Shola Richards

About Shola Richards

Hi, I\'m Shola.I didn’t always identify as a fighter. In fact, for most of my life, I was the opposite.Keeping it real, I’m not proud to admit I spent most of my adult life rolling over, waiting for a hero to come and stop the bad things that happened to me—whether that was being bullied at school as a child or dealing with horrific workplace behavior as an adult. But no one came.Exhausted from the drama one day, with an unrecognizable version of myself at the wheel, I intentionally swerved off the interstate in an attempt to take my own life. But in that half-second, my reflexes responded, and I yanked the wheel away from disaster. As I clipped the guardrail on the freeway, I discovered a strength inside me. I realized a phrase that I\'ve repeated silently to myself for the better part of two decades:\"What we allow is what will continue.\" Still, it took years for me to fully awaken to a simple truth: I had to stop waiting for heroes and learn how to become my own. More importantly, I had to unlearn the toxic (and, false) programming that kindness is a form of weakness.Most people think kindness means being a pushover. But that\'s not kindness. That\'s weakness disguised as virtue.Real kindness? That takes guts. It requires us to stand in solidarity with others, fight for what\'s right, and refuse to let toxic behavior slide just because it\'s easier to stay quiet. In other words, it requires us to choose courage over comfort, over and over again.This is the kind of strength our world desperately needs right now. And that\'s exactly what I help people and organizations discover.From that broken moment to testifying before Congress years later, I\'ve spoken across three continents and built a worldwide movement around this message.As the CEO and Founder of Go Together Global®, LLC and best-selling author of three books—Making Work Work, Go Together, and Civil Unity—I now help organizations worldwide discover what I learned the hard way: that being Strong Enough to Be Kind™ isn\'t just nice to have; it\'s essential for our society\'s survival.Together, we get to create cultures worth fighting for where people have the courage to do what\'s right in their careers and in their communities.Are you Strong Enough to be Kind™? Stick with me here on LinkedIn, and we can find out together.

Experience

1. Keynote Speaker

   Gotham Artists

   Sep 2022 — Present · US

   Since joining the Gotham Artists Collective in 2022, I\'ve delivered my message of kindness-driven leadership to audiences worldwide—from San Juan to Singapore, Boston to Berlin, and Philadelphia to Paris.My work providing practical strategies for building kinder cultures has transformed Fortune 500 companies, healthcare teams, higher education institutions, and leading organizations globally.The core message that resonates across every audience is simple, but effective:Kindness isn\'t weakness. It\'s the only thing strong enough to fix what is broken.

Education

• Union College

  Bachelor of Science, Psychology

Skills

• Human Resources
• Personal Development
• Staff Development
• Talent Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Public Speaking
• Leadership Development
• Strategic Planning
• Management
• Team Building
• Motivational Speaking
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Customer Service
• Training
• Healthcare
• Workshop Facilitation
• Instructional Design
• Emotional Intelligence
• Executive Coaching