About Us
Phyllis Braxton-Frierson
Joayne Larson
Julia Hobday
I am the CEO and Founder of PINK Consulting, LLC and The PINK Brand. I have been in the DEI field for nearly 25 years. I am a native of Moss Point, Mississippi and now reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am the daughter of Viola, mother to Ivy Zaire and
wife to Marcus Frierson III.
Prior to starting PINK Consulting, LLC 15 years ago I worked for several organizations and educational institutions. I was an adjunct professor teaching graduate level courses in diversity, received my master’s degree all at the University of Minnesota and earned
my bachelor’s degree from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Ga. I served as an adjunct faculty member of St. Mary’s University Culturally Responsive Teaching Certification Program. I am a training team member of the Blandin Foundation’s Leading in Ethnically Diverse Communities, a certified administer and member of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Training Faculty, Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS), Cultural
Detective, Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) and The Leadership Circle Profile (a 360-degree feedback leadership tool).
I am the proud founder of Girl Scout River Valleys Beta Gamma Sigma Girl Scout
Program started in 1998, and 25-year Silver Star member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Finally, I graduated from St. Catherine’s University/University of St. Thomas Masters of Clinical Social Work Program and am now a Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW). As a clinical therapist my mission is to serve and support women and girls with an emphasis on females of color effected by personal, cultural and environmental adverse experiences with trauma-informed and evidence-based treatment.
I continue to pursue more effective ways to bring leadership and trauma informed DEI practices in relationship. I am currently a doctoral student majoring in Leadership for Change with a concentration in Somatics, Phenomenology and Communicative
Leadership.
PINK Consulting provides trauma-informed counseling, intercultural assessment, training and development, personal and professional coaching, keynote and motivational speaking to individuals and organizations nationwide.
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Julia Hobday
Joayne Larson
Julia Hobday
I am super excited to come together with these two dynamic practitioners to form Three Diversity Chicks! I grow and learn from them as we facilitate learning for others. With our unique identities, personalities and experiences, there is ample opportunity to practice intercultural communication together across our differences.
I believe that intercultural development, or intercultural humility, is essential to healthy relationship. And relationship comes in all forms – from familial, to friendship, to work-place. I am also a believer in community. My experience living with others spans time in small towns, inner-cities, and rural villages, both domestically and internationally. I believe community is at its best when its rich layers of difference are noticed, named and uplifted. And I know that developing our intercultural muscles aids our ability to be curious about difference, and ultimately celebrate it. It is a gift to witness and nourish that development in the work I get to do.
I bring over 20 years of personal and professional experience in racial equity and intercultural development to my practice. I love working with people from across the ethnic, political, and economic spectrum and consider my work as bridge building - connecting diverse perspectives in a wide range of environments. I help both individuals and organizations move forward in their capability to work across difference toward their equity, inclusion and justice goals.
I am a qualified administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS), a trained Racial Justice Facilitator, and I hold an Advanced Certificate in Equity and Diversity from the University of Minnesota. I am also a proficient Spanish speaker and occasionally translate and interpret for Spanish-speaking communities. My experience includes projects with non-profits, foundations, and educational institutions. I apply my intercultural skills both in a professional capacity as a consultant and coach, and in my role as a volunteer in many community organizations including: FREC (Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative); YWCA MN Racial Justice program; Sierra Club Northwest Chapter, St Joan of Arc Anti-Racism Core Group; St Paul Public Schools; and Project TRUST (Training for Resiliency in Urban Students and Teachers).
Working with others for cultural change and justice is a value I hold dear!
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Joayne Larson
Joayne Larson
Joayne Larson
I am an intercultural coach, facilitator, trainer and instructional designer who specializes in supporting managers and leaders who want their teams to be more diverse and more effective working across cultures and all types of differences. I identify as white, able-bodied and hetero. I am also a choice mom and single head of household.
Raised in rural North Dakota with a healthy dose of curiosity about the broader world, my professional roots lie in education and expanded to leadership development and intercultural competence. Once I got my first taste of experiential and intercultural learning via a college semester abroad in Ecuador, I haven't settled for boring classroom learning for anyone! After graduating Tufts University with a BA in International Relations, I joined the Peace Corps serving 2.5 years as a rural teacher in the Russian Far East.
Domestically, I have worked in community non-profits, earned K-12 teaching degree in Spanish at an inner-city charter school in Washington, DC, and trained community responders in domestic violence protections. Internationally, I partnered in the startup of an English immersion program in Chile; then completed 8.5 years as Peace Corps staff in Nicaragua and later in Washington, DC supporting global learning assessment and professional development for overseas staff in the areas of coaching, Volunteer support, training design, facilitation, and learning assessment.
I hold a master’s degree in International Training and Education and am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) through Coaches Training Institute (CTI), and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). I am a certified administrator of the MBTI, Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI), and Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS).
I am founder of Sparks of Change LLC, supporting individuals, non-profits, churches, corporations, and NGOs to grow their intercultural competence as they reach toward diversity, inclusion and equity goals. I am humbled and joyful to partner with colleagues across the nation and world in this powerful work and particularly grateful to collaborate and learn with colleagues and clients through 3 Diversity Chicks.
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