadership for women from CARM backgrounds. It’s designed to identify and break down systemic barriers and to assist organisations in supporting women in middle management to reach senior leadership positions within their organisations. 📸: Random photo because I forgot to take one during the masterclass 🙌🏽✨

Black women leaders don’t struggle with confidence. We struggle with safety. Because what we call: “preparing harder”…  “pushing more”…  “trying to get it right”… is our nervous system doing overtime. There’s a framework in Somatic work called the Autonomic Ladder - created by Polyvagal clinician Deb Dana. It maps three states: TOP: Ventral Regulated. Grounded. Connected. Clear. MIDDLE: Sympathetic Stress. Urgency. Racing thoughts. Hypervigilance. BOTTOM: Dorsal Collapse. Numbness. Exhaustion. It’s an important framework - but it wasn’t designed with Black women leaders in mind. Because here’s how these states look in OUR bodies: → Ventral (Top) Those rare moments where your brilliance isn’t bracing for backlash. → Sympathetic (Middle) The constant scanning, the overthinking, and the overperforming we’re praised for -  but is actually survival mode. → Dorsal (Bottom) The quiet collapse when your body whispers, “I can’t carry this anymore.” I lived in the “Middle” for years. Arriving early. Leaving late. Barely sleeping. Migraines every day. A colleague once admitted she didn’t know I could smile. That’s how activated I was. Inside, it felt like: keep going stay alert don’t slip don’t rest And I blamed myself. Thought I needed more training. More preparation. More strategy. But my body wasn’t asking for strategy. It was demanding SAFETY. This is what I see in the Black women leaders I coach. They ask for: → Scripts → Strategy → Confidence But underneath the request is: → A braced nervous system → Years of overperforming → Tone-scanning → Misogynoir stored in the body → Trauma responses misread as “weakness” Black women leaders don’t lack confidence. We lack safe environments. And when your body doesn’t feel safe, you will: shrink dim overwork avoid visibility take no credit silence your brilliance Not because you’re unsure of yourself - but because your system is trying to keep you alive. That’s not incompetence. That’s survival mode. But the “Top” of the ladder feels like coming home to yourself. I remember sitting in a senior meeting - calm, steady, unhurried. My body was quiet. My mind was spacious. I didn’t force my voice. I waited. When the CEO asked for my view, my voice came out grounded and clear -  not because I rehearsed, but because I hadn’t abandoned myself. That’s what I call “Calm Authority” - leadership that rises when your body finally believes it’s safe enough to reveal who you are. Here’s what I want Black women leaders to know: Your activation is not a flaw. Not a lack of confidence. Not something wrong with you. It is your body doing its job in systems that have never protected you. Because when a Black woman leads from safety - not survival - she becomes: Clearer Braver Fuller Softer Louder More HERSELF - and her leadership becomes impossible to silence. ♻️ Repost if you believe Black women leaders deserve to lead from safety - not self-silencing.

🔥 PODEROSA // Week 2: Your Accent Is Not a Liability. It's a Test of the Room You're In. Last month, a client told me she was taking accent reduction classes. Because she wanted to sound “more executive.” It hit me hard—because I used to think the same way. That success meant sounding less like my mother. Less like my abuela. Less like my tías. Less like me. The data tells a story we know too well: 📉 55% of Hispanic professionals report workplace discrimination 📉 76% feel pressure to code-switch 📉 Even with advanced degrees, accent bias persists in leadership spaces But here’s what experience—and research—has taught me: Your accent isn’t unprofessional. It only feels that way in rooms where leadership is still defined by sameness over substance. Your voice carries the weight of generations. People who crossed borders, broke barriers, and built the foundation you’re standing on. That’s not something to fix. That’s something to lead with. Let’s be clear: ✔️ Bilingual professionals offer cognitive and cultural advantages ✔️ Diverse leadership styles drive 36% higher profitability ✔️ Authentic leadership builds trust more than any executive polish ever could So maybe the real question isn’t: 🗣️ “Should I change how I sound?” But rather: 🔍 “Why do we still define ‘executive presence’ so narrowly?” To every Latina, immigrant, or bilingual professional feeling this pressure: • Your accent is your legacy • Your voice is your power • Your story is your strategy The problem isn’t how you speak. It’s how others have been trained to listen. To the leaders shaping workplace culture: • What voices are you filtering out? • What talent are you missing? • What innovation are you stifling in the name of polish? Share this or leave a comment if you’re done dimming your voice to make others comfortable. #PODEROSA #LatinaLeadership #VoiceOfLegacy #AuthenticLeadership #AccentPride #RussoLeadership #UntranslatedLeadership This is part of #PODEROSA, a weekly series for Latina leaders reclaiming power without shape-shifting.

As a Black woman in leadership, it’s easy to fall into patterns that might seem harmless at first but can ultimately work against us over time. If we’re not mindful, consistently engaging in certain behaviors, like playing small or adjusting to fit in, can gradually lead us to internalize faulty beliefs about ourselves. This subconscious wiring can limit us, causing us to reach only for what we perceive as appropriate or attainable. Today, let’s break free from this way of thinking. Here are 5 powerful shifts that have helped me rise above the traps that so easily beset us: 🚫 Stop: Waiting for permission or validation to share your brilliance. ➡️ Try: Owning your voice in meetings and sharing your ideas. 🗝️ Key Takeaway: Your voice is your power. Use it with confidence and clarity. 🚫 Stop: Over-relying on your hard work alone to get noticed. ➡️ Try: Building relationships with decision-makers and allies. 🗝️ Key Takeaway: Networking is part of the work. Cultivating connections helps open doors and will expand your influence. 🚫 Stop: Overcommitting to prove your value. ➡️ Try: Protecting your time by setting boundaries. 🗝️ Key Takeaway: Your worth isn’t tied to how much you do. Prioritize tasks that align with your goals and strike a balance between work and play. (I’m still working on this one!) 🚫 Stop: Putting your growth in the hands of your boss or organization. ➡️ Try: Investing in your own personal and professional development. 🗝️ Key Takeaway: When you grow, everyone around you benefits. Make time to learn and sharpen your skills. 🚫 Stop: Downplaying your achievements to avoid seeming boastful. ➡️ Try: Celebrating your wins loudly and proudly. 🗝️ Key Takeaway: You’ve worked hard. Let the world know! Your success can inspire others. Whether you are aspiring to lead, already holding space in leadership, or just looking to grow, please know: You are powerful, resilient, and capable of achieving greatness. You are creating change not just for yourself but for those who follow. Let Maya Angelou’s words remind us of our legacy and the boldness required to rise. Tag someone that you desire to inspire in their journey today. For me, it's my mini me, Dawn A. Burch. May your rise above and beyond all I could ever think or imagine. Follow me for more tips on personal and career growth. #Leadership #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #WomenInLeadership #AuthenticLeadership #Transformation #NonprofitLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ProfessionalWomen #PersonalDevelopment  #BlackWomenInLeadership