Speaking - Black Woman Leading

INSPIRE YOUR AUDIENCE

Transformational, Enlightening and Life-changing Presentations and Workshops

Our founder, Laura Knights, equips audiences to deal with both the “head work” and “heart work” required to succeed at work and in life. She has spoken to audiences ranging from 10 to 300 people, and has always had a passion for inspiring individuals to discover their talents, unleash their full potential, and walk in their destiny.

Her encounters with others through her speaking have been described as transformational, enlightening, life changing, and “an answer to prayer.” Her engaging, fun, and down-to-earth communication style allows her to connect with her audience to find common ground, and lead them on a path of learning and self-discovery.

Laura has provided a keynote and/or workshop for the following organizations:

“Dynamic, inspiring, and so relevant to our needs! I loved the learning points about building resiliency, and the action guide to help our audience build self-care plans when they left the session. Laura was down-to-earth and compassionate, while also clearly showing her expertise on the subject.”

Lekesha ColemanAssistant Principal, Foster Park Academy

“Laura is an exceptional facilitator and her programs are timely and relevant. She is very relatable and my group opened up to her immediately. I continue to be impressed by her talents, expertise and credentials. Laura has been an amazing value-add to my catalog of offerings, and she will continue to be a go-to resource for years to come.”

Marisa TatumGlobal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Manager, Teradata

“Laura, thank you for facilitating the Influence & Personal Branding workshop for our AmeriCorps Project More members. Your energy, insight, and the resources you provided were valuable. Members have been talking about and working on their personal branding.”

Sarah OgetoDirector

“Vision Mapping is one of a few programs I’ve had the privilege to be a part of with Knights Consulting. This program is liberating, well structured, impactful & effective, and a great way to align professional goals . The program allowed me to gain valuable insight and a clear vision of my next steps in my career.”

Shannon H.Vision Mapping workshop participant

“Vision Mapping is the perfect program. It provided me with the methodology to move from vision into action. The small step process and ability to work with accountability partners has helped me stay focused on achieving my professional goals.”

Monica G.Vision Mapping workshop participant

Black Woman Leading^® Signature Offerings

Customized Topics Also Available

The Black Woman Leading^® Journey

In this signature talk, Laura walks participants through the Black Woman Leading® journey map. Participants will visit the three “pit stops” of leadership development, mental wellness and self-care, and relationship management on this exploratory journey. Laura validates the workplace experiences of Black women and helps them feel more empowered in their professional lives. Participants will gain additional insights to help them reflect, define, and execute on the next steps to holistically advance in their careers.

Black Woman at Work: Cultivating resilience, collective healing, and self-care

*Suitable for individual contributors & leaders.

In this session, Laura walks participants through her signature ACE framework to support personal wellness and effective job performance. She exposes the common “behind-the-scenes” challenges of Black women in the workplace, and provides actionable strategies to help participants speak their truth, develop healthy coping skills, and create an actionable self-care plan that addresses their personal wellness needs. Participants will walk away feeling seen, heard, and empowered for the next leg of their professional journey. After the session, participants will receive a resource packet with a template to create their own self-care plan.

Realign, Refocus, & Rise: Designing a Career Reset in Uncertain Times

Black women leaders are navigating unprecedented change while carrying outsized responsibility and expectations. This session introduces the concept of a career reset—a strategic, values-centered approach to leadership growth that prioritizes clarity, wellbeing, and long-term impact. Participants learn how to recognize burnout and misalignment, realign with purpose, and intentionally reposition for their next chapter without starting over. The focus is on reclaiming agency, redefining success, and building sustainable power and legacy.

Speak Up: Advocating for Yourself in the Workplace

In this actionable session, Laura will cover the heart work and head work required to develop a strategic plan for professional self-advocacy. Laura’s four-step framework empowers participants to feel more confident to guide the narrative of their professional contributions, perfect their “humble brag,” clarify their “asks” and “gives,” master mindset issues before they become stumbling blocks, and manage critical relationships without de-centering themselves in the process.

Audience Testimonials from 2023 Black Women in Data Summit

on the talk "Speak Up! Advocating for Yourself in the Workplace"

Building Influence Through Your Personal Brand

In this insightful talk, Laura shares the connection between influence and personal branding, and explores the application for professional growth. She helps participants shift their paradigm of personal branding, reframing it from a place of service and contribution. Together, Laura and the participants will explore the building blocks of influence and the overlap with the core components of one’s personal brand. Participants will conduct self-assessment to extract their individual personal brand elements, and receive a blueprint for creating their own brand story.

Strengthening Strategic Communication, Influence, and Executive Presence

Strategic communication is essential for Black women leaders whose expertise must often speak louder than bias. This session reframes communication as a leadership lever for influence, credibility, and advancement. Participants assess their communication approach, strengthen executive presence, and apply a strategic framework for crafting messages that align with purpose, audience, and desired outcomes—while honoring their authentic voice.

Strengthening Political Savvy Skills with Integrity

For Black women leaders, political savvy is often misunderstood, discouraged, or unfairly scrutinized—yet it remains essential for influence, advancement, and impact. This session reframes political savvy as an ethical leadership skill rooted in integrity, clarity, and self-trust. Participants assess their personal political style, examine the relationship between political will and political skill, and explore how both shape career progression. Attendees leave with practical strategies and a personalized action plan for strengthening political savvy in ways that align with their values while expanding influence and leadership presence.

Navigating Change with Clarity and Resilience

This session equips Black women leaders with practical tools to navigate complexity, disruption, and organizational change with confidence. Participants explore learning agility, mindset, and decision-making strategies that support resilience and forward momentum. Attendees leave with a clear framework for responding to challenges, reducing resistance to change, and leading through uncertainty with authority and composure.

Vision Mapping for Career & Life Success

Participants are invited to explore the possibilities of designing a professional journey that honors their skills, contributions, and vision for the future. Participants will review the Vision Mapping seven-step framework to support personal wellness and professional goal achievement. Considering personal learnings, historical context, and collective wisdom; participants will reflect on their current experiences, learn practical strategies to apply the vision mapping framework, and strengthen their sense of agency to direct their future growth and development. This session can be offered as a one-time overview talk or a three-part interactive workshop series.

Internal Round Table

Useful as a precursor to the BLACK WOMAN LEADING^® program or as a stand alone initiative; the internal round table is a facilitated discussion with key Black women leaders and managers within the organization to share experiences and brainstorm solutions to increase engagement, feelings of belonging, and professional advancement. Includes strategic debrief presentation and recommendations report for senior leadership.

Learn more about Laura’s additional speaking topics for organizations through Knights Consulting LLC.