EMERGE
A Cohort for Leaders Re-orienting Their Work, Priorities, and Impact
You’ve been handed more, more people, more decisions, more visibility, more responsibilities, more scrutiny. And, if you’re honest, you may be navigating this season without a clear roadmap or updated techniques.
You’re doing the job, but it feels heavier than it should.
You’re managing up, down, and across, often without feedback or real mentorship.
You’re carrying a role that requires making judgment calls you were never formally trained to make.
You’re expected to lead with decisiveness, even while the rules seem to be changing in real time.
On the outside, the cracks are starting to show. On the inside, you are second-guessing your leadership presence, replaying tough interactions, or wondering how to work with more ease instead of constant vigilance.
This is not a personal failure.
It’s a skills gap for navigating leadership levels — and it’s more common than you’d think.
Many advancing professionals reach this stage and quietly wonder why work suddenly feels harder, heavier, and more vulnerable than before.
EMERGE was created for this exact moment.
EMERGE is curated 6-week cohort experience designed for leaders to reflect on their work and priorities, navigate transitions with clarity, and connect with peers who understand the real demands of leadership. Each week, we gather live to reflect, listen, and engage in thoughtful discussion about what leadership is actually like — in your work, your priorities, and your real-world challenges.
This is not about working harder or becoming someone you’re not.
It’s about aligning your work in ways that help you lead people, projects, and priorities with clarity, supportive scaffolding, and discernment.
Whether you’re navigating new responsibilities or aiming for your next career milestone, EMERGE offers strategic insights, real-life tools, and peer community to build confidence and capacity so your role feels more manageable and your leadership more grounded.
A more sustainable way forward starts here.
Emerge as the leader you’re meant to be.
What You’ll Gain
With EMERGE, you will:
Clarify what leadership actually requires of you right now, in your context, fluff distilled.
Identify leadership patterns and blindspots with the help of peers and guided reflection.
Surface insight into how you lead and what’s most present for you and needed from you this quarter.
Explore priorities, challenges, and creative possibilities meaningfully with others.
Build connection and ongoing leadership support with an intimate cohort of peers.
Program Overview
6 sessions held weekly; Thursdays, February 19 - March 26, 2026.
Session format: Facilitated leadership conversations with your host Dr. Fatimah Williams where we reflect together on challenges, priorities, and patterns in your leadership life.
Sessions are supported by the Weekly Reflection + Implementation Workbook. This feature is optional so no prep is required, unless you want it.
Cohort capped at 15 attendees to maintain an intimate setting for coaching and learning.
Weekly Session Topics
An intentionally designed curriculum combining instruction, shared weekly reading of research-based leadership texts, and peer discussion grounded in real workplace experience.
Session #1: Where You Are Now: Leadership Realities + Self Reflection
Session #2: Leadership Identity in Practice: Blindspots + Opportunities
Session #3: Priority Clarity and Resource Alignment
Session #4: Team Dynamics and What Actually Works
Session #5: Support, Structures, and What You’re Letting Go Of
Session #6: What Emerged: Shared Insights + Next Steps
PRAISE FROM PAST PARTICIPANTS
Past cohort members have held titles of Executive Director, Assistant Provost, Entrepreneur, Center Director and University Faculty.
“I gained a business acumen that we don't get in academia. We're really good at philosophical debates but not really trained in the business strategy and tactics driving institutional decisions.”
“I really wish I had this training earlier in my career. It’s amazing that I’ve made it to this level in my career without some of these leadership insights and methodologies. This program has given me tools to shape my organization’s direction and support my staff with less stress and interpersonal strain.”
“There’s this transformational aspect to Fatimah’s work that is tough to explain. Her teaching blends sharp business strategy and leadership fundamentals with an intuitive edge.”
FAQs & Answers
Who is EMERGE for?
Professionals responsible for people, projects, budgets, strategy, or organizational culture. If you’re navigating change, complexity or expanded responsibility, EMERGE is the program for you.
What is the time commitment?
Six weeks. One live 60-minute session per week, plus optional reflection and application exercises.
What if I miss a session?
Recordings will be available so you never fall behind.
Do I need to be in a certain type of role to benefit?
No. What matters is that you lead people, projects, or strategic priorities, and want to do so with more alignment, confidence and ease.
During EMERGE, can I openly discuss the workplace challenges and personal factors that impact my success at work?
EMERGE is a reflective discussion space for leaders to bring real challenges, questions, and lived experience that shape your capacity to lead. This cohort is intentionally crafted so you can listen, reflect, and engage with others’ wisdom and experience, not just receive instruction.
Meet Your Executive Coach
Fatimah Williams, Ph.D. is an executive coach and organizational development consultant with over 15 years of experience serving government, higher education and business sectors. Her professional development guidance has been featured in Essence Magazine, LMCTV-New York, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Black Doctor, and Scientific American. She is the author of three books, Options for Success (Oxford University Press), The Professional Pathways Planner and Be Bold: Launch Your Job Search or Career Change with Confidence.
Dr. Williams is the founder of Professional Pathways, and holds a doctorate in Cultural Anthropology from Rutgers University and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Virginia. She is the recipient of the University of Virginia Cultural Fluency Class Award, and has lived and worked in South America, Central America, and southern Africa. She has served as board member of the University of Virginia Alumni Association and an advisory council member of the Zimmerli Art Museum.