The Courage Collective | Full Press Release – June 22, 2021

The Courage Collective Launches, with a Consulting Approach That Humanizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Conversation

New consultancy helps companies create work environments that are centered on DEI

NASHVILLE— June 22, 2021 – The Courage Collective launches! The Courage Collective is a consultancy that takes a holistic and strategic approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work. Additionally, the Courage Collective creates meaningful, memorable, and transformational experiences for companies and employees. Additionally, it helps organizations build courageous and empathetic cultures with their people in mind. 

The Courage Collective was founded by Daniel Oppong, an experienced entrepreneur with a passion for humanizing the DEI conversation. Founding team members include Nani Vishwanath and Lauren Franklin, along with a nationwide team of consultants. Together, they bring diverse experience in HR, education, entrepreneurship, change management, well-being, technology, and consulting. The Courage Collective works with organizations that are committed to creating meaningful and lasting change in all three phases of the employee journey—pre-employment, during employment and post-employment. The Courage Collective’s DEI services include:

Personalized Consulting

In partnership with a company’s leadership and/or DEI team, The Courage Collective facilitates consulting sessions designed to  identify key areas of focus such as:

• • DEI strategy, roadmap and commitments
  • Hiring, onboarding, training and process review
  • Employee resource group & internship/fellowship program development 
  • DEI survey design and facilitation
  • Organizational process and policy review 

People Leader and Company-Wide Training

The Courage Collective team also leads learning sessions designed to deepen awareness and understanding of the ongoing work of DEI in employees’ lives both personally and professionally.

“Most organizations tend to limit their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work to two areas: talent acquisition/recruiting and unconscious bias training. While both have value, in our minds that’s hardly the tip of the iceberg. Once an organization truly leans in, they realize that DEI work is and should be much more robust, nuanced, and dimensional,” said Daniel Oppong, co-founder, The Courage Collective. “We take a strategic and holistic approach to DEI work and center that work on Courage and Empathy. Our goal is to create space for the human experience. Additionally, we want to equip leaders and employees alike with effective strategies, educational resources, and applicable frameworks. This will help them create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in a sustainable and lasting way.”

The Origins of The Courage Collective

The murder of George Floyd was a galvanizing experience for Oppong and The Courage Collective team.

“The consulting business was already in motion, but the devastation of that horrific event was undoubtedly an accelerating catalyst. I realized that if I was waiting for change to be led by people who don’t experientially understand what it means to move through the world in a Black body, or be part of an underrepresented identity group in the workplace, I would likely never see that change,” said Oppong. “Instead of wishfully thinking someone else would bring to life the better, more beautiful world that I hope for and believe in, I felt a sense of resolve to start creating it. I partnered with a team of incredible folks who share a similar passion, expertise and deep care for this important work .”

Since summer of 2020, The Courage Collective has been partnering with organizations that are committed to intentional, meaningful, and sustainable action, and that are willing to consistently demonstrate care to their employees. 

“The Courage Collective team has incredible emotional intelligence,” said Tim Mullen, CEO of redpepper. “They quickly created a safe space for our entire company to open up and have meaningful, vulnerable conversations. I could not be more thankful for the personal and professional growth that has come as a result of this experience.”

The Courage Collective launches today, and their team includes: Nani Vishwanath, Lauren Franklin, Isaac Addae, PhD, Brynn Plummer, Lindsay Lagreid, Kelli Nowers, Stacy Taylor, Marianna Hegyi, Jaime Burnham, Isis Avalos, Esther Oppong and Kendall Park, PhD.

About the Courage Collective

The Courage Collective is a consultancy that takes a holistic approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. The company focuses on customer discovery designed to understand where a company is and where it wants to be; strategic priorities to embed DEI across the entire employee journey; and intentional action to create meaningful DEI impact.