“Contemplative leadership invites us to explore the depths of our awareness, to lead with intention, and to cultivate teams that are not just instruments of change, but agents of transformation.” – Thulani DeMarsay, Ph.D.
January 9th 2024
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM EST
January 23, 2024
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
Contemporary
Level: Advanced
February 6, 2024
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
February 20, 2024
12:00PM- 1:00 PM
Lead from a place of clarity and inner wisdom.
Having a greater sense of self-awareness is an essential component of emotional intelligence and effective leadership.
Empathetic leadership allows us to understand the needs of others and be cognizant of their emotions and overall wellbeing.
The quality of being present allows leaders to be more in the moment and available to themselves and their employees.
leaders navigate a fine balance between confidence and humility. Understanding the ego and how it affects leadership is crucial for leading from a place of poise and presence. .
Something within you is calling upon you to listen intently, to hear your heartbeat and to listen to where it is leading you, to pay closer attention, to notice, and to lead with insight.
Like most things in life, leadership requires a balance between instinctive action and steady thoughtfulness, and so we must learn to strike a calm balance between the immediacy of reactive leadership and the sustenance of reflective leadership.
All contemplative practices encourage a sense of wholeness and unity with self. They help to cultivate feelings of stillness, self-awareness, attention, empathy, improved self-regulation, and stress reduction, among other benefits.
How a leader perceives, behaves, interacts, communicates, and ultimately leads is shaped by the leader’s inner being and their relationship to that being.
When operationalized, a contemplative leader’s practice can help shape a more mindful culture as a whole. As a leader brings contemplative practices into their own life, their behavior sends ripple effects throughout their organization.
In today’s fast-paced culture, many of us are simply overwhelmed by the sheer velocity of mental chatter. This cacophony of inner noise drowns our most valuable resource: the small voice within us that is our intuition.
In order for leaders to lead organizations beyond their present realities, they need a new vision for the future. It is necessary, then, to find a higher vision and an expanded reality that can transcend the familiar.
No MBA or executive training could have prepared us for the degree of disruption and unpredictability we face, and these times require very different leadership capabilities if we are to steer our organizations and people towards a future we want.
Speaking events that facilitate opportunities for organizational and individual transformation.
Facilitation that inspires dialogue, critical self-reflection, and transformation
Transformational coaching for leaders and teams to build resilience and expand inner capacity.
Greetings! I’m a seasoned leadership coach and organizational development consultant with over 20 years of professional experience. My expertise lies at the intersection of leadership and contemplative practice. Throughout my career, I have guided senior executives and their leadership teams to develop the inner capacity needed to steer their organizations, particularly during periods of crisis, change, and uncertainty. I guide organizations through both
operational and strategic challenges, while also nurturing a culture of mindful leadership. For my dissertation, I examined the effects of contemplative practices such as mindfulness, meditation, prayer, and yoga on senior leaders. The goal of my research was to understand how these practices contribute to building stress resilience, a critical attribute in today’s dynamic leadership landscape. To learn more about my work, please click here.
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Teams are living systems, interconnected, relational, and dynamic. When trust, clarity, and well-being are present, teams are able to collaborate with purpose and sustain high performance. Our approach helps leaders and teams realign, and strengthen the foundations that matter most: shared vision, open communication, psychological safety, and collective accountability.
Through a blend of evidence-based practices and reflective dialogue, participants learn to foster connection, navigate complexity, and support one another in ways that enhance both individual and collective effectiveness.
Consulting Engagement
Individual & Group Coaching
This work begins with listening. Instead of forcing outcomes, we invite leaders and teams into a reflective process to notice what is emerging — what is asking to be expressed through the team and organization so that it fulfills its highest mission.
We are living in a time of profound disruption and uncertainty. Political, social, and economic shifts are reshaping the landscape in which organizations operate. Many organizations are re-evaluating who they are, what they stand for, and how they want to show up in the world. Visioning and foresight offer a way to make sense of these dynamics and respond with clarity and creativity.
Through guided visioning, futures thinking, and foresight practices such as backcasting and scenario exploration, participants learn to recognize patterns, anticipate change, and discern what is most vital to bring forward. Based on the work of Otto Scharmer and Peter Senge at MIT, this process is emergent, adaptive, and creative — more about discovery than prescription.
We love this work because it is an exciting journey we take with clients. By approaching vision and strategy in this way, organizations cultivate the ability to sense into the future, align around what truly matters, and respond with clarity and agility to the complexity of their environment.
One or Two Day Visioning Retreat
Consulting Engagement
Leadership & Group Coaching
High performance is not about squeezing more into the day, it is about managing energy with intention. Drawing on the work of Dr. Jim Loehr, who introduced the concept of the Corporate Athlete, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, whose research on flow shows how people achieve peak states of focus and creativity, this offering helps leaders and teams operate at their very best.
Energy is multidimensional; physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. When individuals and teams learn to renew and channel energy across these dimensions, they reduce burnout, improve resilience, and access flow states where performance feels effortless. This offering integrates mindfulness, nutrition, and energy management practices to help teams sustain focus, well-being, and results in today’s demanding environments.
One or Two Day Team Retreat
Consulting Engagement
Individual or Group Coaching
Change is inevitable, but how we meet it makes all the difference. Too often, organizational transitions create stress, resistance, and disengagement. Mindfulness offers another path. By cultivating self-awareness and presence, leaders and teams are able to slow down, notice reactions, and approach disruption with openness and curiosity rather than fear.
Mindfulness builds the resilience needed to navigate uncertainty. When teams learn to pause, reflect, and engage more consciously, they begin to see change not as a threat, but as an opportunity for growth and renewal.
One or Two Day Team Retreat
Consulting Engagement
Individual and Group Coaching
Organizations thrive when people feel safe, valued, and respected for who they are. Cultural humility goes beyond compliance or surface-level diversity efforts — it is an ongoing practice of reflection, openness, and accountability that fosters authentic belonging.
Our approach helps organizations cultivate cultures of psychological safety, cultural humility, and trust. We partner with leaders and teams to uncover hidden dynamics, shift behaviors, and embed practices that allow every voice to contribute fully. The result is stronger collaboration, higher engagement, and systems that reflect equity in action.
Consulting Engagement
We provide strategies for creative implementation of cultural humility, including reviewing and updating organizational policies, HR materials, onboarding practices, and equity-centered frameworks. We also design customized tools such as updated glossaries, resource guides, and communication templates that reflect inclusive language and belonging.
Coaching
Individual and group coaching for leaders and teams.
Workshops & Trainings
Engaging sessions to introduce core concepts of cultural humility, psychological safety, and belonging, while equipping participants with practical skills to apply immediately in their work.
Organizations, like living systems, thrive when their structures, people, and processes work in harmony. Capacity building is not about quick fixes — it is about strengthening the roots of the organization so it can adapt, grow, and remain sustainable. Our approach helps leaders and teams examine organizational systems, align strategy with culture, and identify opportunities to expand both effectiveness and resilience.
Consulting Engagement
Comprehensive support to design and implement strategies for capacity building, including leadership development, systems alignment, and process improvement.
Coaching
Leadership coaching to reinforce capacity-building strategies and sustain organizational resilience over time.
We created a basic brochure website for the Feaster Family Foundation, established to honor the legacy of the late Joseph Feaster IV. The website serves as a digital presence for the foundation, providing information about its mission to eradicate stigma around mental health, promote education and advocacy, and support mental health services across Massachusetts. It also includes functionality for visitors to make donations that directly support the foundation’s initiatives.
Impact
The site provides a clear and accessible way for supporters to learn about the foundation’s mission and vision, access resources, and contribute financially. By simplifying the donation process and presenting the foundation’s goals in a welcoming and straightforward format, the site helps advance the foundation’s work to make mental health care more accessible and acceptable across communities.
Platform
Built on WordPress using the Elementor Builder, with donation integration.
This was Thulani’s first website, created in 2000 as an online home for her business in corporate wellness and stress management. The site provided resources for stress reduction, including free downloads. It served as a basic site to market services and share practical wellness tools with clients.
Back in those days, we took great pride in the design process. Design was not an afterthought, it was central. Many of the websites from the late 1990s and early 2000s were crafted by true designers and artists who paid careful attention to detail, balance, and readability.
People took their time with design, and people read. By contrast, much of today’s WordPress world has traded rich content and thoughtful reading experiences for oversized images and quick scrolling.
Impact
Made stress management tools and resources more accessible to organizations and individuals during the early digital era, while modeling a standard of design excellence that shaped Thulani’s future approach to digital projects.
Platform
Microsoft FrontPage, static HTML
We created the website for the Sankofa Institute for Collective Well-Being as a welcoming digital home for the organization’s mission and programs. The site functions as a brochure platform, providing information on trainings, healing circles, and course offerings. It also includes the ability to receive donations to sustain ongoing initiatives.
Impact
The site amplifies Sankofa’s reach by making its programs more accessible to the public, offering a clear way to learn about and register for healing circles and trainings. By featuring courses and a donation portal, the site supports both community engagement and long-term sustainability for Sankofa’s mission.
Platform
Built on WordPress with the Elementor Builder, with an emphasis on accessibility, ease of updates, and community-centered design.
Northeastern University School of Education contracted us to design and build a website that would streamline the management of faculty, staff, and course listings. We created an intuitive content management system (CMS) that empowered staff to update and maintain academic information through an easy-to-use web interface.
Impact
This system reduced administrative burden and improved accuracy by giving staff direct control over updating critical information, ensuring faculty and course listings remained current and accessible to students and stakeholders.
Platform:
The Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON) empowers and organizes parents marginalized by race, class, language, disability, and immigration status to hold Boston Public Schools accountable for delivering excellent education for all children. BPON contracted us to create their website, which enabled them to share announcements, publish events, and strengthen communication among members.
Impact
The system empowered BPON to self-manage their website, publish content directly, and host private discussion groups, giving parents and organizers a stronger voice in Boston’s education system.
Platform:
We were privileged to create the first website for the Boston Organization of Nutritionists and Dietitians of Color (BOND). The web application empowered BOND staff to self-publish articles and events, expanding their ability to share timely information about health, nutrition, and community well-being. Features included:
Impact
Expanded the visibility of Black nutritionists and dietitians, providing a dynamic online platform for events, discussions, and resources that empowered community health and professional growth.
Platform:
As one of the founding members of the REC, Thulani was contracted to serve as the lead consultant for this statewide initiative funded by the MA Department of Public Health. In this role, she guided the organization’s development from the ground up, providing organizational development, capacity building, and DEIB leadership to ensure equity was elevated across the system.
The website was an extension of this broader initiative. Thulani led the branding, conceptualization, and design process through a highly collaborative approach, ensuring stakeholders at every level had a voice. The site was designed to be inclusive, user-friendly, and culturally responsive, providing clear pathways for recovery coaches, peer workers, providers, and facilitators to access information, resources, and training opportunities.
Impact
The REC website established a trusted digital hub for the recovery workforce across Massachusetts. It centralizes resources, features a training schedule and calendar, and provides easy-to-use navigation that helps diverse stakeholders find what they need. By integrating accessibility features and planning for future phases, the site positions REC as a sustainable, forward-looking leader in recovery education.
In addition, we later built a customized Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS was designed to promote upcoming trainings and allow staff to author and manage content with ease. Significant customization was incorporated to ensure the system aligned with the organization’s desired outcomes.
Platform
Built on WordPress with Elementor, including customizations for training schedules, resource libraries, and content authoring to ensure staff can maintain and expand the site with ease.
Platform:
Static HTML using Front Page
In collaboration with what was then Fleet Bank, we built one of the first online community portals created for Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. It predated Facebook and other social platforms and was among the earliest online communities designed for the Black community.
The portal featured news, events, online directories, and discussion boards, all dynamically driven and managed by residents.
Impact
Roxbury.com gave the Roxbury community its first digital hub to share information, connect with one another, and strengthen civic engagement. Residents were able to publish content directly, receive electronic notifications, and participate in community discussions online for the first time.
Platform:
We were contracted to design and develop a website for Torchlight Recovery, a Boston-based nonprofit providing culturally responsive recovery support services to the Black community. The website was built to reflect the heart of the organization, uplifting, welcoming, and rooted in community healing and equity.
Prior to this project, Thulani supported Torchlight Recovery through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, offering organizational capacity building consulting for 3 years. Building on that foundation, we later created a digital presence that showcases their unique programs: the Recovery Café (the first of its kind in Boston’s Black community), Reentry Services for returning citizens, and the Nubian Square Initiative.
Impact
The new website positions Torchlight Recovery as a trusted, credible, and community-rooted organization. It provides an accessible hub where community members can learn about services, connect with events, and explore culturally reflective programming. The site also resonates with funders, collaborators, and supporters by highlighting the impact of Torchlight’s work.
Platform
Built on WordPress with Elementor, featuring customizations for event updates, program showcases, and a user-friendly content management system.
We were contracted to create an inspiring and engaging website that serves as a space for parents in recovery and the providers who support them. The site was designed with streamlined navigation so visitors can quickly find direct services, access family resources, and register for trainings and webinars. We also developed functionality that allows people to connect with statewide programs and supports.
Impact
The site centralizes resources, improves access to training opportunities, and makes it easier for staff to manage and publish new content. Families and providers now have a clear, organized, and welcoming space where they can find the information they need.
Platform
Built on WordPress with Elementor, custom CMS authoring tools, selective custom coding, and enhanced security features.
Platform:
Static HTML using Front Page
Provides information about Congressman and civil rights pioneer, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and the activities of his descendants.
Platform:
Static HTML using Front Page
This was Thulani’s first website, which focused on corporate wellness and stress management. The site provided resources for stress reduction, employee wellbeing, and practical strategies for healthier workplaces. It also served as a platform to promote Thulani’s stress management CD.
Impact
Thulani.com helped establish an early digital presence for wellness in the workplace, offering organizations accessible tools and resources to support employee health and resilience.
Platform:
Static HTML using Front Page
Our AI-Enabled Capacity Building service blends organizational wisdom with the power of AI to help leaders and teams strengthen capacity, streamline operations, and lead with confidence in a rapidly changing landscape.
We partner with organizations to ensure AI is used in a smart, ethical, and intentional way, supporting decision-making, reducing burnout, and freeing up capacity for what matters most: serving your mission.
Ethical AI integration that aligns with your values, safeguards trust, and advances equity.
Practical applications that support strategy, workflows, and communication.
A systems approach ensuring AI enhances human judgment rather than replacing it.
Digital wellness practices that foster cultures of balance, reducing tech fatigue and ensuring well-being alongside innovation.
Our goal is to help organizations lead better, grow stronger, and build sustainability by harnessing AI thoughtfully and ethically, expanding possibility while keeping people at the center.
For over 25 years, Thulani has worked at the intersection of technology and organizational development, guiding projects from concept to completion with precision and care. From brochure-style websites to complex applications, including Learning Management Systems (LMS), we design digital tools that empower organizations to thrive.
Our work speaks for itself, but what truly sets us apart is the hands-on partnership we offer. We are expertly skilled in project management and design conceptualization and will walk with you every step of the way, from the idea stage to the finished product.
This is more than web development—it is about bringing your vision and mission alive in the virtual space.
Each project is an extension of who you are, created with intention, care, and a systems perspective that ensures your platform strengthens capacity and impact.
Our visioning and strategic alignment service helps leaders and teams step back, reflect, and create intentional pathways forward.
We guide nonprofit and community-based organizations through a process that clarifies purpose, surfaces cultural strengths, and identifies where technology can enhance, not hinder, their work.
By combining organization development practices with a systems approach, we help leaders see the interconnections across people, processes, and technology. This holistic perspective ensures strategies are both practical and sustainable.
A collaborative process that brings leadership and staff voices together.
Tools and frameworks for connecting mission, culture, and digital innovation.
Actionable strategies that balance today’s needs with long-term vision.
We collaborated with Congressman Powell’s grandson to build a website that honored his legacy and civil rights leadership. The platform served as a digital archive of his biography, speeches, and family history, while also supporting the promotion of Keep the Faith, Baby — the 2002 biographical film starring Harry Lennix about Powell’s life and career.
Impact: Helped preserve the legacy of one of America’s most influential Black leaders, bridging history, storytelling, and technology at a time when the web was just becoming a space for cultural memory.
Platform:
Static HTML using Front Page
This offering is where organizational wellness meets measurable, lasting results. We care deeply about the work we do—and about the people and organizations we serve. That’s why we intentionally track progress and evaluate the effectiveness of every engagement. Using a range of assessment tools and feedback methods, we measure growth over time—not just in performance metrics, but in the overall health, well-being, and cohesion of teams.
The most meaningful indicator of success? When individuals and organizations feel stronger, more connected, and more aligned with their mission. Our goal is always sustainable transformation—not surface-level change.
This offering supports leaders and teams in cultivating a more intentional, balanced relationship with technology. Using a mindfulness-based approach, we help individuals engage with digital tools in ways that reduce stress, prevent burnout, and foster presence. With a doctoral concentration in media technology and innovation, Dr. Thulani DeMarsay brings a deep understanding of how technology shapes modern work and well-being. She has led technology initiatives across mid-sized and large organizations to help them better serve their mission—while also witnessing firsthand how constant digital engagement can lead to overload and disconnection.
Through this work, we guide teams in rethinking their digital habits, using tech more mindfully, and creating a culture of clarity, focus, and purpose.
We see energy and flow as essential for sustainable, effective leadership—and for how individuals show up in every aspect of life. This offering is grounded in the science of flow by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and the research of Dr. Jim Loehr, co-author of The Power of Full Engagement. It’s inspired by the idea of the “corporate athlete,” acknowledging that today’s leaders often work long hours with increasing demands, yet struggle to maintain energy and focus over time.
Combining insights from elite athletics and human performance science, we offer practical tools to assess personal energy, recover effectively from extended effort, and create the conditions for deep flow. Leaders gain strategies to stay clear, grounded, and resilient—no matter what the pace of life requires.
Led by certified integrative health coaches, this offering provides personalized, holistic support to nourish the body, restore vitality, and sustain high energy levels. Rooted in the principle of bio-individuality, we partner with individuals and teams to co-create nutrition and lifestyle plans tailored to their unique needs and leadership goals. It’s not just about what’s on your plate—it’s about cultivating the energy, mental clarity, and resilience needed to lead with presence, focus, and strength.
This offering provides individualized support designed to meet each person or team exactly where they are. We begin with a guided visioning process to clarify your desired outcomes and long-term goals. From there, we work collaboratively to co-create a personalized wellness plan that supports your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Whether in one-on-one sessions or group settings, our coaching is rooted in a holistic, client-centered approach that honors each person’s unique path.
The result is sustainable growth and meaningful change aligned with what matters most to you.
our approach to Stress Resilience and Emotional Mastery empowers individuals to stay grounded and clear-headed even in the most demanding situations. Participants learn to regulate their nervous systems, manage emotional triggers, and cultivate presence under pressure. Through mindfulness-based practices and science-backed techniques, we guide people to transform stress into strength—fostering calm, confident decision-making, emotional intelligence, and a deeper sense of inner stability.
This offering is ideal for teams and leaders who thrive in fast-paced environments but seek tools to prevent burnout and sustain well-being.
Kamogelo, based in Pretoria, South Africa, is a vibrant and solutions-driven professional who brings enthusiasm, adaptability, and a human-centred approach to his role at Thulani Consulting Group. As the Executive Assistant, he plays a key role in keeping operations running smoothly, supporting both the administrative and strategic needs of the team. His calm presence, attention to detail, and ability to manage complex logistics make him an essential part of the organisation.
He is also a skilled technical producer for online events, using a variety of platforms and digital tools to deliver well-coordinated and engaging virtual workshops. Beyond the screen, Kamogelo is an insightful facilitator, passionate about creating spaces for reflection and growth, and supporting teams through behaviour-focused interventions that improve how people connect and work together.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography and Anthropology, along with an Honours degree in Environmental Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand. His academic journey deepened his interest in how people navigate and shape the environments they’re part of—insights he continues to apply in his work every day.
With over two decades of experience, Octavia is a dynamic force in the realm of transformational learning, guiding individuals and organizations toward deep self-awareness, healing, and authentic growth. As a seasoned facilitator, she has masterfully led personal development and self-discovery workshops across South Africa and the United States, empowering individuals to reconnect with their essence and embrace their full potential.
With a strong foundation in business development and strategic facilitation, Octavia bridges the worlds of corporate leadership and deep inner work. Her expertise lies in crafting innovative programs, developing strategic objectives, and aligning organizational structures with human-centered growth.
As a senior facilitator at the Sankofa Institute for Collective Wellbeing, Octavia curates and leads healing circle gatherings, fostering spaces where personal evolution and collective healing intersect. She is also a visionary leader in corporate wellness, having served as Head of Wellness & Spirituality within multi-billion-dollar organizations. In this role, she has spearheaded initiatives that cultivate a culture of holistic well-being, integrating psychological, emotional, and spiritual wellness into the corporate fabric.
Having studied under international pioneers in energy work and human consciousness, Octavia brings a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. As a counsellor, strategic facilitator, and life coach, she helps individuals and organizations uncover the emotional, psychological, and physical roots of dis-ease – guiding them toward transformation, balance, and true empowerment.
Octavia’s mission is clear: to create meaningful change by helping people and organizations unlock their full potential, fostering healing, and cultivating a life and workplace rooted in authenticity, wellness, and purpose.
I’m Thulani DeMarsay, and for nearly three decades, I’ve worked at the intersection of leadership development, contemplative science, wellness, and technology and innovation. Over the past 25 years, I have consulted with leaders from diverse sectors across the United States and, more recently, in West and Southern Africa. My mission is clear: to help leaders and teams maximize effectiveness while honoring well-being. I firmly believe that our ability to be effective is directly tied to our emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical health.
I earned my PhD in Human Development, with a concentration in Technology, Media, and Innovation. My dissertation research focused on contemplative leadership, exploring how reflective practices such as mindfulness, meditation, silence, yoga, and other practices build resilience in leaders and help them thrive during times of disruption. My research revealed how these practices enhance decision-making, emotional intelligence, and organizational well-being, equipping leaders with the tools they need to navigate complexity and foster both individual and organizational resilience. My concentration further explored how organizations can leverage technology to advance their mission effectively.
An Evening with Thulani: Wednesday, February 28th
Time: 10:00 AM (EST), 1:00 PM (PST), 8:00 PM (SAST) Duration: 1 Hour
Location: NY, 222-3344
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