Picture this: Little Rashida. 7 years old.
One day, she was watching a Civil Rights Movement documentary with her father.
She knew what the Movement was about. But she noticed something strange. On the screen, she saw white people being beaten up: those who were sitting with the Black people at the diner counter.
She asked, “Dad, why are they hurting the white people, too?”
He replied, “Because they're using their whiteness to help Black people.”
He continued: “Rashida, it is your job to help people who don't have the rights that you do. This country was set up for everyone to have the same rights, but it never fulfilled that promise. You already don't have all of your rights because you're Black and you're a girl. And some others are not going to have some of the rights that you do. And it will be your job to fight for them."
Something in the 7-year-old girl’s spirit moved. And that was the day that Rashida became an ally.
“How to be an Ally 101” is not enough anymore.
There are plenty of basic resources on the internet about how to be an ally.
You’ve heard it before: Educate yourself. Acknowledge your privilege. Use your voice. Don’t be performative. Et cetera.
This class is NOT that.
The time where you could rely on that and “get by” is in the past. We have got to do better, because these are not ordinary times. Our planet is burning, wars are raging, authoritarianism is on the rise, and division and polarization seem to be at an all-time high.
So we’re going deeper.
Here’s what we wish more people knew about how to be an ally:
(1) The first step is NOT actually “speaking up” or “taking action.”
Inner work comes first. Always.
Before you speak or act, please tend to your own fears and anxieties. Heal yourself before you try to help others. Most of the harm done by people with good intentions actually happens when they bring their unhealed “stuff” to the very people they’re trying to help.
(2) It’s NOT about getting it right.
We are so often asked, “How do I avoid making mistakes?” or “How do I prevent hurting or offending people?”
These questions are asked with good intentions. But they are not helpful. Because you will get it wrong — again and again. But here’s the thing: getting it wrong is how you learn. Being more interested in learning than being a “good person” is called cultural humility. And practicing cultural humility is how we do the work.
And prioritizing doing the work over protecting your reputation or ego is how we practice true allyship.
(3) Being a good ally isn’t the goal.
It is only the beginning. The goal is to come home to who you really are, and to be more of yourself.
Because we are all born free and born to recognize each other as free beings, but then we are all programmed out of this awareness as we age. The more you can see where other people aren’t free, awaken your own instincts of empathy to fight for others’ freedom, the more you YOU get free. Because all of our liberation is interconnected.
That’s the ultimate goal. Liberation. Yours and mine. Together.
More than theory. More than performativity. Welcome to the real work of allyship.
You are invited to an advanced course on allyship in life and business. It is for everyone who feels the urgent call to lift up more people on the margins through their daily lives and businesses.
Don’t let the word “advanced” scare you off. This class is definitely beginner-friendly. We need as many good people in the fight as possible. But be prepared: we’re going to ask you to dig deep, feel bravely, and think hard.
In this two-part class, you will learn:
How to do the inner work of healing critical thoughts about yourself so that you don’t bring that to the people you’re trying to be an ally for
The key ingredient for actually being a safe space for your people instead of appearing to be as a safe person
How to take up space in a way that leads people you’re advocating for to actually trust you
How to stop worrying about getting it “right,” practice cultural humility, and grow as an ally
How to stop feeling guilty about your privileges – for good – and use them as a constructive tool to lift up others
Strategies for divesting from perfectionism and overwork to make your ally journey sustainable
We will also discuss, because it’s gonna come up in real life:
When to stay quiet vs. when to use your voice
When to keep fighting vs. when to give it a rest
How to honor the limits of “your job as an ally” (important, and critically under-discussed for making your ally journey sustainable)
How to think in advance about what you are willing to risk in allyship
… and so much more.
The class is divided into two sessions: a 2-hour session for class, followed by an hour-long discussion and Q&A session one week later. It is important to us that you have the time to digest and reflect on the lessons learned, and have the opportunity to come back with thoughtful questions. We will have time for all of that.
“When does curiosity become complacency, a weapon, ignorance? When there’s no action behind it.”
Class Details
Practical Allyship for Life and Business is co-taught by Rashida Bonds and Simone Seol, and requires active work and participation from you.
You will get instant access to the recordings from the class and Q&A sessions held on December 5 & 12, 2024.
You will have lifetime access to the recordings after you purchase.
Price: $45
Praise for Practical Allyship
Who we are
RASHIDA BONDS
A lifelong ally, Rashida has led campaigns to prevent the spread of HIV in LGBTQ+ youth as the top educator for Indiana's largest organization serving those with HIV for over 20 years, reaching churches, prisons, and inner city neighborhoods. She became known as the “straight lady who can talk to straight people,” working with parents and families to reduce queer youth suicide. Rashida now coaches and trains entrepreneurs, organizations, and corporations who want to strengthen their allyship for the people they serve.
SIMONE SEOL
Based in Seoul, South Korea, Simone is a coach and mentor who is known around the world for her unconventional teachings on marketing, creativity and spirituality. She is the author of “Don’t Do Your Best: A Guide to the Project of Being Alive” and “The Fearless Marketing Bible for Life Coaches.” Also an outspoken writer on social justice, she has pioneered innovative fundraising models and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for humanitarian and environmental causes.
Guilt, fear and confusion are not useful for you, nor lifting up those who need your advocacy.
What is useful: knowing how to have your own back.
What is useful: empathy, clarity, and pragmatic tools you can put to use right away in your day-to-day conversations, activism, and business strategy.
You will leave with exactly these skills and tools, whether you’re a newbie entrepreneur, seasoned activist, or anything in between.
It will be everything you need to begin fighting.
Thank you for being the ally that Rashida’s dad asked us to be.
See you in class.
“You’ll never know everything, but you can amplify voices. And you can only do that after you listen.”
“Business is a tool of allyship. When your business says ‘I’m here to lift you up,’ and people can tell you mean it because you’re actually backing up your words with action, that’s not only good for the world... that’s actually the best thing you can do for the health of your business as well.”