About Imani
Over the last decade Imani has worked at the intersection of education, social care, civic and organisational leadership, impact and justice; she has played many roles such as, frontline responder, disrupter, builder and guide.
Imani Clough-Brown is a highly skilled youth participation design strategist, with expertise in character education, leadership development, coaching, facilitation, and intergenerational working. She is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Imani Academy & Co, a leadership consultancy dedicated to supporting organisations to effectively implement youth informed and youth led initiatives; from community projects to governance, whilst centering care and equity in her work.
Imani combines her professional experience with knowledge from her training with The Management Centre; (Managing to Change the World, Management for leaders in social justice and educational equity organisations), (The Somatic School); Body Orientated Coaching, for Leadership, Justice, and Liberation. Her professional publications include Character Education Handbook: mentoring through Character Education. She has featured on a number of different podcasts, one being Professor Kathryn Rileys’, UCL, Let’s hear it for school belonging podcast; you can listen to episode 3 to hear Imani and students explore the value of experiencing a sense of belonging in school. She has been a panelist at the NEC Food and drink Expo, under the insightful theme of "Fostering an Inclusive Workplace Culture," sharing thought leadership around advocating for young people in the workplace.
Imani also works with Act Build Change, supporting community organisers as the Membership Manager and Coaching Lead. She is currently an Alliance for Youth Organising Member, with the Civic Power Fund.
Imani was born and grew up in Birmingham and went to Nottingham Trent University, where she received a BA Hons in Youth Justice (2011-2014). She went onto complete an MA in Character Education from the University of Birmingham in 2017-2020.A 1-year youth participation project for Joint Nature Conservation Committee, to equip staff with the knowledge and understanding of youth participation principles, supporting them to build a youth participation strategy fit for purpose for youth and the organisation.
Other ways to work with Imani
Keynote speaker and panelists
Imani is an experienced keynote speaker and panelist and caters to audiences of all sizes. Popular topics include: social entrepreneurship, youth leadership, inclusion and participation, culture of work and belonging.
Imani Clough-Brown joined the Balanceology team at a recent panel discussion on stage at the NEC, as part of the Food & Drink Expo 2024.
Under the insightful theme of "Fostering an Inclusive Workplace Culture," Imani participated in an enlightening panel discussion, sharing thought leadership around advocating for young people in the workplace. Imani brought invaluable expertise to the conversation, offering thought-provoking insights and fostering meaningful dialogue on the important themes of diversity and inclusion.
Throughout the session, Imani's adept facilitation ensured that the audience remained engaged and empowered. Her ability to navigate complex subjects with clarity and compassion was fantastic.
The panel's comprehensive exploration of intersectionality and workplace dynamics left attendees equipped with a deeper understanding of underlying issues and their implications. By highlighting the importance of inclusivity and prioritising well-being in organisational culture, Imani demonstrated her commitment to driving positive change.
In summary, Imani played a significant role in this panel and her expertise, passion, and dedication for creating inclusive environments shines through. I can highly recommend her as a knowledgeable, skillful engaging speaker.
Jayne Morris MCC, UK's Leading Executive Burnout Coach. Offering Award Winning Burnout Prevention & Recovery Retreats for Senior Leaders. Author of Burnout to Brilliance.
The UK Food & Drink Expo - Staff wellbeing: Fostering an Inclusive Workplace Culture.
Coach and Facilitator
Imani is a certified Body-Oriented Coach, currently pursuing her ICF accreditation. She helps social entrepreneurs and solo founders align their life and work, taking an anti-hustle approach to business growth. Through somatic practices, Imani guides clients from hustle to alignment, addressing challenges like cyclical living, burnout, energy management, and sustainable growth. As a trained facilitator and entrepreneur, she also designs and supports cohort learning programs for startup founders.
Hatch Enterprise Programme Facilitator. Somatic Well-being and Alignment Coach at Align, don’t hustle.
Imani facilitated a programme I was managing and held the space for the participants so well. This was particularly evident during a session where the founders were expressing dissatisfaction about a workshop someone else had delivered to them.
Imani gave the participants time to reflect and openly discuss their thoughts, whilst also refocusing them on what they could take from the session and making sure their feedback was constructive.
Imani's facilitated session resulted in the participants leaving what could have been a negative session, with some real insights and positive steps they could take forward.
Imani's ability to hold the space, guide the session and adapt as necessary makes her an awesome facilitator.
Norvie Dzimega
Having Imani as a coach is something that brought me benefits beyond what I could have imagined. She helped me identify some patterns of behaviors that were not serving me and supported me in creating/integrating practices into my life that have helped me a lot professionally and personally. Her coaching style, which is a lot focused on leading with questions that invite us to reflect deeper on what's already with us, is very focused on our real needs and challenges, which worked beautifully for me. I really liked the somatic coaching tools she used with me, constellation being one of them, because it takes into account what our body is telling us, as well as our mind. I loved being coached by someone who recognises the importance of this balance and the role it plays in our decisions and experiences. Working with Imani will help you find clarity and direction in your professional and personal life, all with great care and holistic support.
Letícia Usanovich, Learning Designer & Facilitator (Freelancer)