About Us
We blend compassion, care, and connection to create lasting culture change.
Meet Our Founder, Lesley Curtis
I am a scholar of social justice movements and a lover of humanity. During my doctoral study at Duke University, I focused on abolitionist movements and storytelling. I wanted to understand: how do people articulate their own value, especially when recovering from historical pain? After I finished my degree, I translated the first Haitian novel, a story about the revolution, from French to English.
It is no surprise that today I continue building bridges and helping people tell stories about their human value. I now lead culture change efforts for Sagely’s clients and teach others to do the same. My clients and students share with me a common desire to challenge rigid structures, move away from past pain, and build forms of connection and collaboration that feel easy and joyful.
Together, we move between the whole and its parts, figuring out what to shift on an individual level and noticing how this impacts larger systems. I help clients identify emotions that create stories and notice how those stories drive behavior. I invite people to see the bigger picture of their own experience and co-create new ways of engaging collaboratively. This is integrative and hope-filled work, and I feel lucky to do it everyday.
Our Team
CO-OWNERS
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Lesley is the co-owner and founder of Sagely. She holds a doctorate from Duke University, where she studied the impact of historical trauma on story and belief. Lesley’s work is uniquely effective because it operates at the intersection of feeling and action, creating sustainable and manageable change over time. The way she combines tools from the humanities and social sciences is particularly powerful.
Lesley works with leaders 1:1 and leads system-wide initiatives, with a special focus on philanthropy, education, and healthcare. She has also taught leadership and innovation at the UNC Graduate School and served as a practicum instructor at the UNC School of Social Work. She, Cord, and Robyn write and podcast together at Diversity Differently.
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Cord Whitaker is the co-owner of Sagely. He has published in numerous venues and has been cited by NPR, the New York Times, Slate, and the History Channel. He is also an associate professor of English at Wellesley College, author of Black Metaphors: How Modern Racism Emerged from Medieval Race-Thinking, and former Chair of the Presidential Commission on Ethnicity, Race, and Equity at Wellesley. Cord also serves on the board of the Life Worth Living program at Yale University.
At Sagely, Cord blends his pedagogical expertise, systemic visioning, and narrative analysis skills to promote lasting culture change. As a coach and consultant, he supports inclusive leaders in a variety of roles by envisioning a new way of engaging that moves beyond traditional expectations.
FACILITATORS
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Robyn Smith is a licensed clinical social worker, facilitator, and therapist. They hold a B.A. in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Robyn also completed the three-year intensive training at the Gestalt Therapy Institute of Philadelphia.
Robyn focuses on somatic healing, grief, and attachment, specializing in guiding high-level leaders, intellectuals, and medical professionals to tap into their own experience in order to encourage more healing and collaboration.
With Sagely, Robyn offers meditative and somatic learning opportunities and provides clients the knowledge and skills that trauma therapists receive. This helps leaders act and respond in high-stress situations with clarity and ease, regardless of their area of expertise.
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Alexandra holds a Masters of Social work from UNC-Chapel Hill and specializes in trauma-informed practice in galleries, museums, and sites of conscience. She works at both the micro- and macro-level when helping clients understand the dynamic connection between past and present. With Lesley, she developed the narrative map tool that strategically highlights the talents and experiences of inclusive leaders.
Alex uses systems thinking, restorative justice, and peace-building approaches to foster connection and healing. As an International Peace Fellow sponsored by the Rotary Foundation at the University of North Carolina, she designed, developed, and evaluated museum interventions in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She has also spoken internationally on the value of self-reflection and self-healing as a practice of inclusive leadership and teaching conflict transformation. To learn more, listen to her podcast interview here.
ADVISORS
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Dan Mahle is an ICF-certified executive coach and seasoned group facilitator with a passion for partnering with leaders to build more thriving, equitable, and inclusive cultures.
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Burgandy Holiday holds degrees in social work and psychology and has helped multiple organizations promote social, cultural, and organizational change. She engages clients through community building and gentle activism, focusing on race, religion, and identity-based healing and reconciliation.
"Our experience working with Sagely was nothing short of transformative.”
“From the very beginning, their insights were eye-opening. With a unique ability to uncover new truths, Lesley provided a safe space for us to discuss hard business challenges candidly. She was not just a coach but a guiding force, helping us redefine what culture meant to Suora.”
— Baaqir Yusuf, Co-founder, Suora Studios