We had the good fortune of connecting with Leanne Alaman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leanne, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My business grew out of a commitment I made to myself at age 8. I promised myself I would take responsibility for healing racism. I was not sure how to do that. But I wanted to live in that world, so I kept adding what was missing to bring it forth.

In my 20s, I noticed that education and awareness were missing. So, I got trained to facilitate workshops on antiracism and anti-oppression and guide people to impactful insights.

However, I noticed that very little changed. Leadership was not usually present at the trainings, and many people reported that fear and overwhelm stopped them from taking action after the workshop. A few years later, while training as a leadership coach, I noticed that these powerful coaching tools were missing from antiracism workshops to help participants overcome painful emotions and take effective action.

Over time I noticed that acting out of fear, guilt, and penance hinders the effectiveness of people with privilege despite years of antiracism training. Fear can be an effective motivator in the early stages of change related to anything; recovery from substance use, adhering to a new health protocol, etc. We are scared of what will happen if we do not change. But, the fear that was our early motivator becomes a hindrance as we progress. To reach new levels of success, we must learn to act from grounded and balanced emotions. In my 30s, while training as a meditation teacher, I noticed that what was missing to overcome fear, guilt, and shame was love and compassion.

Love and compassion turned out to be the missing ingredients to transform the work of anti-oppression into the paradigm-shifting work of liberation. Not just liberation for some, but for all. Soon I noticed that love, compassion, and liberation were missing for me as well. I was not exempt. I had not started my business because the internalized oppression said I wasn’t good enough, despite years of training and rave reviews. It was hard work to learn to love myself enough to be myself and fight for myself, but I healed.

In 2019 I founded Embodied Contribution Consulting to provide paradigm-shifting support for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), sometimes called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). I pioneered a model of Inclusive Leadership coaching where I coach decision-makers with privilege to take effective action for equity and justice rooted in love.

What I notice now is how proud 23-year-old Leanne would be. She would be so delighted to see how far we have all come.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets my work apart is that it is antiracism and anti-oppression healing, not just education. Anti-oppression healing is an emerging field that picked up speed during the pain of 2020. With the success of books like My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem and discussions everywhere about how to heal intergenerational trauma, we see people’s desire to heal, not just learn. I think it’s exciting that there is room to design new offerings, take risks, and make a difference. I love innovating on the cutting edge of this industry because I get to launch new, groundbreaking programs. And I’m about to!

This year I am launching several new offerings to support marginalized and privileged identities.

The first is a weekly group class called The Practice of Antiracism. This class offers brand-new antiracism tools to transform our internal and external world.

The next is Anti-Oppression Reiki which helps clients gently release trauma stored in the body.

Last but not least is a new monthly webinar featuring a paradigm-shifting teach-in and group coaching for personal support.

Anti-oppression education takes the stance that people hurt each other because they lack knowledge and awareness, so the answer is education. Anti-oppression healing takes the stance that hurt people hurt people, so the answer is healing ourselves. I do provide education, but I also focus on how to integrate that information, overcome painful feelings about that information, and act from a place of groundedness with that education.

Fun times!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d have to spend the day ogling arts and craft supplies at Meininger’s independent art store.

Then hang out at Tea Lee’s to enjoy some black-owned coffee-shop goodness. I’m a sucker for their wall art, beverages and gourmet food.

We’d finish it off with an unbeatable dinner at Queen of Sheba ethiopian restaurant on Colfax. They were so busy during lockdown I couldn’t get delivery!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The first nations, indigenous people of Colorado for their continued love and defense of our planet including the Southern Ute Tribe, Ute Mountain tribe, and all descendants of indigenous people who lived on, traveled across, and contributed to the land now called Colorado.

Chinook Fund for their tireless dedication to funding justice, transforming philanthropy, and providing life-changing trainings.

Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) for their accessible and expert training and support.

Ali at Moxie Writing Co for helping me clarify and untangle the many thoughts in my head.

Anna Burrell at Twigg’s and Co. for so much support during the pandemic.

Rowen Thomas Consulting and Sarah Rimmell at The Inclusion Spark for being my first official equity collaborators…. during the pandemic!

Website: www.embodiedcontribution.com

Instagram: @embodiedcontribution

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanne-alaman/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/embodied-contribution

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.