Coaching • Consulting • Somatics
Coaching
Coaching offers a special focus on the individual that is often missing in social justice work. It is a method that will help people embrace their own power and vision, overcome fears and challenges, and increase self-awareness and embodiment. Coaching allows clients to explore these issues in a safe, confidential space and create new practices that shape a life that is aligned with your values. Coaching helps establish reflective leadership practices to build self-awareness, authenticity, alignment and efficacy.
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I specialize in coaching community and non-profit organizers, leaders and members, coaching for succession planning and executive transitions, coaching emerging leaders, and coaching women, leaders of color, LGBTQ leaders, and other grassroots leaders.
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I work with teams of all kinds to support their communication and coordination. This can focus specifically on addressing how racism and white supremacy are showing up in their work and relationships, or more broadly on improving communication, mutual accountability and partnership.
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I support white leaders to address how whiteness, racism and white supremacy have shaped them indvidually, as leaders, teammates and supervisors. We partner to identify how racialized patterns can come out under pressure and to create new pathways towards equity and liberation.
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Almost all the clients I work with on strategic planning, professional development, evaluation, and other organizational issues also benefit from incorporate coaching to help clarify and strengthen their focus and resolve.
Coaching is a collaborative relationship that supports you to create, execute, and achieve your personal and professional goals.
Coaching is a method for identifying and clarifying your vision to move from a values framework to accomplish your goals.
Coaching is an ongoing partnership, designed to not only introduce you to new strategies and skills that supports you to incorporate them in your personal and professional life.
Since 2008, I have been coaching individuals and organizations. In 2013, I completed the Coaching for Transformation program to become a Certified Professional Coach through Leadership that Works. I am also a certified as a Somatic Coach through the Strozzi Institute. In 2020, I became a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. I appreciate everything I have learned from my teachers- Sharon Brown, Steven Filante, Maura Bairley, and Richard Strozzi-Heckler.
Consulting
Dara works with local, regional, and national social justice organizations and foundations to support their work by identifying what they need most to elevate their work. Currently, a lot of the focus is on addressing ruptures that have happened around how racism and white supremacy have impacted all staff, particularly Black people and other people of color. Dara works to support and challenge white staff to support BIPOC leadership. This can include individual coaching, team coaching, facilitating team retreats, board meeting facilitation, training, etc. Through individualized work plans, the work is tailored to the needs of each organization. Dara often partners with co-LAB Collective, a Black and women-led consulting group.
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I specialize in coaching community and non-profit organizers, leaders and members, coaching for succession planning and executive transitions, coaching emerging leaders, and coaching women, leaders of color, LGBTQ leaders, and other grassroots leaders.
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Almost all the clients I work with on strategic planning, professional development, evaluation, and other organizational issues also benefit from incorporate coaching to help clarify and strengthen their focus and resolve.
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Grassroots and individual fundraising naturally raises issues of class, privilege and power.
Dara has been learning and practicing Somatics with the Strozzi Institute and Generative Somatics since 2011. She became a Somatic Coach through the Strozzi Institute and a Professional Certified Coach through Leadership that Works in 2014. Dara has been supporting leaders as a coach since then bringing embodiment skills and grounded compassion to all of her partnerships. In 2017, Dara joined the Strozzi Teacher Training program and has been teaching since then, both in-person and online. Dara facilitates online and in-person programs to support movement organizers, coaches, and consultants interested in learning more about their bodies, their responses under pressure, and their capacity to work with other white people and people of color toward racial justice
Somatics
CLIENTS
COALITIONS
New York Foundation: I researched and developed a scan of foundations across New York State, their commitment to social justice & community organizing and the potential for an upstate-downstate alliance of like-minded funders.
New York State Civic Engagement Table: I supported the development of a Buffalo Civic Engagement Table through coaching, training and on-going support for the five member organizations.
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Portland Jobs with Justice: I worked with board, staff, and members to build and strengthen the leadership, board, finances and staff development through their first Executive Director transition.
Clean Air Coalition of Western New York: I facilitated a strategic planning process engaging more then 25 members of the community including members, board, staff, funders and stakeholders.
FUNDRAISING
Responsible Endowment Coalition: I developed, trained and supported leaders, board members and staff to run their first major donor campaign, raising more then $25,000 in six weeks.
Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training: Through the GIFT Trainers Network, I have supported organizations across the country to develop and implement their grassroots fundraising plans.
ORGANIZING & CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT
MinKwon Center for Community Action: I ran a series of organizing trainings for the entire staff on Recruitment, Methods of Organizing, Coalition-building & Leadership development.
Long Island Jobs with Justice: I trained and supported the staff to develop their organizing model, base-building & leadership development plan, & program evaluation.