Leslie Avant-Brown

Master Coach Leslie Avant-Brown 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."

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, foundations and businesses. Her specialization areas include "all things" coaching including: one-on-one and group coaching, training, and designing sustainable systems that imbed a coaching approach. Through her firm, she also runs the Conductors Community Coaching Certification Program an International Coaching Federation Accredited Certification Program geared towards BIPOC and White Changemakers committed to serving BIPOC communities with Healing Centered Coaching and has trained over 200 coaches to become certified. She was recently recognized as one of the Top 15 Coaches in Detroit in 2024.

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. 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 also supported the development of an International Coaching Federation 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. At Leadership that Works she also served as the International Program Director, where she supported the development, implementation and facilitation of cutting-edge coaching programs that supported value-driven transformation in India, Europe and the United States.

"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 in 2007 and

holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Michigan. In 2020, she earned her MCC (Master Certified Coach) credential, earning her entry into an elite group of coaches around the world that demonstrate mastery in both coaching ethics and standards for the field. In her free time, Leslie enjoys finding new adventures, spending time with her wife, belly laughing, eating delicious food and of course living a liberated life!