Emily Nichols-Mitchell

A Multifaceted Businesswoman, An International Award-Winning Executive Coach, And Business Strategist

The demand for leadership and organization development solutions has increased as businesses worldwide encounter a new degree of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Developing their people to handle the rapidly changing workforce while embracing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging remains at the top of the list. A recent study shows that companies must increase their efforts to support their employees, emphasizing self-care and well-being. According to McKinsey and Lighthouse Research, leaders need clarity, tools, and the know-how to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, frontline leaders need more tailored learning to help them to adapt to different situations.

Leaders are under increased pressure to produce results with a smaller workforce as the great resignation continues. Organizations still require assistance with managing a hybrid and remote workforce that emphasizes soft skills like empathy, trust, mindset, communication, and emotional intelligence, as well as assisting them in making the transition to operate in flatter organizational structures.

This is where Accelerations Group (AG), founded by Emily Nichols-Mitchell (Founder and CEO), comes into the picture. AG supports leaders and organizations through leadership and organization development solutions. The powerhouse CEO and her team understand that each organization has unique challenges and needs. They offer tailored leadership enhancement programming, organizational strategies, tools, and initiatives to meet those needs. Emily and her team also provide special leadership programs for C-Level and women executives.

Meet The Change Agent, Leadership Strategist Maximizer, And Results Accelerator

When Emily started her career right out of college, over 25 years ago, she redefined the phrase “breaking the glass ceiling.” She was appointed COO of one of the few prosperous black-owned waste management companies in Kentucky and the Midwest. Within 24 months, she expanded the company’s sales territory, increased profit margins, and strengthened its brand, attracting the top three international waste corporation giants, with which she co-led the company’s merger and acquisition.

As an executive, Emily has strategically eliminated inefficient contracts and poor business practices reimagined diversity and inclusion, and created new business structures, saving organizations millions in revenue. She became well-known as an expert and thought leader for helping organizations tackle some of the most daunting people challenges using technology, processes, and systems leadership. Her emphasis on leadership development and employee engagement made her a leading authority in the field. Her versatile business and human resources skills helped Emily to be a key human resources leader in numerous Fortune 500 organizations.

While working alongside the C-suite executives, she built and revamped talent functions and strategically leveraged HR and DEI processes to strengthen organizational successes across the Americas and emerging markets. Like many journeys, there were twists and turns, successes and failures. Along the way, her high-powered position was eliminated. After deep soul-searching, Emily realized it was time to tap into her God-given superpower. Relying on her faith, and business tenacity, she took a giant leap and started Accelerations Group. She admits that at first, she was afraid, and then she remembered what her mother always said, God will never leave you nor forsake you as long as you keep him first. Even today, she relies on those words to anchor and carries her through.

Leading Provider of Leadership and Organization Development Solutions 

Established in 2012, Accelerations Group is a leading provider of leadership growth and organizational transformation solutions. When companies need more time, expertise, or business capacity to implement solutions to support their corporate strategies, they turn to the expert and in-demand businesswoman Emily and her team at AG. They trust and rely on the AG team to create innovative training programs that deliver compelling ROI.

I use challenges as fuel to stay on top of my game as a CEO, so when large and small corporations, government agencies, and non-profits call the AG team, they can relax knowing they have hired a team that is the best of the best.

When companies anticipate downsizing, upsizing, or restructuring, they contact AG to help them identify the right talent, perform job matching, create better team alignment, boost team morale, ensure business continuity and strengthen their culture inclusivity.

Emily coaches high-powered executives to reach their peak potential. Lisa, one of her clients, was quite hesitant when she first met Emily. She was already a successful senior executive with many awards and accolades to her name. Emily reassured her that if, after three coaching sessions, she didn’t feel like it was worth her time, they could call it quits. Lisa started receiving so much value that she continued for nine months. Lisa grew in ways she hadn’t imagined before. Lisa overcame obstacles, eliminated habits that no longer served her, and created a new mindset. Through coaching, Lisa reached the pinnacle of her career, which included a big promotion, a larger salary, and more internal satisfaction. Her transformation also impacted her team. They started performing at a higher level. Results like the above led Emily to receive the 2020 International Stevie Silver Stevie Award for Coaching Women in Business.

Promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB)

According to Emily, DEIB is not something you merely enroll in or do as a formality. The unwritten standards that govern how decisions are made and how individuals are hired, paid, promoted, and treated are part of the DEIB culture.

A DEIB culture does not come in a nice box; it is not a checklist that anyone can mark off without much consideration or work. Establishing a DEIB culture takes commitment, time, and effort. When done correctly, it becomes a part of the undertone, the interplay, and the unwritten rules of an organization’s larger culture.

DEIB is a way of behaving that starts with the top executives recognizing their own biases and having the courage to be more self-aware. It is about taking the time to change within to manifest different actions and higher standards for organizations to follow. Only when they take action inwardly will sustainable change occur. “We also believe it is time for organizations to rip the band-aid off and eliminate women’s inequality and microaggressions for good. AG is here to help,” Emily proudly asserts.

Tackling DEIB Workplace Challenges

Emily knows all too well about the microaggressions executive women endure. She’s experienced subtle slights of gender-based harassment, a lack of mentorship and sponsorship, adherence to different expectations than her male counterparts, limited career options, and other subtle discriminations. During those times, life seemed insurmountable until she hired a professional executive coach to help her. Now, Emily uses her gifts, experiences, education, and business skills as fuel to help organizations and leaders achieve tangible, measurable, and sustainable results.

At AG, we meet leaders and organizations where they are to design policies and create transformative strategies and solutions that facilitate change. We listen to their culture to help them eliminate unconscious biases. We help them design leadership development programs, provide one-on-one and team coaching, and mentor programs. We develop programming for successful women executives and high-potential leaders to activate, elevate, and master what’s within their control to navigate and thrive where they are planted. We have tailored solutions and programs to support the powerful and influential C-suite leaders tasked with setting the vision and leading the change that needs to occur,” Emily asserts.

Future Plans For AG

AG plans to expand partnerships with businesses, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and governmental organizations in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She plans to utilize more technology to create and deliver personalized micro-courses and training.

I desire to see AG as the premier global leader and the go-to firm when organizations need support around everything concerning and managing people. I am also on a mission to support five hundred thousand professional women worldwide to move past not being enough to show up brilliantly-within,” says Emily. To support this mission, she is launching a 12-month women’s leadership growth cohort program to support the next generation of corporate and community leaders and board members. To accomplish this mission, she is currently seeking investors to help her move forward more quickly.

 She further adds, “Accelerations Group prides itself on being socially responsible. We aim to continue supporting initiatives that align with combating hunger, finding a cure for dementia and Alzheimer’s, and programs empowering girls and executive women on the rise from underrepresented areas.” 

Serve As A Thought Leader And Advisor

Emily is tremendously passionate about mentoring and inspiring high-potential leaders in the small business and corporate world because she has walked in their shoes and experienced the good, bad, and challenging first-hand.

As a thought leader and advisor to business leaders and CEOs, she enjoys assisting them in making tough decisions and creating an environment where employees feel like they belong and thrive. Along with this, she is interested in lending her expertise to serving on non-profit and corporate boards. Emily also enjoys traveling and speaking to help professional women and senior executives.

Source Of Motivation

When asked to share her source of motivation, Emily replied, “I rely on scripture and faith in God to stay focused when things seem insurmountable. I love seeing our clients achieve great things and experience extraordinary results – it’s exhilarating! AG works with some fantastic clients, and their trust in our partnership motivates me to develop innovative solutions that produce impressive results for them. Obstacles and challenges fuel a deeper motivation internally to stay focused on ensuring our solutions and service quality are rarely matched!

Pearls Of Wisdom 

When asked if she had any wisdom to share with professional women, Emily says, “A woman’s success depends mainly on her ability to manage her emotions, stress, and situations beyond her control. Every professional woman should hire a trained executive coach and therapist to help her quickly identify and overcome blind spots and barriers before they begin to impede her brand and success. Lastly, incorporating daily prayer, journaling, and time to sit in silence will provide clarity and keep the mental trash at bay, allowing her to show up and perform brilliantly.

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