Senior-Level Coaching That Helps Professionals Break Barriers
The workplace isn’t always fair and for many professionals, that’s putting it mildly. From micro-aggressions to systemic bias, building a career as a diverse professional can feel like navigating a maze designed to keep you out.
Andy Thomas and his senior-level career coach team has over a decade of experience helping professionals overcome those barriers. His clients range from Fortune 100 executives to parents re-entering the workforce. Whether they’re facing promotion ceilings or confidence gaps, Andy equips them with the mindset, strategy, and tools to move forward without compromising who they are.
Barriers That Hold Professionals Back
Unconscious Bias in Hiring and Promotions
Companies with diverse teams consistently outperform their peers (Rock & Grant, 2016), yet hiring and promotion systems still favor sameness. Our executive coaching team works with clients who’ve been overlooked or underestimated until they learned how to tell a stronger story and advocate for their worth.
Micro-aggressions and Isolation
Dismissive remarks. Getting talked over. Being left off emails. These daily slights chip away at confidence and belonging. Microaggressions, subtle but harmful, are often ignored by leadership but deeply felt by those on the receiving end (University of California, Berkeley, n.d.). Our career coaches help clients process the impact, assert boundaries, and advocate for themselves with clarity and confidence.
Lack of Mentorship and Sponsorship
Many aren’t missing qualifications. They’re missing champions. Research by Coqual (2019) shows that sponsorship, not just mentorship, dramatically boosts advancement for women and professionals of color. Andy and the senior-level coaching team help clients build networks that lead to visibility, opportunity, and real career growth.
Culture Fit vs. Culture Add
“Fit” can be a euphemism for exclusion. When companies screen for sameness, they often miss out on game-changing talent. The career coaching team teaches professionals to position themselves as a culture add, a leader whose presence strengthens the team through perspective, adaptability, and lived experience.
What DEI-Focused Career Coaching Looks Like
This isn’t checkbox coaching. Andy Thomas’ programs are built to meet each client where they are emotionally, professionally, and strategically.
Naming and Navigating Bias
Clients often know something feels off but don’t have the language to name it. Andy and his team help clients validate their experiences, assess patterns of bias, and create strategic plans to move forward with intention, not just emotion.
Finding Your Voice
Andy brings a broadcast-level ability to help clients own their voice. With over 25 years in media, he teaches clients how to speak with clarity and purpose. From scripts for responding to microaggressions to negotiating promotions, his coaching blends practical strategies with powerful delivery.
For an employee-friendly guide to these conversations, see SHRM’s “Talking About Race at Work” (Society for Human Resource Management, n.d.).
Strategic Career Planning
Our team helps clients align their career goals with organizations that live out their DEI commitments. Using tools like ERG directories and DEI transparency reports, he helps clients evaluate where their energy is best invested (Levit, n.d.).
Building Career Resilience
Bias doesn’t just show up on paper, it gets under the skin. Our team work includes helping clients rebuild self-trust and move through career trauma with courage. Andy and our executive coaching create both mindset and momentum.
Inclusive Leadership Coaching for Organizations
Andy Thomas coaches individuals and works with leaders to build organizations where everyone can thrive. From Fortune 500 CIOs to leadership teams at companies like Grant Thornton and Ingersoll Rand, Andy trains executives to lead with empathy and awareness.
Leadership Coaching Programs Include:
- One-on-one executive coaching
- Inclusive leadership workshops
- Keynotes for conferences and corporate events
These programs help leaders:
- Identify and challenge unconscious bias
- Build equitable hiring and advancement practices
- Create a culture rooted in belonging, not conformity
For teams looking to assess their internal blind spots, Harvard’s Project Implicit is a powerful first step (Harvard University, n.d.).
The Andy Thomas Difference
What makes Andy Thomas Careers Now different isn’t just experience, it’s how Andy connects it all.
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- A storyteller’s perspective from 25 years in broadcasting
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- A recruiter’s insight into what hiring managers are really looking for
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- The lived experience of someone who’s helped thousands rise
In 2009, Andy launched a Southeast tour of free career coaching seminars during the economic downturn, sponsored by CBS Atlanta and WLTX Columbia. That work led to his book, The Job I Need Needs Me, a title that still rings true today.
Build a Career That Reflects You
This isn’t about “fitting in.” It’s about showing up.
Whether you’re a rising executive, a career-changer, or just ready to start your next chapter, Andy’s coaching gives you the tools, the strategy, and the belief to make it count.
Executive Coaching Services
References
Coqual. (2019). Sponsor effect: Boosting diversity and inclusion. https://coqual.org/reports/sponsor-effect-2019/
Harvard University. (n.d.). Project Implicit. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Levit, A. (n.d.). How to research a company’s diversity and inclusion efforts. The Muse. https://www.themuse.com/advice/diversity-equity-inclusion-job-search-company-research
Rock, D., & Grant, H. (2016, November). Why diverse teams are smarter. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter
Society for Human Resource Management. (n.d.). Talking about race at work: A guide for employees. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/talking-about-race-at-work.aspx
University of California, Berkeley. (n.d.). Microaggression examples and their impact. https://cei.berkeley.edu/microaggressions/
