The Work Wonders Story
Like others have found, workplace culture in my experience has been far from ideal. I've encountered high levels of unmanaged stress, brilliant & impossibly difficult colleagues, demanding clients, unsupportive executives, clear racism and bias, and overwhelmed managers. I've worked in a variety of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and the public sector. While each sector is slightly different in context and constraints, the similarities in these workplace experiences are striking.
I spent years with legal 'cover your assets' frameworks, wrangling operational mayhem, and deploying continuous improvement models for culture change, only to continue to see these same patterns reemerge. Regardless of how much effort, research, and careful approach I made, I felt whatever progress was made culturally, it would not be sustainable without my overwork and additional resources.
That changed for me after investing in change facilitation informed by neuroscience. In a new role, charged with bringing about culture change for our organization to become fully inclusive, anti-racist, and multicultural organization, I decided to invest in Key Change Institute's Applied Neuroscience Certification program. After achieving my own transformation and adopting new skills, perspectives, and approaches to my work, my effectiveness at meeting organizational challenges grew. I was no longer exhausted. I coached my first internal clients, and could see their growth and was exhilarated by the possibilities for their future, and my own.
After completing the certification, I challenged myself with the question of "what's next?" I built an internal inclusive change facilitation practice within my organization. I began to help people remove barriers, get out of their own way, and transform themselves, their teams, and ultimately their organization.
As I support my clients to transform and succeed, I am building a vision of workplaces becoming a space of possibility, wonder, and ease for all. This is what The Work Wonders is about, to support leaders, teams, and organizations in their transformational journey to meet their goals and create workplaces they can be creative, thrive in, and ultimately works better for everyone. Inclusive leadership welcomes all of our differences, adjusts and adapts effectively, and is firmly rooted in shared humanity.
When you chose The Work Wonders, you should expect to be supported, challenged, and engage with difficult work. This work is not for everyone, but it might work wonders for you.
Email me to schedule a complementary 30 minute consultation on how I can help you and your organization.
Hello, I'm Jennifer
Professional Change Facilitator for Leaders in Inclusion and Effectiveness
My career in Human Resources spans over 16 years, and in the last 5 years I've transitioned to become an organizational advisor embedding inclusive systems and anti-bias solutions, with a focus on racial equity in Information Technology. I have experience in the public and private sector, as well as large and medium sized non-profits. With my background, along with my certification in applied neuroscience by the Key Change Institute and a certification in mediation through Antioch University, I am skilled at working with individuals and groups in conflict, have a sharp analysis of power dynamics, and don't shy away from challenging situations. My change facilitation practice incorporates applied neuroscience to help leaders break through the mental and behavioral blocks that have been getting in the way of reaching their goals or becoming inclusive leaders. Ultimately I can help you and your organization transform to support an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace.
On a more personal note, I'm a parent and partner, enjoy reading and writing poetry, an avid podcast listener, especially of neuroscience and story focused podcasts (Hidden Brain, On The Media, and The Moth are some of my favs), a fan of speculative fiction, a lover of theater and the expressive arts and nature, and a native to the Pacific Northwest. My deep personal interest in life is to explore the possibilities of our humanity, especially integrating with technology and addressing the complex challenges of our modern world. I hope my little ripple of impactful work combined with yours will bring about a future we can all thrive in.
Some of the other identities I hold are I am a gender expansive, while also visibly seen as a woman, I am white, I am fat, I am neurodivergent, and I am queer. I recognize that like many of us, my identities intersect with both agency in dominant culture and as target of dominant culture. As a young person, I once read that your identity should be the least interesting thing about you, and I agree. The paradox is that identity also matters. My marginalized identities give me access to knowledge, political savviness, and a curiosity about the world we create which informs how I move in the world, and the relationships I create. My agent identities help me make bold challenges and leverage risk to make sustainable effective change.
Find out more about my experience on LinkedIn.
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Jennifer Dawson-Miller (they/she)