Meet Trudi Lebron - Equity Centered Coach and Community Leader

MEETTrudi

Hey, Y’all! Thank you for coming and checking us out.

I’m Trudi and I’m a business coach who helps entrepreneurs build businesses that change lives without compromising their values, their money, or their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

That is a big job.

I grew up thinking that we had to make choices and that everything was a compromise.

Make lots of money, OR be of service to others.
Have lots of fun, freedom, and joy OR choose to have a take care of your family obligations.
Be generally dope, cool, and a badass, OR be professional and have people take you seriously.

And, by the time I was 16 years old and a mother of two, the world had a really strong message about what my life would be like.

That message was reinforced by schools, social service workers, policies I would bump up against as I tried to improve my life, and even strangers on the street. That message was that I would live a life of struggle, I’d be a burden on society, I’d be uneducated and broke… forever.

Well, thankfully, the same attitude that got me in lots of trouble as a kid (you know, stubborn, hard headed, wanting to make my own rules), were the same qualities that rejected the narrative I was being fed, and helped me pave my own way.

In addition to being blessed with my own unique brand of will and resilience, I also had people in my corner who saw my potential and held a bigger vision for my life than the one I could see in front of me. This is why I’m obsessed with coaching, and what can happen in high-quality coaching programs.

My Career Highlights

More About Trudi D. Lebron

Bachelor’s of Arts: Theatre
Masters of Science: Psychology with a concentration in Public Administration and Social Change
PhD Psychology (coursework complete) Dissertation in Progress.

I worked in the nonprofit sector for 15 years, starting when I was 19 years old and started with in after-school and summer camp programs. Fun fact about this job: This position was to run after-school programs in the same elementary school that I attended from Kindergarten through 5th grade. In the main office, there was a picture of me and a few other children sitting in the brand new cafeteria that was built while I went to school there in the late 80’s.

It became really clear that we couldn’t improve outcomes for youth without looking at equity and racial justice. I started training and facilitating dialogue on diversity, equity, and inclusion for schools and nonprofit organizations in 2008.

Moved quickly into nonprofit leadership specializing in adolescent development and effective program development for “urban youth”.

I realized that I was never going to make enough money to improve my own life outcomes, and the outcomes of my family is I was stuck in underpaid non-profit jobs. I launched my consulting firm in 2013 as a side-hustle focusing on training, professional development and coaching for educators, educational administrators, and non-profit leaders specializing in equitable schools, positive youth development, and D.E.I. strategy.

Became an Assistant Professor of Human Service at 31 years old. Taught courses including cultural psychology, educational psychology, research methods, case management, and oversaw student internships.
Recognized as one of Connecticut’s 40 under 40 leaders in business in 2016.
Attended World Domination Summing in 2016, came home and quit my job.
Launched first Equity & Diversity Course for Coaches focused exclusively on building more diversity, equity and inclusion in their businesses in June of 2018 after publishing the Facing Race, Equity and Diversity in the Coaching Industry: 10 Considerations on April, 17th 2018. That article was widely shared in the coaching industry, and is still referenced and shared today.

Since 2018, I’ve been exclusively supporting entrepreneurs and leaders in the coaching industry with two main goals.

Helping established coaching and personal development brands create more diversity, equity, and inclusion through applied DEI and anti-racist practices.
Helping coaches, activists, educators, social workers, and others in the helping/justice profession build successful service-based businesses, with a J.E.D.I (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) foundation.

Today, my team and I work with some of the biggest names in the industry as well as smaller boutique brands and solopreneurs. What unites all of our clients is the desire to use their business as vehicles for change, and an unwillingness to compromise between doing good, impactful, equity-centered business, and having profitable, scalable businesses that enable the entrepreneurs and leaders to live amazing lives, and create opportunities for others to do that same.

Wanna know more?

Here's a few fun facts:

I love to travel. My favorite moment is walking out of an airport terminal and taking in those first few moments of a place. The sounds, the smells, the air, the people, the vibe. Every place has it’s own vibe and I just love taking it all in. It always feels like a magical moment.

I am a major foodie. I love eating, cooking, menu puerusing, watching cooking shows, reading cook books, looking at food instagram pages. You get the point. I think that food is a major source of connection to a place, to people, to culture, and community.

Coffee. Some of you might argue that coffee could go under the food bullet, but I love coffee so much that it needs to be stated explicitly.

I believe that we all have our own unique magic and path, with our own contributions to make to this world. I’m on a continuous journey of living my path to the fullest, and helping others do the same.