Paula Forbes

I am a conversation catalyst who guides leaders committed to making meaningful change.

My work as an attorney initially led me to this point in my journey. Over the years, I have handled numerous workplace investigations and conducted conflict resolution conversations and mediations for employers and organizations of all sizes. The questions are always the same: What is wrong with our organization? Why can’t our employees and/or teams work together better?

At some point I realized all my work in this area was only surface-level. In other words, I was just validating the problem or “fixing” a specific conflict instead of looking at the deep roots underneath and identifying the opportunities for positive change and growth.

That much deeper work starts not with “fixing what’s wrong” but with radically changing the culture of an organization by allowing everyone there to show up as their authentic selves and share the gifts that they were hired to offer. If we don’t first handle our own self-awareness and understand who we are and how we impact others, it becomes challenging for the people around us to be who they are and contribute in a positive way. This gets at the heart of how we can create equitable, inclusive, productive, profitable organizations and vibrant communities. 

This is the core of what I do at my leadership workshops, institutes, and retreats. Through an equity lens, I take individuals and groups on a leadership journey that teaches self-discovery as the catalyst for transforming the entire team dynamic. I use a number of different facilitation methods to help participants focus on their shared objectives and build a common language that can act as the bridge between their diverse perspectives and lived experiences. 

I also offer one-to-one leadership coaching that equips leaders with the tools they need to become more self-aware and align their organizations with more diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. 

My legal work over the last 30-plus years working in the public, nonprofit and corporate environments in addition to establishing my own law firm in 2010 has focused on the legal framework and the people who drive education, labor, compliance, and employment.

My journey as an attorney, consultant, and educator, as well as my lived experience as a Black woman, mother of a Black son, and daughter of a civil rights leader has shaped my leadership lens and informed so much of what I incorporate in my professional development opportunities.

In addition to providing coaching, consulting, and training, I am also an adjunct professor of Education and the Law at the University of Minnesota as well as teaching Public Policy at Concordia University in Saint Paul MN.