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Monday 8am - 5pm Tuesday 8am - 5pm Wednesday 8am - 5pm Thursday 8am - 5pm Friday 8am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 5pm

http://avantconsultinggroup.net/

Avant Consulting Group, Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (2025)

09/27/2024

As many of us know, conflict is challenging and inevitable. When clashes occur or we make missteps, accountability becomes difficult—often triggering a negative response in the body. However, with the right tools and perspective shifts, we can embrace conflict as an opportunity for expansion, relationship-building, healing, and transformation.

As we approach our 6th anniversary, we want to share how we have been supporting organizations in 2024 with civility and conflict navigation—key issues in today’s socio-political climate.

To celebrate this milestone, Avant Consulting Group is excited to host a Peer Learning Event on October 24th at 12:00 PM EST, bringing together leaders in environmental justice, health equity, education, and other sectors across the country to connect, share ideas/resources, learn from each other's successes and wins, and enhance innovation!

During this event, we will explore how to:
- Elevate and address conflict in meaningful ways.
- Develop strategies for civil conversations in the workplace.
- Review an accountability framework that fosters long-term change.

This will be a supportive and compassionate peer-learning space for those wishing to deepen their skills and practices around navigating conflict. With shared tools, we aim to help you reframe conflict into an opportunity for growth and healing.

Early Bird Special!
- Sign up by 10/15 for just $99.
- After 10/15, the rate will increase to $199.

Seats are limited, so be sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible! If funds are a concern, we are happy to accept referrals and warm introductions as alternative contributions. Send me an email.

We are incredibly grateful for your support and feedback over the years and look forward to connecting with you and continuing to elevate the conversations that matter most!

Warm regards,
Dr. Nicole Avant
CEO, Avant Consulting Group

P.S. Don’t miss out—register today to secure your spot before seats fill up at the early bird rate!

06/21/2024

Are you looking for effective supervisor and other leadership training?

We offer a variety of workshops designed specifically to help leaders create a culture of belonging, respect, dignity, community, trust, and accountability.

Our training programs enhance civility, which in turn decreases turnover and boosts productivity. When people feel safe, they stay longer and are more productive. However, leaders often fear making mistakes when leading a diverse group of staff.

Here are some topics we cover in our training:

(1) Bias & Microaggressions
- Co-create strategies to identify, respond, and mitigate bias and stereotypes
- My award-winning research that details the 4 Ps of Microaggressions: power, pain, pollution, and pervasiveness
- Individual and organizational support needed to prevent and address microaggressions

(2) Conflict Management
- Processes to prevent, navigate, and elevate conflict
- Transforming relationships from superficial to trusting and accountable
- Trust determinants
- Cultivating a healthy organizational culture through non-parasitic conflict

(3) Inclusive Leadership Skills
- Practicing emotional intelligence
- The importance of interdependent relationships and accountability
- Encouraging bi-directional feedback for continuous improvement
- Steps to cultivate a culture of belonging and inclusivity

(4) Neurodivergence Awareness
- Sharing stories from neurodivergent individuals on what they wish their colleagues knew
- Definitions and the importance of neurodivergence awareness
- Immediate steps to foster more belonging for people with disabilities

(5) Sexuality
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of sexuality, including key definitions and the unique challenges faced by minoritized sexualities
- Learn how sexuality influences workplace dynamics and personal politics
- Explore LGBQ exclusion and inclusion culture in the workplace
- Implement strategies to promote equity and inclusion for all employees regardless of sexuality

(6) Gender
- Understand the concept of gender with clear definitions and context
- Reflect on the impact of gender on daily life and workplace interactions
- Identify and address barriers faced by minoritized genders
- Develop actionable steps to promote equity and inclusion for all employees

(7) Black History
- Draw connections between contemporary social issues and historical memory in the US
- Differentiate key epochs in the Black experience in America and their lasting impacts on Black communities
- Reflect on uncomfortable truths from both past and present to inform better workplace practices

(8) 10 Steps to Eradicate Racial Hierarchies
- Explore the concept of racial socialization and its implications in the workplace
- Develop and implement concrete steps to dismantle racial hierarchies within the workplace

If interested, do you have 15-30 minutes to chat? We can discuss our past sessions and how we can tailor them to your specific needs.

Looking forward to connecting!

06/07/2024

June is a special month for me. It’s Pride month and it houses Juneteenth.

To celebrate with me, I invite you to support Avant Group, a Black, q***r, and woman-owned small business via:

- Supporting my Spotlight: Like and share this Pass the Mic – Pride Month Addition spotlight. (Link in comments)

- Affirming Words: Witness me. How do you see me through your eyes? What are the gifts I bring to the world. Your words mean a lot to me, whether shared verbally or via email.

- Testimonials. If you are willing, please consider submitting a testimonial via video, Google Form, or an audio recording. Your feedback helps shape the future and reach of Avant Group.

- Referrals and Introductions: Do you know someone who could benefit from the services offered by Avant Group? Feel free to refer them using our Google Form or make a warm introduction.

- LinkedIn: Connect with me on LinkedIn to stay updated on Avant Group's latest projects and initiatives.

- Identifying Our Audience: Help us understand our audience better. Who do you believe would benefit most from our services, and where do they typically spend their time?

- RFPs and Opportunities: If you come across any Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that align with our work, please share them with me. We're always on the lookout for new opportunities.

- Booking Our Services: If you require advice, strategy, retreats, supervisory coaching, or educational support, don't hesitate to book time with me. I'm here to assist you in any way I can.
- Forwarding Our Mailing List: Join or forward our mailing list to friends who might be interested in staying updated on Avant Group's activities and offerings.

- Subscribing to our YouTube Channel: Subscribe to our YouTube channel to access valuable content and insights from Avant Group.

For your convenience, you can access the necessary Google Forms, my LinkedIn account, scheduling tool, mailing list sign-up, and YouTube channel via Linktree (in comments).

With love and pleasurable resistance,
Nicole

05/24/2024

Last week, I represented Avant Group at a retreat at Howard University College of Pharmacy, and held a beautiful container for staff, faculty, and administrators to discuss belonging, conflict, microaggressions, and fostering healthy relationships built on trust and accountability. I love when organizations (1) recognize the impact of incivility on productivity, dissatisfaction, and turnover and (2) invite me to be a part of their transformation.

It is so hard for me to talk about myself to establish credibility. I tend to take my hard work and accomplishments for granted. However, while talking about my upbringing, education, training, research, and academic career, the audience was audibly impressed. I knew then I was with my people and we were about to have an outstanding session. And did!

Key Discussion Points:

(1) Belonging:

- Hindrances to Belonging: Othering, selective belonging, maintaining the status quo, ignoring power dynamics, individual blame, homogenization, superficial relationships.

- Inclusive Communities: Honor differences, be anti-oppressive, foster community.

(2) Microaggressions in the Academy:

- My research: I discussed my research in microaggressions and provided exemplars from my data.

- Responsibility: All of us are responsible for addressing and interrupting microaggressions, including administrators, faculty, staff, and students.

- Othering: Students feel othered by race, religion, age, sexuality, gender, language, class, and other identities.

- Power, pain, pollution, and pervasiveness (4Ps) of microaggressions: The 4 Ps is a framework I developed to better understand and address the impact of microaggressions.

(3) Healthy Relationships for Transformation:

- Types of Conflict: Parasitic (exploitative) vs. Restorative (nourishing).

- Abusive Dynamics at work: Ignored boundaries, lack of accountability, blame culture, etc

- Building Trust requires awareness, empathy, honesty, transparency, ethical actions, accountability.

Post-session:

I easily had 1/3 of attendees lined up to provide affirming words. I felt so loved and seen, and it affirmed that my work matters. I particularly appreciated the affirmations received at the end. Here are some of my favorites:

- "Is it THEE Dr. Avant? I use your research all the time."

- "We needed this to be 3 days."

- "That is the most I heard X talk."

- "Wow. You got a standing ovation."

- "You got people to talk that never talk."

- "I loved hearing my colleagues' commitments."

- "You are brilliant and very intentional with your language."

- "It was refreshing to have a space to talk openly. You were like a shield for us."

This retreat reminded me how much I miss academia. And it highlighted the importance of belonging, addressing microaggressions and conflict, and fostering trust and accountability in the workplace and classroom.

If you need customized workplace retreat support or know someone who does, book some time with me. Link in the comments.

05/15/2024

We recently facilitated a day-and-a-half retreat for a client to support them in their efforts to become an anti-racist organization. We had a blast. The team connected deeply. There was so much engagement. We spent a ½ day with executives, ½ day with supervisors, ½ day with all-staff, and closed out with executives.

My Top Two Favorite Moments:

(1) Identity Stereotype Activity with Executives:

After a movement-based icebreaker to energize and connect executives to their bodies, we conducted a powerful activity where executives were asked to take a picture of something in their office that represents stereotypes of their identity. For example, I chose a fire extinguisher, symbolizing the constant battle I face with people trying to extinguish or mute my expression, courage, loudness, and emotions. It was enlightening to see what each executive chose.

This activity allowed us to pivot to discuss the concept of stereotype threat—the fear of confirming stereotypes about one's group—and how debilitating this fear can be. Our goal was to signal to executives that these stereotypes are present within organizations and that it is important to do what we can to deactivate these stereotypes. Creating identity safe environments is a core element of work culture design. When people feel like they belong, they will feel safe to disclose more honestly, creating a deeper understanding of hidden systems that reinforce these harmful stereotypes. Then organizations can make structural changes.

(2) Incorporating Play to Foster Engagement and Community:

To build an anti-racist organization, we incorporate play into our work. We played Jeopardy with the supervisors and Family Feud with the entire staff. My favorite question was where is your friend when they say, they are on the way. The level of engagement was incredible; everyone was competitive and enthusiastic. It felt like being around my family. Play helped alleviate anxieties, allowing us to delve deeply into visioning an anti-racist organization with minimal fear.

Our movement-based icebreaker to start the day asked people to teach the person next to them a dance move and the entire room broke out in dance. If time permitted, I would have loved to lead them in the Tamia line dance.

Questions for Reflection:

- How do you ensure collaboration in a COVID-integrated world?

- How do you signal to people who are constantly subjected to stereotypes that they are safe at work?

- How do you deactivate stereotypes in your organizations that can trigger anxiety for employees and disrupt their well-being?

- How do you incorporate play in your work to deepen relationships and shift organizational culture?

If you don’t have answers to these questions and thinking about a retreat, consider this your nudge to make some time with me to explore these topics further.

04/30/2024

We're excited to share a recap of our recent pitch from the Education Policy Pitch Night. Our presentation centered on the necessary task of transforming schools into vibrant hubs of autonomy and inclusion. Our vision is to create a future where every student feels empowered, valued, and loved to prevent and heal from trauma and discard shame stemming from navigating anti-racist and other oppressive structures.

During our pitch, we discussed the crucial need to cultivate a society where individuals are deeply attuned to their needs, feelings, and bodily sensations from a young age. We emphasized the importance of unlearning harmful messages and disrupting systems of disempowerment. Additionally, we highlighted the significance of prioritizing rest, ease, pleasure, self-compassion, community, and responsiveness to our needs, recognizing that these practices not only enhance personal well-being but also strengthen our ability to support our communities.

We underscored that liberation is not just a concept; it's a practice that demands radical shifts in mindset and behavior. For racialized individuals, liberation calls us to remember that we are the embodiment of our ancestors' dreams, advocating for the freedom of all bodies. This journey necessitates treating every member of our community with dignity, acceptance, love, and care, especially those who have been historically disregarded and discarded. For white individuals, it requires implementing radical antidotes to perfectionism, individualism, paternalism, and saviorism to be in loving community with their racialized counterparts.

While our pitch has concluded, we wanted to share these insights to keep you informed about our vision and the important discussions we're having around transforming not only education but also healthcare, workplaces, and communities. Our goal is to pursue optimal health and well-being for those living at the margins.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quutCc7a4UI

04/30/2024

I could use your help!

Remember the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses I told you about? Well, I completed the program a couple of weeks ago. 10K was a transformative experience, and while I'll miss my cohort, I'm eager to apply what I've learned. After I pitched my ideas for growth to my cohort, they stated that a good opportunity for me would be to serve small businesses in addition to my typical mid to large-sized institutions.

As a result, I'm considering building and launching a masterclass focused on inclusive leadership, team building, and culture transformation to enhance access to Avant Group by organizations with smaller budgets. This masterclass will offer 6-8 group coaching sessions to a maximum of 8-12 participants.

However, before diving into the design process, I want to ensure that the program truly meets leadership needs and challenges. That's where you come in.

I want to talk to 10 small business leaders & people managers for a brief 30-minute conversation. Rest assured, this won't be a sales pitch—I'm genuinely interested in understanding leadership and organizational challenges and how I can tailor the masterclass to meet the needs of leaders like you.

If you are willing to help me with this, book some time with me. As a benefit to you, I will answer any questions you have about your team and you will be able to pick my brain for a few minutes at the end of the call.

04/15/2024

This past weekend, I embraced my inner child and spent hours playing in 80-degree weather outside with friends. It brought back memories of carefree days and served as a refreshing reminder of the importance of radical self-love via honoring my play needs and community connection.

Being childish, in the sense of reconnecting with nature and prioritizing connection, laughter, and authenticity over productivity, is a valuable practice. It allows me to break free from the constraints of societal expectations and rediscover the pleasures of life to lead a healthier life- relationally, emotionally, physically, and mentally.

As someone who has previously felt the weight of suppressing pain and denying longings, I understand the tendency to act as if I were a robot, mainly focused on productivity and ignoring the deeper needs of my body, heart, mind, and spirit. But I've learned that this approach only leads to burnout, disconnection, depression, and unmet needs.

Burnout and stress, including work-related stress, can lead to a myriad of health issues, including hypertension, diabetes, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Integrating play into our professional lives and work culture is vital for promoting employee well-being, engagement, retention, creativity, and innovation. By incorporating playful elements into our work culture, we create environments where individuals feel valued, energized, and inspired to contribute their best. Consequently, it makes sense to be more intentional about integrating play into our activities.

Reflective questions I want to leave you to ponder:

- Are you & your colleagues heading towards or experiencing burnout?

- How can prioritizing play, joy, rest, pausing, pacing, and pleasure counter daily, environmental, cumulative, vicarious, and generational stressors and traumas?

- How are you helping others cultivate their capacity through play?

If you're seeking support to honor the humanity of yourself and others, we're here to help cultivate restorative work and community spaces. Whether you work in school administration, healthcare delivery, advocacy for improved health outcomes, community building, or any other field involving people, we can assist you. Let's collaborate to create spaces where everyone feels valued, supported, rested, joyful, and able to thrive.

Feel free to reach out to discuss how we can collaborate on this journey toward collective well-being.

Avant Consulting Group

09/27/2024

06/21/2024

06/07/2024

05/24/2024

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Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm