2025: A Tough Year of Building and Blessings
Wed Dec 24 2025
Seems befitting that a I leverage AI for my end-of-year wrap up, in a year where I integrated AI into my coach-facilitator and C-suite advisement practice. Her Next Power Move is officially in hiatus until the New Year, so take a listen to the podcast created with the data I fed the platform to create the audio and the visuals you see here.
This year wasn’t about visibility.It was about validity.I spent 2025 heads down—researching, testing, translating, and pressure-checking ideas in real leadership environments. No big splash. No rush to summarize the work before it was ready.This visual is a glimpse into Call & Response, the book's core premise and a framework rooted in cultural wisdom, applied science, and lived leadership practice translated into modern theory. Years of interviews. Nearly 200 citations. A lot of listening.A decade from concept to publication.And to think, it all started in 2016 when someone asked, "Where'd you learn to speak like that?" when writing a book about this was furthest from my mind!This isn't a trend. It's a sustainable body of work.Universities, companies and churches are already asking about curriculum.If you're also interested, I've got you. Just reach out.Educators: my publishers will work with you on text books, we're already receiving requests.
Alongside that work, I stayed in the classroom and in the field:– Continuing as adjunct faculty with the Executive Leadership Council Institute– Joining the faculty at The CaPP Institute to help prepare certified coaches for their ICF credentials– Onboarding as an Academy Partner with The Academy for Advancing Excellence as a coach and facilitatorNo big splash. Just alignment.The infographic I’m sharing is a snapshot of what that kind of year actually produces when you commit to substance over noise: leaders coached, insights delivered, programs built, and ideas translated into scalable impact.This wasn’t a year of visibility.It was a year of positioning.And I’m entering the next chapter clear, grounded, and ready.Next year, my team and I shift gears. Who's ready to join me?2026, let's go!
Call and Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church is a collaboration between Amistad Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing, the oldest and most storied publisher of Black voices in the nation and JVL Media, the imprint of Viola Davis, Julius Tennon and Lavaille Lavette.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe
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Seems befitting that a I leverage AI for my end-of-year wrap up, in a year where I integrated AI into my coach-facilitator and C-suite advisement practice. Her Next Power Move is officially in hiatus until the New Year, so take a listen to the podcast created with the data I fed the platform to create the audio and the visuals you see here. This year wasn’t about visibility.It was about validity.I spent 2025 heads down—researching, testing, translating, and pressure-checking ideas in real leadership environments. No big splash. No rush to summarize the work before it was ready.This visual is a glimpse into Call & Response, the book's core premise and a framework rooted in cultural wisdom, applied science, and lived leadership practice translated into modern theory. Years of interviews. Nearly 200 citations. A lot of listening.A decade from concept to publication.And to think, it all started in 2016 when someone asked, "Where'd you learn to speak like that?" when writing a book about this was furthest from my mind!This isn't a trend. It's a sustainable body of work.Universities, companies and churches are already asking about curriculum.If you're also interested, I've got you. Just reach out.Educators: my publishers will work with you on text books, we're already receiving requests. Alongside that work, I stayed in the classroom and in the field:– Continuing as adjunct faculty with the Executive Leadership Council Institute– Joining the faculty at The CaPP Institute to help prepare certified coaches for their ICF credentials– Onboarding as an Academy Partner with The Academy for Advancing Excellence as a coach and facilitatorNo big splash. Just alignment.The infographic I’m sharing is a snapshot of what that kind of year actually produces when you commit to substance over noise: leaders coached, insights delivered, programs built, and ideas translated into scalable impact.This wasn’t a year of visibility.It was a year of positioning.And I’m entering the next chapter clear, grounded, and ready.Next year, my team and I shift gears. Who's ready to join me?2026, let's go! Call and Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church is a collaboration between Amistad Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing, the oldest and most storied publisher of Black voices in the nation and JVL Media, the imprint of Viola Davis, Julius Tennon and Lavaille Lavette. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe