Writing is always a labor of love — and this one was no exception. Here goes…
I am proud to share that my essay “American-Style Coaching: Interrogating Identities and Power Dynamics” has just been published in the Cahiers Maria Szymanowska, a French biannual journal dedicated to gender studies at the intersection of the arts and social issues.
It is a personal and professional reflection — as a French woman, white, secular Jewish, steeped in universalist values — on 25+ years of coaching and leadership development in the United States — a journey of being challenged, educated, and transformed by the realities of race, gender, and power that shape human relationships in organizations.
Through pivotal encounters with mentors, clients, colleagues, and collaborators, I trace the evolution of my practice in coaching and facilitation: learning to hold together the universal work on ego awareness – our drive for control, recognition, and domination — and a deeper consciousness of privilege, stereotypes, and lived experiences of marginalization.
My sister, Myriam Ramière-Lévy, is a regular contributor to the journal. She is passionate about gender equality, feminism, sorority, and reimagining universalism to be more inclusive. Her most recent article addresses the urgency of deconstructing patriarchal masculinities in the #MeToo era.
While we related quite differently to our identity background growing up, and have embraced very different careers — she as a professor in the French national education system, I as an executive coach and leadership development practitioner in the USA — we have rejoined as adults around a shared passion for exploring identity questions and understanding the invisible dynamics that shape relationships.
Last summer, in the face of my shock following the radical political, societal, and cultural changes in the USA — including the dismantling of DEI programs — she invited me to reflect on my experience in the United States.
My sister and our editor, Patrick Chapelle, helped birth this baby. I am deeply grateful.
At a time when power is being wielded without nuance or regard for human complexity, this essay is also a call to action: to keep building spaces — whatever we call them — where collaboration and trust can flourish because every person feels seen, valued, and empowered to act. The work of conscientization, learning, and discerning must continue.
The article is published in French — no English version is currently available. A digital version is available on this site: http://www.numilog.com/ResultatRecherche/Societe-Maria-Szymanowska/20019.Editeur. Happy to translate on the fly if you need it!
