JOIN GROUP COACHING PROGRAM FOR WHITE WOMEN
Raise your hand if you want a society where all women and girls are safe and free.
Toward Sisterhood is a six-month learning community for white women who want to earn the trust of women of color to make unity among women possible.
THE MOMENT
Let me be direct.
This moment is asking something of white women, and most of us are not answering.
White women hold more power than any other group of women in this country.
We are the largest single bloc of voters. By 2030 we are projected to control the majority of private wealth.
And for 400+ years, we have mostly used that power to keep things exactly as they are.
That is not a comfortable sentence. It is a true one.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT SHAME
Shame keeps you frozen, and frozen is precisely what the people who benefit from the status quo want you to be.
So this is not about shame. It is about responsibility and power. And what you are finally willing to do with it.
You can't build honest relationships across difference until you've done your own work first. That work is what Toward Sisterhood is for.
WHAT TOWARD SISTERHOOD IS
A six-month, small-group experience for white women who are ready to stop wondering what they should be doing and start becoming trustworthy.
Not perfect. Trustworthy, consistent, humble and willing to learn.
Together, we unlearn what we were taught, practice new ways of relating, and hold each other accountable with real care, in a small group of women doing the same brave work.
THE JOURNEY
Each month we focus on a theme:
Building self-compassion and self-awareness.
Understanding our history.
Embodying new beliefs.
Initiating relationships across difference.
Strengthening relationships across difference.
Expanding our movement.
You can start any month, and continue for six months to complete the full cycle.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Live with Karen, every month:
A live teaching session on that month’s theme
A group coaching hotseat. Send your questions, get coached live.
Every session recorded, so you never fall behind.
Between sessions:
Curated readings, videos, and books.
Guided journaling and reflection.
Homework
A small group that holds you with care.
WHO THIS IS FOR
This is for you if you are paying attention and it will not let you rest. If you are tired of living in an all-white bubble. If sparks sometimes fly when you are interacting with a woman of color and you’re not sure why. If you have read the books and know, in your body, that reading books is not enough.
If you are ready to change, not just be informed.
This is not for you if you want to feel better without doing anything differently. We are moving towards sisterhood. We’re not competing, cancelling, doomscrolling, freezing, or disengaging. We are building momentum, stamina, joy, and community.
ABOUT KAREN FLESHMAN ESQ. She/Her
Hi, I’m Karen Fleshman, and I would love to serve as your guide toward sisterhood. I grew up in an almost entirely white small town in Colorado, My community had been a Sundown Town and was very conservative. My life was forever changed when a family of refugees from the former Soviet Union moved there, and their daughter became my lifelong best friend. From her, I learned how to be a sister, and the value of having friends from a different culture.
I became an activist at the age of 11 when conservative parents tried to ban Judy Blume books in our public school libraries. I fought them and won. In high school I was active against apartheid in South Africa and US involvement in Central America.
As an adult, I lived in Austin, New York City, and San Francisco, and worked in organizations where people of color made up the majority of the workforce. I managed diverse teams and had to learn how to navigate cultural differences. I made many mistakes and caused harm. Fortunately, I reported to women of color, who were great role models and mentors, and gave me candid feedback. By listening to and emulating them, and listening to my team members, I learned to build trust.
I mentored many young adults of color as they began working for corporations. This was when I had to face my racism. I realized I had harmful assumptions and stereotypes about them. I also realized how systemic racism and the advantages I had access to led to our lived experiences and outcomes being completely different.
In 2014, Michael Brown opened my eyes to police brutality. Seeing Black Lives Matter protesters stand up to tear gas empowered me to leave my bad marriage. I decided to stop preparing young adults of color for the workplace, and start preparing the workplace for young adults of color. I became fascinated by racism, and read