Coaching Strong
Black Women
Charlyn Green Fareed,
Ph.D., PCC
Charlyn teaches in the EvidenceBased Coaching program at
Fielding Graduate University and
is senior consultant of Genesis
Coaching & Consulting, a Career
and Leadership Coaching and
organizational development firm.
She has written several articles
on coaching, gender and culture
and contributed a chapter to
“Innovations in Transformative
Learning: Space, Culture, and the
Arts”(Peter Lang International
Academic Publishers, 2009). She is
a lifelong learner of transformative
learning theory and holds
certification in Transformative
Learning for Social Justice. Charlyn
is a Board Certified Coach.
Learn more about Charlyn’s
Strong Black Women Project at
thestrongblackwomenproject.org.
22 Coaching World
On a warm summer day,
six women gathered in
the comfort of a home
environment to begin what
some described as a “lifechanging” experience that
forever changed the way
they understood themselves
as Strong Black Women. All
were co-inquirers, seeking to
examine and respond to the
same research question: “How
do African American women
understand and experience
the relationship between the
Strong Black Woman ethic and
their health and wellness?”
Their responses gave shape
to my 2006 research project
on the Strong Black Woman
Cultural Ethic.
Understanding the Strong
Black Woman
The Strong Black Woman Cultural
Ethic is an often-unconscious,
culturally embedded message that
promotes (and often celebrates)
toughness and self-sacrificial
behaviors—frequently at the expense
of Black women’s health and
wellness. These behaviors are rooted
in African American culture where,
from slavery to the present day, many
Black women have little choice but to
persevere, carry on, and sacrifice for
family and others. However, there is
a serious health and wellness impact
from this constant striving.
Numerous research studies have
shown that Black women are
overwhelmed by the pursuit of
perfectionism, meeting goals,
mediating family conflicts, and
challenging the criticisms and doubts
of others.
Findings from the 2001 Kaiser
Women’s Health Survey pointed to
the numerous health and wellness
challenges facing African American
women. Among African American
women aged 45 to 64, 57 percent
reported suffering from chronic
hypertension. Nineteen percent