Monica Phillips is on a mission to create a world where everyone can go to work and be seen, heard, and valued with equity in pay and promotion. Monica is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. She is president of Spark Plug Labs, is a motivational speaker, leadership coach, and strategic consultant. Her diverse background includes working as a mediator, a cross-cultural consultant, a journalist, a sales leader, and a marketing director. Her podcast – Powerful Conversations – features interviews with thought-leaders from across industries. She coaches high potential individuals and teams on leadership, business development, rainmaker habits, team culture, innovation and status quo, and heart-based leadership. She partners with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. She is currently in certification for yoga teacher training and likes to use tools of meditation and embodiment in her leadership coaching. She is a runner, yogi, mom, explorer and loves to find beauty and joy in daily life. Follow her on Twitter at @bodegabay1 or connect on LinkedIn or Facebook. A Bay Area native‚ she has also lived in France‚ Minnesota‚ New York‚ and Washington‚ DC.
Why the Legal Academy on Equity and Inclusion?
I graduated from high school in 1991, won an award at the science fair for making holograms with a laser my brother had built, and had a scholarship to study physics at Cal Poly. I never knew that I wasn't supposed to be good at math and science or curious about a variety of subjects so I just did it. Honestly, in high school, and in life overall, showing up gets you most of the way there. As it turns out I wasn't so good at calculus and switched my major to journalism. I would say it was my life purpose even then to know enough about the sciences and then learn how to be curious and write about them.
While studying intercultural education in grad school I ended up being recruited by a law firm to lead BD and marketing because I knew all of the reporters in the state. I had never heard of the Legal Marketing Association and it turned out to be an amazing career for me. I always appreciated the social side of professional services. By social I mean connections, relationship, human potential.
Since starting my coaching business in 2013, a big part of what got me here was my constant dismay that D&I is just now emerging as a hot topic. Wasn't that a thing of the 1990s? Hadn't my social movement, hippy mama worked so hard for equality in the 1960s? Why 50 years later were we still trying to figure it out. As I coach leaders and teams, there are some people I won't take as clients if they ignore how important it is to expand their perspectives and learn how to build a culture that embraces equity.
I have now spent 21 years working in and with law firms. We are in a really good place right now in the sense that everyone knows D&I needs to be front and center. Some firms and organizations do better than others. Still, we struggle with taking action to make it work. I know that we still have so much to do in D&I and yet, I want to move the conversation to focus on equity because without equity we will fail with retention and will never have inclusive workplaces.
The Legal Academy on Equity and Inclusion is my intention to create a safe place to bring together perspectives from across the legal ecosystem and talk about what's working, what's not working, what we need more of, and then challenge everyone to take action and hold each other accountable to move the needle on equity and create space for everyone to thrive and to belong. I want to recognize that we maybe haven't done it right so far but we don't need to wait another 40 years or another 10 years. We all get to choose to begin again now. Let's be the change we want to see in the world. Let's be the example for others.
How perfect is it that in all of my work in cross-cultural conflict, I ended up developing my career in the legal profession. Aren't lawyers supposed to uphold our constitutional rights, create a world that embraces and honors rights, freedoms, and access for all people. Who better to be the leader in this space? Law firms have fallen behind and I know that can absolutely change tomorrow. It starts with each of us being brave enough to take action and be the leaders in our organizations.
What’s Monica Up To These Days?
