As I wrap up 2025, I’m taking a moment to reflect on another deeply meaningful year with A Team Coaching, shaped by intentional work, community connection, and the continued building of a family legacy rooted in purpose.
Systems change is rarely loud or immediate. More often, it shows up through consistent actions taken day after day. Slowing down to recognize progress and milestones reminds me why this work matters and strengthens my commitment to justice-centred, people-focused leadership.
As Maya Angelou reminds us, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
That principle continues to guide both my personal and professional journey, igniting growth, reflection, and leading with courage, honesty, and care.
At the centre of it all is family.
Family remains my grounding force, fueling both my ambition and my resilience. Their unwavering love, patience, and belief create the foundation that allows this work to exist and evolve. Because of that, our family moments are inseparable from our professional highlights. Together, they tell the story of the legacy we are building.
2025 Highlights
Taking Home New Business of the Year!
In January, we were humbled to receive the Halifax Chamber of Commerce’s New Business of the Year Award. We are grateful to our peers, partners, friends, and business community who help make our work possible and who ensured we were recognized in this unique and special way.
Adré Launched Mind & Muscle
This summer, Adré launched his suite of personal training and youth development services. Something I have been excited to witness for a long time and finally see take shape 🙏🏾 Not only does he specialize in speed, agility, mobility, and building the plan that is unique to each individual, but he promotes what it means to develop mental toughness and resilience, from the inside-out. Adré is also offering a signature talk for youth, ‘Mind over Labels’, and recently kicked off a free initiative, ‘Black Men in Motion: Beyond the Game’, supported by the Association of Black Social Workers. Stay tuned to see what he brings into 2026!
We Launched CultureShift: Job-Readiness Training
…and piloted this in partnership with the Black Business Initiative’s Barrier Breakers program, both with their spring and fall cohorts!
Barrier Breakers is a job-readiness initiative to support youth aged15–30 who face multiple barriers to employment. We are firm believers that young people do not need to be fixed or changed. Instead, they need spaces that recognize their brilliance, affirm their identities, and equip them with tools to navigate systems that were not always built with them in mind. Our approach to this work is rooted in cultural humility and trauma-informed practices. One participant, Keslyn States, shared:
“What stood out most to me was not just the practical skills they [A Team] taught, but the confidence and self-awareness they helped me build. As a young Black woman just beginning my professional journey, A Team Coaching helped shift the way I see myself and how I show up in professional spaces.”
Angelina Started Law School
This fall, Angelina followed in my footsteps and started her journey with law at Dalhousie University. It has also been an incredible year to watch Angelina grow Black Girls Pillow Talk into a space of affirmation, leadership, and confidence for young Black girls. Her success with BGPT reflects her vision, discipline, and deep commitment to community. As she balances the demands of her first year of law school (while also being recently recognized with the Community Service Alumni Award at MSVU), Angelina continues to lead with integrity, love, and purpose. She completely embodies Audre Lorde’s reminder that “when I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” What makes this season meaningful is watching her build something that uplifts others while remaining grounded in her values. 2026 will be an exciting next chapter for BGPT. Be on the lookout for Angelina’s upcoming events.
We also want to shout out the Association of Black Social Workers, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, and the Crime Prevention Grant for supporting both Angelina’s and Adré’s community endeavours this year <3
Strategizing What Unshakeable Commitment To Community Looks Like For Us
We registered our non-profit, A Team Unites, which is a natural extension of our family business, A Team Coaching. Our community involvement is at the core of who we are as a family, and has often been based on urgent needs and systemic injustices. Spending the time to reflect and organize how we show up means we can continue to do so with more resources, knowledge, and power. As our business grows, so too does our ability to invest in what matters most. For us, this means adapting based on changing community needs and seeking ways to not be dependent on the shifting priorities of institutional systems. We stay true to ‘by us, for us’. Getting registered was a foundational starting place, and we hope you stay engaged as we grow. Check out our new page. 👀
Joining Feed Nova Scotia
2025 was a year of growth, alignment, and bold leadership. Alongside expanding A Team Coaching’s impact, I stepped into a new chapter as Director of Human Resources, Equity, and Engagement at Feed Nova Scotia (FNS). FNS is in an exciting period of growth as they expand their vision to address food insecurity at the root causes. The work and growth reflect my values and A Team’s mission by strengthening leadership, centring equity, and building people-first cultures. Different spaces, same purpose: leading with integrity, grounded in community, and committed to lasting change.
We Expanded our Workshop Offerings
This year, we dove deep into our tailored learning journeys with clients across healthcare, youth services, and the theatre industry – just to name a few. I say journey because we are firm believers that a ‘one-off’ workshop can typically cause more harm than healing. We work with our clients to design a series that meets the needs of their team and culture. Sometimes this is a ‘101’ in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and sometimes it’s learning what anti-racism looks like in practice. Here are some examples of a few of the clients that embarked on deeper learning with us in 2025!
Black on the Ballot
It was exciting to be a part of the launch of the Black on the Ballot Podcast (sponsored by Operation Black Vote Canada), including their panel, which has been an incredible opportunity to speak candidly about my experiences as a Black politician. This series combines deep conversations and groundbreaking new research to give the inside scoop, whether you find politics interesting or not. Check it out here! I want to extend a shoutout and thanks to Erin Tolley and Nana Aba Duncan for bringing this initiative to life (and for recently receiving the Silver Signal Award for Best Limited Series: Activism, Public Service & Social Impact!)
What’s Next For Us in 2026?
Growing Our Team
We are finally in a place where we will be adding another experienced consultant with over two decades of experience to the team. Dean Simmonds!
Dean supports organizations to embed equity, trust, and community voice into policy and practice, and his complex communication and de-escalation experience brings a lens to conflict resolution that our clients have been asking for. We can’t wait to introduce him to you soon 🙂
Offering The Masterclasses You’ve Been Asking For
We are ready to start sharing our learnings in more accessible formats. If someone’s organization isn’t offering professional development opportunities, we don’t want them to miss out on what we have to offer. We are eager to host conversations and digestible ‘master-classes’ for anyone looking to up their skills in conflict resolution, DEIA-related policy, communication, DEIA & the law, and so much more. So stay tuned and subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already.
Expanding Culture Competence in The Legal Profession
In the new year, and in partnership with the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS), I will be offering insights and guidance through online video education that navigates cultural dynamics within legal contexts today. Lawyers will be introduced to the foundations of how race, identity, and lived experience shape both client–lawyer relationships and legal outcomes. I’m motivated to contribute to this project because the law does not operate outside of culture, and I believe that strengthening cultural competence is essential for reducing harm and improving outcomes for those who rely on the legal system.
Sharing our Learnings
Every opportunity to share knowledge and inspire others has deepened my commitment to growth and learning. It’s a continual reminder of the power of connection and the shared responsibility we have to empower others in their journeys. I am looking forward to sharing more knowledge this year through keynotes and panels (check out what we offer here!), to create conversations that inspire deep reflection and informed action.
Looking ahead, the work continues with intention and care. The year ahead is centred on justice, healing, growth, and empowerment. Continuing to uplift individuals, families, and communities through A Team Coaching and A Team Unites. As TD Jakes reminds us,
“Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights your way.”
Guided by that truth, we move forward committed to leadership that is relational, restorative, and grounded in integrity and love. Strengthening families, investing in people, and supporting community-led change that is built to last.
Anchored in faith and trust in God’s timing, guided by love, and committed to the hard work this calling requires, we move forward with determination, embracing the work we are called to do, one step at a time.
We can’t wait to do it with you,
Angela
