Frame Shift Consulting specializes in ally skills training that people love. We are the leading provider of ally skills training and ally skills facilitator training worldwide.
Since 2016, we have trained more than more than 4000 people internationally in 11 countries, including Mexico, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Ukraine, and across the U.S. We have also taught more than 350 people to lead the Ally Skills Workshop. Many of the world’s ally skills facilitators were trained by us and use the materials we developed.
Our clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Microsoft, Airbnb, and Square, as well as startups, conferences, universities, law firms, and non-profits. Learn more about us from testimonials and our selected press.
To get a quote for our ally skills training and train-the-trainers, use our contact form.
Facilitator
Kendall “Boo Boo” Howse is an award-winning designer, marketing strategist, and DEI leader in the technology sector. He has been teaching the Ally Skills Workshop since 2018. He became Frame Shift’s lead facilitator in 2023 after 5 years of working closely with the founder, Valerie Aurora. He brings particular expertise in anti-racism as well as ally skills to leading both the Ally Skills Workshop and the Ally Skills Workshop Train-the-trainers. Kendall is an accomplished speaker and has been an activist and advocate for more than 25 years, focusing on practical anti-racism strategies. He is also an artist, writer, and musician who has lived, worked, or performed across the U.S. and around the world. Learn more about Kendall here.
Founder
Valerie Aurora is the primary author of the Ally Skills Workshop and the Ally Skills Workshop Train-the-trainers. Beginning in 2012, she taught ally skills to thousands of people around the world. Since 2015 she has trained more than 350 ally skills facilitators. She is the co-founder and former executive director of the Ada Initiative, a non-profit that supported women in open technology and culture, as well as the lead author of “Responding to Code of Conduct Reports.” As of 2023, she is retired from ally skills and code of conduct training.
Clients
Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Microsoft, Airbnb, and Square to 10-person startups, as well as biotech companies, law firms, conferences, non-profits, and universities.
Testimonials
“Can we get more training like that?” —Anonymous workshop participant
“Val and Kendall were incredibly warm, welcoming hosts that made me feel comfortable enough to speak up about what are typically uncomfortable topics.” — Anonymous workshop participant
“Armed with the very actionable tools supplied in the workshop I feel empowered to address things which I might in the past have let go. The strategies from co-workers as well as Valerie and Kendall were simple to implement and will become easier to use with practice. ” — Anonymous workshop participant
“Overall, I thought this format was great and appreciated the opportunity for small-group break outs, as well as coming back together to sync up as a larger group guided by a facilitator. I found myself taking a lot more notes than I expected because there were so many phrases and strategies that I wanted to remember and apply to my daily life. I also really liked both [Kendall and Valerie who] both had very thoughtful responses to all of our questions and it was clear that [they were] both subject matter experts.”— Anonymous workshop participant
“The workshop helped build confidence amongst individuals on the team to take practical everyday steps […] to create an inclusive culture. I would recommend it to any team, as a regular practice, to take the workshop and learn some new skills.” — Brandon Philips, CTO and co-founder of CoreOS
“Loved the format, it was super interactive and didn’t feel like a drag, 3 hours just flew by.” — Anonymous participant
“We’ve run the [Ally Skills Workshop] 4 times and the impact has been fantastic. This workshop has been the catalyst for many ‘a-ha’ moments. People who understood bias exists in a very logical way, were able to see, through the conversation with peers about the very relevant scenarios, and connect emotionally with the impact bias has on the colleagues they respect and interact with daily.” — Anonymous participant
The session was fun, welcoming, and intuitive. The experience of the trainer and depth of information provided in the materials gave me confidence that I could, with practice, also offer this training. — Amy Sawyer
The train-the-trainers was intimate and hands-on. I got to practice the skills I’d need to teach while benefitting from Valerie’s and others’ experience with presenting. I also made connections that I hope may mature into opportunities for collaboration in the future. — Dr. Sheila Addison, professional ally skills trainer
Press
Articles about Frame Shift Consulting and the Ally Skills Workshop have appeared in USA Today, The Guardian, The Cut, TechCrunch, and the Toronto Star. The ally skills training in all of these articles was provided either directly by Frame Shift or by facilitators we trained.
Our code of conduct work was featured in Business Insider.
Our talk explaining The Paradox of Tolerance for tech companies was covered in an article by Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing.
Frame Shift Consulting 