Start By Talking

What Start By Talking does

Start By Talking, LLC (founded 2016, Georgia-based) is an anti-oppression education and consulting firm serving individual leaders, managers and supervisors, and organizational leadership teams. Its core methodology is the trademarked Anti-Oppressive Advocacy® framework, derived from Black feminist abolitionism, supported by registered trademark concepts including The Strategy of Whiteness™, Oppressive Muscle Memory™, Anti-Oppressive Identity™, and the Lead The Shift™ licensing program. The company is Black-woman and family-owned, led by Founder/CEO Wanda Swan (a UNH Prevention Innovations Research Center Fellow, CAPPA co-founder, and nationally-recognized anti-violence expert with 15+ years in the field) and Co-Owner/COO Lissa Swan.

The product portfolio spans a stepped ladder: an $997 eight-week Anti-Oppressive Supervision Program, a $2,200 six-month Anti-Oppressive Advocacy Certification Course, a $3,000/yr #PracticeLiberation Academy membership, $2,750 Leadership Without Harm VIP Day, eight-month five-figure 1:1 Coaching, eight-week minimum five-figure Group Coaching, and an eighteen-month minimum six-figure Organizational Transformation engagement. Lead The Shift™ represents a licensing model that embeds the framework into client organizations. All products are delivered through a Kajabi-hosted LMS, with Stripe for payment processing and Calendly for sales scheduling; no native app, API, or AI capabilities are present.

Distribution is content-led, anchored by the 'Come Get Your White People' podcast (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher), the 'The Black Hand Side' blog, the #SBTLearns newsletter, and free downloadable guides. Organizational engagements route through a 20-minute Calendly discovery call. Anchor clients include the City of Cambridge, MA, where the firm conducted a Needs Assessment Report for survivors of color of domestic violence, with additional named references in education (Vanderbilt University Project Safe Center) and professional services segments. The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent organization, and a single operating entity (Start By Talking, LLC) in Georgia.

Name

Start By Talking

Legal name

Start By Talking LLC

Website

https://startbytalking.mykajabi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Start By Talking is a Georgia-based anti-oppression education and consulting firm that delivers individual coaching, supervisor certification, and organizational culture-transformation engagements built on its proprietary Anti-Oppressive Advocacy® framework, serving executives, managers, and institutional clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anti-Oppression Education & Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Services (611), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

DEI, Inclusive Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Coaching (EDABANAJ)

Keywords

• Anti-oppression consulting
• Executive coaching services
• Organizational culture change
• DEI leadership training
• Supervision certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockbridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. 1:1 Coaching: Eight-month individual coaching engagement exploring Anti-Oppressive Advocacy curriculum, Eight White Identities, and strategies for change. Priced at five-figure investment per participant.
2. Group Coaching: Multi-week organizational team coaching with facilitated training, homework/thoughtwork, activities, and climate review. Minimum eight-week 90-minute sessions at five-figure investment.
3. #PracticeLiberation Academy Membership: 12-month membership providing interactive learning hub with self-guided exercises, monthly training sessions, bi-monthly office hours, and group coaching. One-time annual payment or monthly payment plan available. Price: $3,000 USD.
4. Anti-Oppressive Supervision Program: 8-week hybrid learning program with online content and interactive live sessions. Program takeaway includes understanding anti-oppressive supervision, intersection of privilege and bias, strategies for advocating for staff of color. Price: $997 USD.
5. A.B.L.E. Course (Anti-Oppressive Advocacy Certification): Six-month hybrid cohort program for professionals in human-centered industries. Self-guided modules, facilitated group spaces, common reading, and reflective journaling. Price: $2,200 USD (pay in full) or $385 USD monthly for 6 months.
6. Leadership Without Harm VIP Day: Private one-day intensive rebuild experience with Wanda & Lissa. Includes 6-hour session, 2 weeks follow-up support, pre-work questionnaire, and liberatory leadership toolkit. Price: $2,750 USD.
7. Organizational Transformation: Multi-month engagement combining qualitative assessment, leadership coaching, and multi-week training sessions using 15 Tenets of White Supremacy Culture baseline. Minimum 18-month, six-figure investment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Start By Talking sells anti-oppression coaching, leadership training, and organizational consulting built on its proprietary Anti-Oppressive Advocacy® framework. The company delivers 1:1 executive coaching, group coaching cohorts, organizational transformation engagements, the Lead The Shift™ 12-month licensing program, the Leadership Without Harm VIP Day, and certification/membership programs through the A.B.L.E. Institute (#PracticeLiberation Academy, Anti-Oppressive Supervision Program, and Anti-Oppressive Advocacy Online Course). Pricing ranges from $997 individual courses to six-figure multi-month organizational engagements.

Product overview

Start By Talking is a coaching and anti-oppression education company offering a multi-tiered service portfolio built around their proprietary Anti-Oppressive Advocacy framework. The core offerings include 1:1 Coaching, Group Coaching, Organizational Transformation, A.B.L.E. Institute, Lead The Shift licensing program, and the Leadership Without Harm VIP day. Supporting these are the #PracticeLiberation Academy (12-month membership), Anti-Oppressive Supervision Program (8-week hybrid course), and Anti-Oppressive Advocacy Online Course (6-month cohort-based course). The company also produces the Come Get Your White People podcast and provides free resources including the #SBTLearns newsletter and free downloadable guides. Services range from individual coaching engagements (starting at five-figure investment for 8-month 1:1 coaching) to organizational transformations (18-24 month, six-figure minimum). The platform is delivered through Kajabi with Stripe for payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Anti-Oppressive Advocacy® Framework: A framework dedicated to deconstructing the 'one larger narrative' created by those in power to validate the truths of those previously erased and deemed inferior.
• Lead The Shift™
• A.B.L.E. Institute
• #PracticeLiberation Academy
• Anti-Oppressive Supervision Program
• The Strategy of Whiteness™
• Build An Anti-Oppressive Identity™ Program
• Leadership Without Harm: A One-Day Rebuild

Products and services

• 1:1 Anti-Oppressive Coaching Confidential one-on-one coaching for individual leaders and executives exploring the Anti-Oppressive Advocacy® curriculum, Eight White Identities, and strategies for change. Delivered as an eight-month engagement at a five-figure investment per participant with weekly confidential sessions, journal writing, and examination of leadership habits rooted in race and oppression.
• Group Coaching Multi-week group coaching for organizational leadership teams and departments seeking collective dismantling of oppression. Minimum eight (8) eight-week sessions of 90 minutes each, including facilitated training, homework/thoughtwork, in-session activities, and climate review, at a five-figure investment.
• Organizational Transformation Comprehensive organizational change program combining qualitative assessment, leadership coaching, and multi-week training sessions using the 15 Tenets of White Supremacy Culture as baseline and Anti-Oppressive Advocacy® as goal. Minimum 18-month, six-figure investment, with engagements such as the multi-layered Needs Assessment Report for the City of Cambridge, MA.
• Lead The Shift™ Licensing Program 12-month licensing program that embeds anti-oppressive supervision directly into the client's organizational leadership structure, certifying internal leaders to carry the framework forward so accountability becomes embedded culture rather than a one-time training. Designed for organizations whose retention numbers do not reflect their values.
• A.B.L.E. Institute Signature anti-oppressive learning center combining supervisory harm-reduction theory with accountability-based leadership strategy for supervisors, managers, and organizational leaders. Operates two arms: the #PracticeLiberation Academy membership and the Anti-Oppressive Advocacy® certification program for managers.
• Leadership Without Harm: A One-Day Rebuild (VIP Day) Private one-day intensive rebuild experience with Wanda and Lissa Swan that exposes the gap between stated values and actual practice and leaves participants with a concrete plan for closing it. Includes 6-hour private session, 2 weeks follow-up support, pre-work questionnaire, and personalized liberatory leadership toolkit. Priced at $2,750 USD as a one-time payment.
• #PracticeLiberation Academy 12-month membership providing an interactive learning hub for anti-oppressive identity development, including digital library access, monthly training sessions, bi-monthly office hours, and group coaching opportunities. Annual price of $3,000 USD, with a monthly payment plan option. Cohort 4 started March 2025.
• Anti-Oppressive Supervision Program 8-week hybrid learning program empowering leaders to navigate diverse workplace dynamics through online content and interactive live sessions. Covers understanding anti-oppressive supervision, the intersection of privilege and bias, and strategies for advocating for staff of color. Price: $997 USD one-time.
• Anti-Oppressive Advocacy Online Course (A.B.L.E. Course) Six-month hybrid-learning cohort course for professionals in human-centered service industries (advocacy, healthcare, education, technology, art, social justice, public service, DEI) to recognize ways traditional systems fail to provide equitable care for marginalized communities. Includes self-guided modules, facilitated group spaces, common reading, and reflective journaling. Price: $2,200 USD pay in full or $385 USD monthly for 6 months.

Quantifiable outcome

• $16T economic loss to US since 2000 due to discrimination against Black people (NPR report cited)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Cambridge, MAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2020Start By Talking conducted a multi-layered Needs Assessment Report for Greater Cambridge to clarify justice needs for survivors of color. Engaged with service providers, city agents, and survivors to produce recommendations. Supported Cambridge with strengthening pathways and reducing barriers for survivors of color through Anti-Oppressive Coaching, Field-Specific Technical Assistance, and Organizational Assessment.
• Avanzar NowminorOthersPartner organization shown in consulting community logos section of website.
• Megan King ServicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPodcast Manager for 'Come Get Your White People' podcast - provides podcast management services.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment processor for all website transactions. Handles payment processing for courses, coaching, and other digital products.
• KajabicoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform provider for online course delivery, membership sites, and digital product delivery. All educational content and community spaces hosted on Kajabi.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Race Forward: National racial justice organization offering training programs (e.g., Racial Equity Institute workshops) and consulting. Comparable thematically as an anti-racism education provider, though structured as a nonprofit rather than a commercial consultancy.

Direct peers

• The Kaleidoscope Group: DEI strategy and leadership development consultancy offering coaching, training, and organizational assessment. Comparable as a peer DEI consultancy serving similar leadership and organizational culture-change mandates.
• Cook Ross Inc. DEI consulting and unconscious bias training firm serving corporate and public-sector clients. Comparable to Start By Talking as a specialized DEI/inclusion training provider targeting leadership teams, with similar coaching and certification offerings.
• Paradigm Strategy: DEI and equity-centered consulting firm offering training, coaching, and strategic advisory. Comparable to Start By Talking's organizational transformation, leadership coaching, and inclusive leadership offerings.
• Be Equitable: Anti-racism and DEI consulting practice offering workshops, coaching, and organizational audits. Comparable as a peer firm offering anti-racism education and leadership coaching to organizations and individuals.
• The Winters Group, Inc. Diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm focused on leadership development and organizational transformation. Directly comparable to Start By Talking's organizational transformation and coaching engagements targeting executives.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Large-scale leadership development organization offering executive education, coaching, and organizational development programs. Comparable as a broad incumbent in leadership coaching and organizational transformation, though less specialized in anti-oppression content.
• DiversityInc: DEI benchmarking, media, and consulting organization. Comparable as a broader DEI ecosystem player offering training, benchmarking, and consulting overlapping with Start By Talking's leadership culture-change work.
• Global Novations: Established diversity and inclusion consulting and training provider serving Fortune 500 companies. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same DEI training space, though with a more generalist portfolio.

Emerging players

• Amri Global: DEI consulting and training firm offering workshops, e-learning, and certification programs. Comparable in the certification and training program layer, though smaller scale and broader DEI focus than Start By Talking's specialized anti-oppression lens.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PracticeLiberation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/start-by-talking-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Start By Talking