Meet Pamela Larde: College Professor, Entrepreneur & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pamela Larde and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pamela, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Not only am I a risk-taker, I am a radical risk-taker. I know of no other way to live. Every phase of my personal and professional life consists of me taking a major leap of some sort with nothing more than a vision of how I might land. Sometimes, my landings fall short, and other times, I far exceed my expectations, but in every case, I grow in ways that make me want to find another opportunity to leap. Risk-taking can be scary, but I truly don’t see how to make it from level of living to the next without taking a chance. As a young single mom, I took major risks by leaving home on a whim to pursue a college education with my 10-month old son by my side. Those were the most crucial years of my life as I had to navigate life on my own, juggling three jobs with a full schedule of classes, and no secure housing for months after my arrival. My son and I slept on the couches and floors of kind strangers until I could secure a place of our own. Those years showed me everything I was capable of accomplishing. I have since taken risks to purchase homes, to pursue my education, to become a college professor, to start businesses, and to reclaim my life with a schedule and boundaries that work for me as a mother and a professional. It has taken the risk of standing up for myself, financial risks, and even security risks, but all of it has been absolutely worth it and risks I will boldly take again.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am the founder and president of the Academy of Creative Coaching. I am very proud of our brilliant team and of the amazing work we do training and certifying coaches all over the world. We are currently the only black female owned school that is fully accredited by the International Coach Federation. What also sets us apart is the makeup of our team and our intentionally socially conscious curriculum, which intentionally challenges our students to explore deep concepts such as cultural humility, implicit bias, nonviolent communication, and the impact of trauma, to name just a few areas. Our team is made up of a beautifully diverse group of experts who bring a wealth of experience and unique perspectives to the table. I am proud that we have a company culture of care and that, based on the feedback, is so impactful that it is felt by our students as they matriculate through our training programs. We got to where we are today with consistency. There were some really difficult seasons as this company was being built, but I was blessed enough to have some really great team members come on board early on who were all willing to do whatever it took to bring this vision to life. There were many days when I wanted to quit and let it all go, and they refused to co-sign on that idea. So we kept pushing, and over time, we started growing. The greatest lesson I have learned from this experience is that consistency is everything. You build trust, momentum, strength, experience, and respect when you remain consistent. I want the world to know that are committed to being a socially responsible company committed to making a positive impact in the community. We are currently foraging a partnership with an overseas women’s prison that would enable us to offer coaching training with the vision of improving the inmates’ quality of life during and after time spent in prison.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am in the Atlanta area and I love the options in the city to explore the arts, including theaters, summer outdoor concerts, the amazing restaurants, and entertainment attractions. Over the course of a week, we would visit the best brunch locations during the day, explore the rooftop restaurants in the evenings, visit museums during the days, and maybe take a couple of days to explore some nearby nature spots, like the Blue Ridge Mountains or lake Oconee. We would do it all. And then… we would find a really nice resort, like Chateau Elan to just chill, get massages, and unwind. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to the family and friends who have been constant sources of support for me, even when they don’t understanding why or what the heck I am doing.

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