Helping BIPOC folks lead confidently without losing their humanity

Adrianne in green sweater and gold earrings.

Leading with your full self is hard when you’re in systems that weren’t created for you.

Moving with integrity while navigating status quo leadership norms and expectations can be isolating. Embracing your identity can feel conflicting when you’ve been socialized to repress the parts that make you visible. Working towards more equitable futures can make you question your impact. Caring for your community can lead to burnout - especially when you need to do everything, everywhere, all at once.

So how do you stay anchored? For starters, you don’t have to do it alone.

Over my 15+ year career, I’ve watched too many talented and passionate leaders across government, non-profit, corporate and tech tackle this journey alone - only to lose themselves in the process. This is why I’ve built an anti-oppressive leadership development practice to help BIPOC leaders stay anchored in their identity, integrity, impact and community.

Whether it’s 1:1 leadership coaching, career coaching, group coaching, change management consulting or leadership workshops, I offer inclusive spaces and experiences to help racialized women and non-binary leaders access their power - so that we can collectively build the world we deserve.

BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL

2026 Offers

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2026 Offers •

INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP COACHING

I coach racialized leaders who want to lead intentionally without dimming their identity, integrity and impact.

Let’s face it. Black, Indigenous and racialized folks are required to lead in systems that aren’t created for us. Showing up for yourself and your community while navigating dominant leadership norms can be hard.

As a PCC-certified leadership and career coach, I help you lead with more intention and less self-doubt. Using an anti-oppressive approach, I hold space for you to feel seen and heard in your full humanity.

While I primarily coach BIPOC millennial women and non-binary folks, my coaching services are open to all.

EXPLORE LEADERSHIP COACHING

ANTI-OPPRESSIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

I offer values-aligned leaders the knowledge, tools and community to lead with intention.

Leadership is super critical for folks who are disrupting the status quo. And yet - so many are doing this work with colonial leadership models that reinforce supremacy culture.

What if there was an alternative leadership model that didn’t feel icky?

Where you can lead meaningful change without compromising yourself.

Skip the Polish is a 12-week group coaching program that offers you a tailored leadership playbook that heals, liberates and disrupts.

SIGN UP FOR GROUP COACHING

Registration for the summer 2026 cohort is closed. Get on the mailing list to be notified about the next cohort.

BIPOC LEADERSHIP TRAINING

I facilitate learning and development workshops to increase your team’s leadership capacity without compromising their lived experiences.

Traditional leadership training often takes a one-size-fits-all approach and focuses on status quo leadership norms. The challenge with this is that leadership norms are rooted in Eurocentric, white, patriarchal, cis-heteronormative and colonial expectations that ignore the diverse and intersectional identities of BIPOC leaders.

As a facilitator, I partner with your ERGs and DEI teams to offer practical and impactful leadership tools and content tailored for BIPOC leaders.

While I specialize in leadership development workshops for BIPOC leaders, all leadership training can be customized for a non-BIPOC audience.

EXPLORE LEADERSHIP TRAINING

CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

I partner with organizational leaders who are committed to building workplace cultures that are values-aligned and empowering.

Many dominant workplace cultures are built on oppressive systems which influence everything from team values and leadership norms. Without intentional workplace cultures - you’re preventing racialized women, non-binary folks and other historically marginalized groups from thriving.

As a certified change consultant, I partner with your team to assess, design and shape a workplace culture where your employees can show up confidently and intentionally.

EXPLORE CHANGE CONSULTING

Supported 130+ remarkable leaders across 18 cities and 6 countries

  • Approach power and leadership in a values-aligned way

  • Transition into a new career path that centres your purpose

  • Step into a new executive role with more confidence

  • Strengthen sense of self and your leadership compass

  • Navigate uncertainty and complexity with more intention

  • Build self-trust with tough decisions and actions

  • Heal from burnout through restorative leadership practices

BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL

5 star client reviews

“She has a remarkable knack for helping me find deep internal clarity on ways to approach power, leadership, and team management that are rooted in my values. No matter how I show up, she always seems to know when to push, when to hold space, and where to seek clarity.”

— Stacy Sakamoto

“I had an outstanding experience with Adrianne. I entered our working relationship with ambitious objectives for my professional growth in the three months that we had together. We were able to meet all of them in addition to gaining learnings and insights I did not expect.”

— Michelle Sanchez

“I consider myself to be a naturally introspective person, but working with Adrianne has revealed new layers and dimensions to my own personal 'roadblocks', and has directly and practically changed the way I show up for myself in the workplace, for the better.”

— Shilpa Sharma

“I’m so grateful to have experienced Adrianne’s leadership coaching. Her expertise and wisdom offered me such guidance while her questions and consulting centered my confidence and leadership style!”

— Kiona Mercer-Tremblay
Pink cloud shape

Free Worksheet

Your Success Definition Worksheet

Cover page of a Success Definition Worksheet by Adrianne Yiu, featuring a pink dashed line graphic

Career progression is often mapped as a singular, linear path to get to the top. This one-size-fits-all approach usually focuses on increasing wealth, status and power. These scarcity-driven metrics cause us to strive for more without defining how much more - which is a recipe for burnout. Use this worksheet to define success markers that centre the things that are important to you.

Free Workbook (Valued at $300!)

Your Intentional Leadership & Growth Workbook

Cover page of a workbook titled 'Intentional Leadership & Growth Workbook' by Adrianne Yiu, featuring a signpost with pink and green arrows.

All leaders need a solid internal compass to navigate tough decisions and actions. Without one, it’s easy to get swayed by external pressures and distractions - like colonial narratives and mindsets - that pull you away from what matters the most. Use this workbook to build an internal compass that centres your humanity so that you can make the collective impact you’re capable of.

FAQ

  • What is coaching?

    Coaching is a collaborative process to help you achieve specific professional/personal goals or intentions. We’ll meet bi-weekly over a 3 or 6 month period (depending on your preference). Each 45-min session will start by defining the focus for the session and end with an action/takeaway. While the session structure is pretty organic, you can expect lots of thought-provoking questions that offer new insights and clarity that help you move forward.

  • What's the difference between coaching and therapy?

    Therapy focuses on addressing mental health challenges like active trauma, depression, anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenia. Licensed therapists can provide diagnoses to treat mental health conditions whereas coaches cannot. Coaching focuses on personal and professional growth and creating tangible actions to move forward. The goal of coaching is to help you build capacity so that you eventually have the tools, awareness, and confidence to move forward on your own. Many BIPOC coaches who are trauma-informed understand how systemic oppression leads to individual harm and can offer tools to build mind-body awareness and support nervous system regulation.

  • Do I need a leadership coach or career coach?

    Leadership coaching is helpful for people who want to develop specific leadership skills and competencies. It can offer support for leaders who want to stay grounded while they step into new executive roles with added complexity, pressure, and politics. My leadership coaching specialties include imposter syndrome; self-confidence; burnout; leading with integrity, anti-oppressive management styles. Career coaching is valuable for people who are navigating career transitions and are feeling stuck. It can offer support around finding the right role for you, building confidence in interviews, communicating your story authentically, re-defining career success. My career coaching specialties include: ‘millennial career crisis’; career fulfilment; moving to a new sector/industry; building a values-aligned career; leaving your 9-5.

    Still not sure which is the right fit for you? The good news is I do both! Book a free discovery call to see how I can help.

  • Who are your clients?

    I work with leaders and executives across government, corporate, tech, non-profit and entrepreneurship. My clients range from C-suite leaders to social workers, artists, labour organizers, researchers, engineers, fundraisers, tech leads, environmentalists, public servants, activists and accountants. While the majority of leaders I support are BIPOC women and non-binary folks, my services are open to anybody who wants to approach leadership from an anti-oppressive and anti-colonial lens.

  • How much does coaching cost?

    I know that executive coaching has been a historically inaccessible opportunity for many marginalized groups. To make things more equitable, sliding scale options are available for BIPOC women and non-binary folks who are paying out of pocket. You can find my 1:1 leadership coaching rates here. I also offer no-interest installment plans if it’s easier to divide up the payment. Book a meet n’ greet here and we can figure out an option that makes sense for you. If group coaching is more of your jam, you can check out the sliding scale rates for the Skip the Polish program here.

  • What does success look like in a coaching partnership?

    Recognizing that everybody comes with different intentions and goals, my hope is that by the end of the partnership - my clients realize how powerful they truly are. I also hope they have the tools to move forward with confidence. So many of us work within systems that convince us that we are powerless - that we have no choice. That’s by design. Success to me is about helping you realize the agency you have to make choices that serve you and your communities. I do that by offering you a trauma-informed space where you feel seen and heard in your full humanity ❤️

  • Do you do group coaching?

    Yes! I offer an annual public group coaching program for community-oriented leaders called Skip the Polish. I also do group coaching programs for organizations and can customize them based on your team’s needs. In the past, I’ve developed group coaching programs for DEI leaders in corporate and changemakers in non-profit.

  • How did you get into coaching?

    Soooo I started my coaching journey during a super disempowering chapter in my career. I signed up for coach training because I needed something to look forward to outside of work - something to remind me of the impact I was capable of. 6 months later, I left my full-time job in tech to start my own leadership coaching and consulting practice. It’s been a lot of trial and error but this has been the most rewarding and meaningful chapter in my career so far. I feel incredibly grateful that coaching has connected me to so many badass leaders around the world.

  • "Having worked in activism for 20+ years, advocating for social justice and human rights within the Labour Movement and community, the BIPOC Leadership Training provided our team a safe and engaging space to pause, reflect on the work we do, and appreciate our individual and shared lived experiences as people of colour. We were able to take what we learned from the training and apply it in both the workplace and our personal lives, regardless of being in many different points in life. Adrianne is able to connect with everyone by actively listening and sharing from her own personal experiences. She provides a kind outlook to how we can all become better leaders in whatever we do, wherever we are. Overall, the experience was thought-provoking and provided elements of healing."

    Faduma Mohamed, Executive Director, Labour Community Services

  • “Adrianne delivered an engaging and insightful workshop on "Transitioning into the Canadian Workforce with Intention" for newcomer job seekers and entrepreneurs. Drawing from both her lived experience and professional expertise, she helped participants better understand and navigate Canadian workplace culture in a way that felt practical, relatable, and empowering. Her session successfully demystified many of the unwritten expectations of the Canadian workforce while providing actionable strategies, valuable resources, and concrete supports that participants could immediately apply to their career journeys. What stood out most was her empathetic approach, which created a welcoming space for honest discussion and reflection. Participants left with greater confidence, clarity, and a stronger understanding of how to approach their professional goals in Canada.”

    Hani Ali, Scadding Court Community Centre

  • "Have been working with Adrianne for just shy of a year and find her to be a miracle worker. She has a remarkable knack for helping me find deep internal clarity on ways to approach power, leadership, and team management that are rooted in my values. No matter how I show up, she always seems to know when to push, when to hold space, and where to seek clarity. I cannot thank her or recommend her highly enough to other BIPOC professionals navigating leadership roles."

    Stacy Sakamoto

  • "I had an outstanding experience with Adrianne. I entered our working relationship with ambitious objectives for my professional growth in the three months that we had together. We were able to meet all of them in addition to gaining learnings and insights I did not expect. Even more, Adrianne facilitated this process in a way that felt easy and comfortable. She always showed up with warmth and empathy while also delivering structure through tough questions and deep insight. I'm so glad to have connected with Adrianne and feel like I've gained a lasting resource and ally in her."

    Michelle Sanchez

  • "Adrianne is the best! She works with you in ways that are truly collaborative and brings so much compassion, sensitivity, and humility. If you're looking for coaching that heart centred and values aligned, Adrianne is your person!"

    Harriet

  • “I can’t say enough about our incredible experience with Adrianne Yiu and her exceptional coaching services. Our team’s transformation has been remarkable in how they show up at work and collaborate with each other. Her exceptional people-centred approach sets Adrianne apart, in which she worked tirelessly to ensure every team member felt seen and heard. Her practice, grounded in an equitable lens, has improved our professional dynamics and enabled significant personal growth."

    Letecia Rose, VP of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Canadian Tire Corporation

  • "Adrianne's coaching is so helpful and grounding as a racialized leader. Her kind, inquisitive, and informed approach prompts you to think about things you may not have noticed on your own and has deepened my confidence and self-awareness. Whether you're coming to her with a specific issue you want to explore, or just generally want to deepen your leadership approach, I can't recommend Adrianne enough!"

    Erin Kang

  • "I’m so grateful to have experienced Adrianne’s leadership coaching! Her expertise and wisdom offered me such guidance while her questions and consulting centered my confidence and leadership style!"

    Kiona Mercer-Tremblay

  • "I cannot recommend Adrianne enough!! Her sessions, as opposed to other leadership PD, I’ve done, gave me a stronger sense of my own leadership qualities and the kind of leader I wanted to emulate. From the first session I gained so much clarity in the complexities of navigating leadership as a BIPOC women in western organizations, and really felt seen and heard throughout the process. I especially appreciate gaining language to articulate my own experience and qualities as a leader. If you’re looking for more tailored, less prescriptive, and more culturally informed leadership PD, then Adrianne is the way to go!"

    Aimen Aziz

  • "Adrianne is an incredibly thoughtful, empathic and mature coach. She has a gift of listening deeply and bringing out the best in others. I consider myself to be a naturally introspective person, but working with Adrianne has revealed new layers and dimensions to my own personal 'roadblocks', and has directly and practically changed the way I show up for myself in the workplace, for the better. I'm so grateful that she is my leadership coach."

    Shilpa Sharma

  • "Adrianne quickly became a trusted advisor for me. Her passion for diversity, equity and inclusion coupled with her ability to drive strategic change makes her an exemplary leader and coach. She challenges me to see different perspectives and reframe my self and world views. Each meeting with Adrianne results in true practical and actionable advice and outcomes that I feel empowered and encouraged to achieve. Thank you Adrianne!"

    Natasha Lander, Technical Products Leader

  • "I'm so glad I went to Adrianne for leadership coaching. I had started a new role and was feeling overwhelmed with the change. Adrianne is gifted in asking thought-provoking questions that led me to new insights during our sessions, and guiding me in my jumbled thought process to better articulate my goals and values. This was especially helpful as I experienced bigger challenges in my job and career path. I feel more prepared to go after a career that aligns with my values and confident to honour who I am. Thanks so much!"

    Camille Talag

  • “Partnering with Adrianne has brought clarity to the complexities of my life. Always supportive, I can trust that during our sessions Adrianne will help me navigate my obstacles with skill and sensitivity, and together we’ll develop meaningful and attainable solutions. ”

    Crystal Kyabaggu, Finance Leader

  • "Adrianne's expertise on the hurdles encountered by BIPOC and non-binary individuals in the tech sector, was a remarkable asset we have not encountered in previous coaching and transformation engagements. Adrianne's vision fostered a culture of innovation, empowerment, and superior product creation. Her leadership was instrumental in harmonizing our emphasis on design, construction, and operational excellence with community engagement. This not only propelled our platform forward but also deepened our team's sense of purpose and cooperation."

    Justin Watts, Director of Platform Engineering, TELUS

  • "Adrianne is a tremendously perceptive and helpful coach. Her generous listening skills paired with her ability to articulate honest and kind insights makes for a genuine partnership with her clients. Having worked with her over the past year, I’ve grown to truly appreciate her knack for identifying the most incisive questions and collaboratively developing approachable frameworks with her clients so they are able to expand, own and action their professional and personal visions. I can’t recommend her enough!"

    Vicki Long

  • "There is so much value in every single session I have had with Adrianne. She not only clarifies my thought processes but also shines a light on actionable steps to take. Highly recommend choosing Adrianne!"

    Julian Joseph

  • “I always look forward to my sessions with Adrianne as they are always inspiring and energizing! She is excellent with opening up valuable new perspectives on current situations, which provides clarity towards solutions. Her techniques allow me to identify my strengths and I have been able to define my priorities to achieve greater work/life balance as a result of her coaching.”

    Bolanle Adewusi, Product Manager

  • "Adrianne is a remarkable coach who leads conversations with curiosity and kindness. She empowers those who work with her to embrace change and take meaningful action to accomplish their goals. Adrianne’s coaching taught me so much about myself and every session inspired me to be a better person, a more empathetic teammate and a courageous leader."

    Hayley Davison, Communications Professional

  • “Adrianne is a visionary. Her authentic leadership, and unwavering commitment to inclusive change has empowered others to bring their best selves forward. Working with Adrianne to implement programming for diverse leaders was undoubtedly a highlight of my career. She enabled me to understand how to be a better leader, and how to create meaningful, sustainable impact for individuals and organizations. She is curious, brilliant, and has a track record of delivering high impact results.”

    Toota Hassanien, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader

  • "I had the opportunity to engage in a 3 month coaching session with Adrianne and it was an eye-opening, reflective, and growing experience. I had never engaged in a coaching session before and I really did not know what to expect. I got to understand how my thoughts and feelings were impacting my growth. With a lot of intention and work, I saw a difference in the way that I approach everything I do and focusing on outcomes rather than perfection."

    Maricruz Rodriguez

  • "My coaching sessions with Adrianne were super helpful as I gained valuable advice & insight during a time where I was transitioning career paths and felt some uncertainty. Reaching out to talk through my own doubts/hesitancies helped me understand how helpful a career coach can be and I truly appreciate it. My time with Adrianne has helped me look forward to entering my new career with confidence, pride, and excitement!"

    Atul Sarathy

  • "The most valuable aspect of the coaching partnership is being able to openly and candidly share my challenges as I work through my career goal. Adrianne is great at eliciting questions seamlessly and also capturing the essence of what I am trying to say so eloquently and effortlessly. That in itself allowed me to grow and learn in addition to facing my fears and challenging them."

    Anonymous

  • "I worked with Adrianne as a leadership coach. Her innate ability to tap into a person's strengths, fears, hopes is unmatched."

    Jessica Turchet

  • "Adrianne is very knowledgeable, friendly, and reassuring. I've never completed any kind of coaching before, and was very intimidated, but she has helped me keep an open mind, and approach from a place of curiosity, instead of anxiety. Highly recommend!"

    Elizabeth Cowan

  • "I recommend Adrianne's services because she deeply listens and asks thoughtful questions. This helps build awareness of my strengths, provides a new perspective and fuels my action for growth."

    Jenny Christian

  • "Adrianne is really excellent at asking thought provoking questions that get to the root of the issue."

    Anonymous

  • "1-1 leadership coaching with Adrianne has made a tremendous difference in my day to day work. I approach situations with a positive outlook and account for everyone's perspective and input. Adrianne has given me confidence in my own leadership skillset and given me confidence to believe in myself and the perspective I bring to the table in technical discussions and decisions."

    Anonymous

  • “During my initial coaching session with Adrianne we were able to identify barriers to change that I had previously overlooked. She helped me to clarify next steps and challenged me to be accountable with my actions. Adrianne’s communication style is calm and encouraging which makes her an excellent coach. I would definitely recommend her services.”

    Lauren Angelica Brook, Public Relations Leader