Dear Reader,
I'm happy to be writing to you again after a long break. I've emerged from a period of reflection and behind-the-scenes building with a clarified vision for this newsletter and my business.
I've decided to narrow the focus of my coaching business to leadership coaching for women of color, and as part of this pivot, I'm introducing The Debrief, a monthly newsletter where I'll share articles and reflections on the same topics I've been writing about, like boundaries, burnout, and perfectionism, with the additional dimension of the unique experiences of women of color in leadership.
I want to share the back story with you because it encapsulates the heart of my coaching work - helping women of color lead without abandoning themselves.
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In 2025, when I first started building my online platform with the long-term goal of a book deal, I went hard. I launched a Substack, this newsletter, and multiple social media accounts, burning myself out within months and feeling confused, discouraged, and disconnected from my purpose.
But what made me pause everything was being bored by my own writing.
I've learned in my teaching career that if I'm bored, my students are probably bored, and I solve this problem by re-engaging with the material in a way that inspires me and revives my curiosity.
So I decided to take as much time as necessary to answer this one question about my business:
What can I do that would earn money and bring joy and energy to not just me, but also my clients?
Initially, my mind started thinking about what I'm good at and what other people think I'm good at.
Of course it did - I'm an overachiever and a perfectionist - and I've gained recognition, advancement, and success for getting really good at some things.
But an unintended consequence of this self-reinforcing cycle was prioritizing what I'm "good at" over what I truly want to be doing, which is how I found myself bored and burned out.
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As it turns out, this isn't just a Dr. Natasha problem. A 2023 survey by Deloitte found that
- 86% of Asian women and 80% of Black women reported downplaying some aspect of themselves at work, compared with 55% of Asian men and 43% of white men.
- Furthermore, 60% of people who felt they had to cover at work said the experience left them emotionally drained, with the toll higher among nondominant identity groups.
When I asked myself what I had been downplaying or covering about myself, the answer included my private struggles, my contrarian takes on mainstream leadership advice (don't get me started on "executive presence"), and my desire to serve women of color specifically.
These insights came from specific behaviors like seeking counsel, going to conferences, and journaling. In early January, I spent some time revisiting my old journals where I recorded ideas and random thoughts about my interests, and I was shocked to find this note from March 2016:
Apparently, I've been thinking about coaching women of color in some part of my brain for 10 YEARS. Full. Circle. Moment!
There were other notes I had made to myself over the years about leadership development, coaching, and working with women of color, some going back to 2014, and so here we are - and that's the debrief.
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What's changing for you, Reader?
If you've been a subscriber to Notes from Dr. Natasha, you can still expect to receive emails from me on the same topics, but focused on the unique experiences of women of color in leadership.
If you've been a Working from Within subscriber via Substack, instead of finding my articles there, you'll get them in your inbox.
If this isn't what you signed up for, you can unsubscribe at any time, but if you're into it, I'll see you next month.
One final note: My upcoming free webinar on AI bias
In order to offer value and build awareness of my business, I'm offering a free webinar on Thursday, July 9 from 12-1 pm PT called The AI Toolkit for Leaders: Leverage AI without outsourcing your team's judgment.
The webinar is for anyone in a leadership role, not just women of color, and I'll cover these topics:
- The basics of how generative AI works
- Prompts to detect and manage identity bias in AI tools
- A framework for using AI that prevents cognitive surrender
- Ways to encourage ethical and thoughtful AI use for your team
It's the result of my learning and research on AI combined with my expertise in education, technology, and cognitive therapy.
