The Next ERA is Already in Motion
When I created Claim the Mic, I hoped it would create space for voice, story, and leadership. What I didn’t expect was how deeply it would move me.
This speaker development series for URMIA Professionals of Color became more than a program. It became a mirror. A microphone. A movement.
Participants didn’t just show up. They transformed.
They spoke words they had never spoken aloud. They found language for their power. They reminded each other—and me—that sometimes the most radical thing we can do is own the room we’re already in.
The feedback they shared at the end of our journey left me speechless. Their words—full of vulnerability, gratitude, and bold self-recognition, will stay with me for a long time. They spoke of reclaiming their voice, rediscovering their confidence, and being seen in ways they hadn’t experienced before.
Some thanked me for creating the space. Others thanked themselves for stepping into it. And reading each message, I realized that Claim the Mic wasn’t just a series, it was a sacred moment in motion. A collective exhale. A reclaiming.
It affirmed everything I believe: That leadership starts with voice. That confidence is a practice. And that when we claim the mic, we claim much more than airtime, we claim ourselves.
Courtney…on the move
