More About LaTonya

My most valuable skill, and the one thing I often teach others, is how to build real relationships across differences.

"I demonstrate what it means to lead below the surface through relatable stories from my career, my family, and through direct experience with other below the surface leaders. We can all lead below the surface and make real change in our organizations. A few small shifts can go a long way."
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Founder of Change Coaches and Author of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins coaches CEOs, senior executives, and teams around the world. Global leaders typically call LaTonya when they are facing the following challenges: creating psychologically safe teams, improving connections across differences, effectively coaching their team to create accountability and trust, and building sustainable cultures of belonging.

LaTonya is a sought-after coach and keynote speaker who has inspired audiences across industries. She built her career working in HR, talent management, and learning and development at Fortune 500 companies before teaching and taking on progressive leadership roles at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. LaTonya’s best-selling book Leading Below the Surface: How to Build Real (and Psychologically Safe) Relationships with People Who Are Different from You was recently featured as a top inclusion book for executives on seniorexecutive.com and a top psychological safety book of 2023 by Book Riot. LaTonya was also recognized as an excellent instructor by her undergraduate and MBA students. LaTonya has been featured in publications such as Fast Company, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, Well+Good, and Inc Magazine.

In addition to running Change Coaches, LaTonya is the President of the True Star Youth Foundation Board and a former board member of  Women of Color in the Workplace. She teaches business at the University of Illinois and has consistently been rated a top instructor by her students. Change Coaches, which has earned national certification as a Minority Business Enterprise, became a global business quickly after its inception. LaTonya is an avid hiker and loves the outdoors. She spends as much time in the mountains as possible.

LaTonya's content struck a nice balance between the need to create a culture of belonging with diverse talent and general leadership development. It was perfect for where we are and what we need.
Carla YudhishthuMineral
One of the best things about working with Change Coaches was their ability to meet us where we were. Instead of providing us with a boxed solution, Change Coaches took time to understand our specific organizational challenges. As a result of our work together, we not only gained clarity on what priorities were most important moving forward but we also were able to effectively and safely engage employees in that process.
Damon FinazzoVP, Larson Texts
LaTonya is so skilled at connecting with each person in the room and modifying content on the fly to address the needs of the class. Her workshops inspire people to become better leaders and I always leave each session learning something new.
Kathy AdamsUniversity of Illinois

Are you looking to improve the quality of your conversations across differences?

Psychological safety is the most effective tool for reducing workplace stress, navigating conflict, increasing feelings of belonging, and cultivating the diverse workplaces we want to see. It is one of the most important skills for leaders to cultivate in today’s workplace. This guide includes definitions, a brief assessment, tactics, and coaching/reflection prompts.

Download it today!

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