About the All Aboard Conductors Program

This program is designed for high-performing changemakers—entrepreneurs, CEOs, nonprofit leaders, advocates, therapists, and teachers—who are passionate about leading with authenticity and inspiring growth. If you are dedicated to making a positive impact, our intentionally inclusive space offers a supportive community for professionals from all backgrounds. Here, you can deepen your leadership, enhance your coaching skills, and build your capacity to facilitate healing and alignment within your organization and beyond.

Embark on a transformative journey with our 5-month, International Coaching Federation (ICF)-accredited program. Grounded in Blooming Willow’s signature Healing Centered Coaching® framework—developed by CEO Leslie Avant-Brown after years of guiding global leaders—this program champions culturally relevant coaching that honors the unique needs of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other vulnerable communities of high-performing changemakers. As you immerse yourself in this experience, you will cultivate powerful coaching skills, foster your personal growth, and empower yourself to create profound healing and meaningful change.

At the heart of this program is our trademarked Healing Centered Coaching® Model, a powerful framework designed to guide changemakers through four essential practices: Pause, Ground, Align, and Act.

This model, developed to help leaders serve others without sacrificing their own humanity, creates a sanctuary for both personal and collective growth.

You will learn to:

Pause: Guide clients through intentional reflection and restoration.

Ground: Support them in gaining clarity on their values and purpose.

Align: Help them explore new possibilities and pinpoint roadblock that impact next steps

Act: Encourage them to take sustainable steps that honor their well-being and mission.

By mastering these practices, you will deepen your ability to foster transformation for yourself, your clients, and the communities you serve.

All Aboard Conductor Spring 2027 Schedule

Half-Day Virtual Classes (12 PM - 4 PM EST)
Held on the 1st Friday of each month, with the final class on the last Friday in July:

  • March 5, 2027 (1st Friday)

  • April 2, 2027 (1st Friday)

  • May 7, 2027 (1st Friday)

  • June 4, 2027 (1st Friday)

  • July 30, 2027 (Final Friday - Final/Class Graduation)

Weekday Virtual Classes (6 PM - 8 PM EST)

  • March 9, 2027 (2nd Tuesday)

  • March 16, 2027 (3rd Tuesday)

  • March 23, 2027 (4th Tuesday)

  • April 13, 2027 (2nd Tuesday)

  • April 20, 2027 (3rd Tuesday)

  • April 27, 2027 (4th Tuesday)

  • May 11, 2027 (2nd Tuesday)

  • May 18, 2027 (3rd Tuesday)

  • May 25, 2027 (4th Tuesday)

  • June 8, 2027 (2nd Tuesday)

  • June 15, 2027 (3rd Tuesday)

  • June 22, 2027 (4th Tuesday)

  • July 6, 2027 (1st Tuesday)

  • July 13, 2027 (2nd Tuesday)

  • July 20, 2027 (3rd Tuesday)

Apply Today

MEET THE CONDUCTORS FACULTY & MENTORS

  • Principal Owner

    Leslie Avant-Brown, Conductor# 1, is an innovator, facilitator, coach and thought leader within movement work. Her relentless desire to fuel systems change in support of vulnerable communities has changed the fabric of this work. With her down to earth demeanor, she brings a unique mix of laughter, curiosity, healing, creativity and strategy to support conductors of change – those who are designing innovative strategies that benefit future generations. She believes that moving beyond traditional leadership approaches will revolutionize the way that people work and thrive. “I have dedicated my life to supporting communities to build trust, identify new leadership, increase diversity of voice and choice, incorporate growth and healing strategies and build sustainably. I do this because I know, what we plant today will bloom tomorrow”

    In 2016, through a partnership with Beyond Emancipation, her CCRW Coaching Model (focused on foster and probation youth) received the notorious International Coaching Federation Prism Award Honorable Mention (Coming 2nd only to Coca-Cola Russia) for its innovative design supporting culture change. She went on to support the development of an ICF Accredited, Community Coaching Certification Program at Leadership that Works, the first of its kind. Through this pioneering effort, she certified over 100 coaches in this new community accreditation, radically shifting how communities are supported through coaching.

    Leslie serves as CEO at her firm Blooming Willow Coaching, a culturally relevant, Healing Centered Coaching practice that allows her to partner with individuals, organizations and businesses. Her specialization areas include “all things” coaching including: one-on-one and group coaching, coaching facilitation, coach training, and designing sustainable coaching models that support growth and healing in communities.

    Previously, she worked as the International Program Director for Leadership that Works, and supported the development, implementation and facilitation of cutting edge coaching programs that supported value-driven transformation in India, Europe and the United States.

    Prior to earning her coaching certification Leslie worked in the nonprofit capacity building sector, supporting work that promoted social justice -- she has a background in leadership development and evaluation. “What brought me to the field of coaching was the idea of supporting deep change while aligning my strengths to support conductors of change.”

    Leslie received her professional coaching certification through Leadership that Works and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Michigan. In her free time, Leslie enjoys finding new adventures, spending time with her wife, belly laughing, eating delicious food and of course creating!!

  • Conductor #2

    Anisha has worked in organizations dedicated to movement support, educational equity and leadership development for two decades. She is a Facilitator, Strategist, Coach, and Worker-Owner at AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance). Prior to AORTA, she served as Director of the New Leaders Initiative and Brower Youth Awards at Earth Island Institute in Berkeley, where she identified, honored, and coached emerging youth environmental movement leaders. She shaped a long-standing program into one that was relevant, accessible, and responsive to a new generation of activists committed to advancing creative and inclusive organizational models.

    Anisha previously held director roles at Women of Color Resource Center in Oakland and at United for a Fair Economy in Boston. In addition to organizational management, she designed programs and curricula and conducted popular education workshops.

    Anisha approaches her work with a tenderness that comes from experiencing the often rough edges of hierarchical nonprofit leadership structures and knows the gifts of pain, insight, and metamorphosis that come with failing fabulously. She brings to AORTA a passion for supporting organizations to create cultures that value democratic participation, mentorship, healing, equity, and justice.

    Anisha is of Sri Lankan and Indian descent, raised with class privilege by two loving-hearted psychiatrist parents and a devoutly religious grandmother in a smallish town in Florida. Through lived experience with depression and anxiety, she holds those with mental illness in deep care and understanding. She is also a Life-Cycle Celebrant and founder of Radical Ceremony, crafting and officiating end-of-life ceremonies, weddings, and other rites of passage. Anisha enjoys performing with her soul-line dancing team and is an occasional writer of stories on family, culture, and nostalgia.

  • Conductor #29

    As a facilitator, organizational development consultant, and coach, Ose is passionate about developing leaders and bringing people together to connect, exchange ideas, and collaborate. During his career, he has supported strategy and leadership development at government agencies, organizations, and foundations in over 100 engagements across issue areas including health, education, housing, immigration and youth development.

    As a consultant and facilitator, Oseloka works with nonprofit organizations in board development, planning, and risk management.

    Before coming to Blooming Willow Coaching, Ose was part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Digital Jobs Africa initiative, where he helped to develop strategies for private sector engagement.

    Prior to his transition to the nonprofit sector, Ose worked as an analyst at Standard Bank of South Africa in Commercial Property Finance. He holds Flawless Consulting certification and Facilitative Leadership for Social Change accreditation, and he’s an International Coaching Federation certified coach.

    Oseloka received his M.P.A. from New York University, as well as a B.A. in Philosophy from University College London and an L.L.P. from BPP Law School.

  • Conductor #30

    Stephanie, is a passionate leadership development practitioner, looking to spark personal and collective change from the inside out. She has designed and facilitated learning and development for over 15 years with a range of audiences from K-12 students to frontline program staff and coaches, to executive leaders in the public education and nonprofit sector.

    She has spent the majority of her career leading program innovations and new possibilities at a large national nonprofit as a strategist, program designer, trainer, team leader, and internal coach and consultant to senior program leaders across the country.

    She also enjoys cultivating the voice and leadership of young people and young professionals through coaching and volunteer opportunities. She lives in Chicago with her husband Greg and two young children, Amina and Felix, and enjoys exploring all corners of the city with her family.

  • Conductor# 42

    Shor Salkas (they/them), is a public health professional and healing-centered coach who is deeply committed to health equity and health justice as ways to create more healed and thriving communities. Through activism, organizing, coaching, training, consultation, and facilitation Shor works with groups and individuals to realize their strengths and fullest potential to create change in their lives, communities, and workplaces.

    Shor has been working to promote social, racial, and gender justice through many projects and organizations like the Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition, Out in the Backyard, SHIFT Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis Transgender Equity Council, the Wisconsin Transgender Health Coalition, the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute, and through public health and health equity coalition building across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

    Shor is a first generation, white-assimilated Jewish, queer, trans non-binary, fat person who has called the occupied Dakota and Anishanabe land known as Minneapolis home for most of their adult life. Shor is a parent, partner, neighbor, community member, and artist. They love nature and being outside, growing gardens and plant friends, and their pets. All of their identities and experiences in life shape who they are and how they approach their work as coach and healer.

  • Michael draws on his experiences as a queer man and cancer survivor to support clients to step into their bravery, authenticity and resilience. He brings an authentic, grounded and collaborative approach to his coaching, mentoring and training. That means being direct and speaking hard truths while also holding a warm, loving and playful energy.

    He’s passionate about social justice and fighting to make this world better for every one of us. Michael believes that starts with each one of us working on our own healing, development and growth and that then ripples out to the people in our lives and communities. He looks forward to learning about what you love and supporting you to have more of all of it.

    Michael has partnered with individuals and communities to identify and creatively address their needs for over 25 years in the nonprofit sector. He’s been a counselor for LGBTQ teens, a community health educator, a youth program director at a large nonprofit, a professional coach, coach mentor and a coach trainer.

    He is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), and received his training from the Leadership That Works Coaching for Transformation program, an International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited program.

    Michael eventually became a faculty member there, and has taught coaching since 2017. He is credentialed as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the ICF, and also holds a Masters of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education from Hunter College.

    When he’s not coaching, he loves game nights with his partner Jerome and their close friends, good coffee, reading fantasy and sci-fi books and watching horror movies. He’s also an unapologetic tennis fanatic!

  • Feedback Mentor

    Like a rocket, Nicky's coaching is the vessel that clients access when a much broader perspective is required. From a more spacious point of view, clients get to see their full operating systems--the world and themselves in it. By observing from different angles clients are better positioned to see options, opportunities, limiting beliefs and the way forward.

    For over 21 years, Nicky has been exploring the impact of our systems- and rule-based society on individuals. As a workshop facilitator, coaching trainer, department supervisor and program manager, she has designed empowerment curricula centered on internal capacity building, culture change, leadership and healing for organizations.

    As a Professional Certified Coach (trained in Transformational Life Coaching and Healing Centered Community Coaching), Nicky considers herself to be an intuitive partner, a wise ally and a reflector of the space between what you didn't know then and what you do know now. She brings a sense of wonder and curiosity to every session.

    Nicky's coaching opens space for traditional and non-traditional leaders to slow down and catch up to themselves, to explore needs, to envision success and to create fresh boundaries and agreements before taking brave steps forward.

  • Feedback Mentor

    Based out of the Bay Area, California, DeShauna received her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, with additional coursework in Forensic Psychology. During this time, DeShauna also began working for a non-profit agency that contracts with Alameda County Social Services supporting foster youth with navigating self-sufficiency. After working in this field, she realized that the core of our problems and stress often correlate with symptoms in our bodies. Starting with self, she decided to challenge her mind, body and spiritual alignment by beginning an Ashtanga yoga practice. Also, she discovered life coaching, which quickly became an important tool in all clientcentered and leadership work. This allowed her connections with others to become more than just a mentorship, but a partnership in their goals.

    Through self-discoveries in yoga and coaching, DeShauna resolved to deepen the mind/body connection and received her 250-hour Teacher Training Certification (Power Vinyasa & Yoga Sculpt). DeShauna also realizes that mastering the “self” is a lifelong path, yet the journey there is where meaningful experience happens. In June 2018, she became a certified transformational coach through Leadership that Works and uses somatic tools to support individuals with bringing their authentic selves to the surface. DeShauna will also earn her 300-hour Teacher Training (continued yoga education) in December 2021. Her ultimate goal is to create a connection with individuals throughout their personal journey, with the hopes of helping to empower them to reach their desired destinations. DeShauna believes “Health is a state of body and wellness is a state existence.”

    During DeShauna’s spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, animals (she has a dog, cat, gecko, fishes) and different species of plants as well as geodes.