Hello! I’m Cherese Brauer and I deeply support brilliant Black Women leaders in remaining whole and well as they do some of the best work of their lives. From teacher to CEO, I am empowered by my 20+ years of transformative impact in public education. I founded two high-performing public charter schools that continue to yield game-changing results for children from historically underserved communities in Washington, DC. During the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic, I had the honor to lead as CEO of a large public charter school system where I was called to navigate the pandemic’s fierce headwinds and volatility as the head of a talented team, to maintain momentum in opening new schools while ensuring that the organization realized it’s mission.
I crashed, burned out, and to my surprise, got really sick. I took a year-long career break and learned to take true and exceptional care of myself. This helped form my core work as a Certified Professional Coach. I actively counter the narratives of workaholism, exhaustion, and self-abandonment for Black women - none of which are required for success. Counter the Narrative, LLC is my act of love to help other Black women proactively avoid this plight.
Countering the occupational phenomenons of burnout and the “glass cliff” for Black Women leaders is a key tenet of my coaching, mentoring, and consulting.
“There is a major lack of mentorship and sponsorship for Black women, and mentorship is near non-existent for gender expansive people. Black women’s skills are underutilized and underdeveloped by organizations. Ultimately, the majority of Black women don’t see a career trajectory for themselves at their current organization. This is a retention wake-up call for all organizations.”
- Ericka Hines, J.D. & Mako Fitts Ward, PhD,
Black Women Thriving Report 2022
“However, while they have been able to shatter glass ceilings, the lack of “necessary infrastructure to support their leadership” has left them “teetering on the edge of a glass cliff…Black women are elevated into senior leadership roles with the expectation of addressing organizational deficiencies that their predecessors were unable to overcome without added support or resources.”
- Cynthia Suarez,
The State of Black Women Leadership Is In Danger