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.
When women unite across difference, we build the collective power to change everything.
Applying isn't a commitment; it's the first step. I read every application personally and reach out within a few days to see if it's a fit.
New to this work? Start free at a White Woman Townhall.
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.
It's not our fault we inherited this power. But it is our responsibility to use it differently.
That's what Toward Sisterhood is for. A place to finally answer the call, together, with compassion instead of shame. Not to feel worse. To do better, and feel freer doing it.
WHO THIS IS FOR
This is for you if you are paying attention and it will not let you rest. The news is leaving you empty and anxious. You are tired of living in an all-white bubble. You sincerely want to build relationships based in trust with women of color, but sparks sometimes fly when you interact and you’re not sure why. You have read the books and know, in your body, that reading books is not enough. 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 toward sisterhood. We’re not competing, cancelling, doomscrolling, freezing, or disengaging. We are building momentum, stamina, joy, and community.
“Toward Sisterhood provided a space where I felt understood and supported. I was able to gain valuable, specific feedback, knowledge, and tools, and confidence integrating these into how I show up. The topics discussed connected a lot of dots for me, providing a deeper understanding of harm, what I can do about it, and why it is important."
Jessica, Bay Area
THIS IS NOT ABOUT SHAME & GUILT
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. Nor is it about guilt.
In Toward Sisterhood, we embrace our power with love.
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
We focus on relationship-building. First, with yourself, learning to practice self-compassion, not self-pity. You can't build honest relationships with other women until you've done your own work first.
And then, we work on seeing other women (including trans women) as equals, no matter their ethnicity, age, sexuality, ability, immigration status, size, or any other characteristic. We learn how to shift our behavior so we interact with them in a way that builds sisterhood.
Words of a Black woman and a white woman who were fierce friends guide everything we do in Toward Sisterhood:
"Ignoring the differences of race between women and the implications of those differences presents the most serious threat to the mobilization of women’s joint power.” — Audre Lorde
“The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.” — Adrienne Rich
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 moving toward sisterhood.
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
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Two ways to do this work together, choose the one that fits your life:
🖥 Online Cohort (open to white women everywhere)
Every month, live with Karen:
A 2-hour Guiding session, one theme, taught live
A 90-minute Hot Seat Coaching session: bring your real questions and get coached live
Every session is recorded, so you never miss a thing.
🌉 Bay Area In-Person Cohort
Every month, at locations in the Bay Area:
A 3-hour in-person gathering that weaves Guiding and Hot Seat coaching together, face to face, with women you can hug at the end of the night.
Two tickets to each monthly in person Power of Interracial Sisterhood event, where women of color and white women work together to heal our divides.
In-person sessions aren't recorded or livestreamed, but if life gets in the way, you're warmly welcome to join that month's online session instead.
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The rhythm: Toward Sisterhood runs on a steady monthly cadence, so you always know when we gather. Both cohorts, online and in person, have rolling admission. You don't wait for a start date; you join the rhythm already in motion, begin exactly where you are, and continue for six months to complete the full cycle.
Between sessions, for every member:
A workbook and resource library to explore anytime: curated readings, videos, and recommended books, plus journaling prompts and reflection questions for all six themes.
A small group that holds you with care.
MEET KAREN
Hi, I'm Karen Fleshman, she/her, and I would love to be your guide toward sisterhood.
I grew up in an almost entirely white small town, a former Sundown Town and a hotbed of the John Birch Society. My life changed when a refugee family moved in and their daughter became my lifelong best friend. From her, I learned how to be a sister.
As an adult, I worked in organizations where most of my colleagues were people of color, and I had to learn how to show up as a white woman. I made mistakes. I caused harm. And I was lucky enough to report to women of color who mentored me and gave me honest feedback.
By listening to them, I began to face my own racism, and to understand how differently we were living because of it.
In 2017 I began hosting interracial sisterhood gatherings. Women of color kept telling me the same thing: teach more white women to think like you. So I did. Toward Sisterhood is where I've put it all together, a six-month learning community for white women ready to do this work.
Unlearning racism changed how I parent, how I lead, and how I show up every day. I want the same for you. I hope you'll join us. 💜🧡🤎
With love,
Karen Fleshman
Squad Six, Industry City, Brooklyn September 2025
THE INVESTMENT
Online: $2,497 paid in full, or 6 monthly payments of $500
After August 31: $2,997, or 6 monthly payments of $550
In-person: $3,697 paid in full, or 6 monthly payments of $650
After August 31: $4,500, or 6 monthly payments of $800
Rolling admissions, so you begin where you are, the day you are ready.
Cost should never be the reason you stay out. Scholarships available, just ask.
When you enroll, you’ll receive the Sisterhood Audit, an honest look at where your relationships, your networks, and your habits stand right now, and exactly where to begin.
“Toward Sisterhood has been a transformative experience for me. The class creates a brave space to examine how whiteness shows up in our day to day life and relationships and offers tangible ways to unlearn these harmful patterns with compassion. It’s not always comfortable, but it’s deeply necessary and I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow in community with other white women committed to showing up better for women of color. This work is a lifelong journey, and this is a powerful place to begin.” -Dyan, Missouri
Want to talk first?
FAQ
Q. Is this for beginners, or for women who have already done a lot of work?
A. Both. We start with self-compassion and self-awareness and go deep, so there is room whether you’re just getting started or are long-standing. What matters is willingness, not where you begin.
Q. Do I have to make every live online session?
A. No. All online sessions are recorded, and rolling admissions means you start where you are. Show up as fully as you can. Inperson sessions are not recorded or livestreamed. If you are in the inperson program and need to miss a session, you are welcome to attend the online session instead.
Q. Is this a book club?
A. No. Reading, podcasts, videos are part of it, but the work is what you do with what you read, in community, on yourself. Books inform. They do not transform.
Q. What if I get it wrong in the group?
A. You will, and that is the practice. This is a place to fumble honestly and be held with care while you learn, so that you do not fumble on the women in your actual life.
Still have questions?
THIS IS FOR THE WOMEN WHO ARE READY
You already know if that is you.
When women unite across difference, we build the collective power to change everything.
Toward Sisterhood guides white women’s healing and growth so that we can develop healthy, positive relationships with women of color.
Book a 15 minute call
💜🤎🧡