Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Marmolejo.

Hi Nancy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

My first career was in education and I will always consider myself a teacher at heart. However, at a certain point, I realized that the K-12 classroom wasn’t where I would shine, I needed a different environment so I could be in my zone of genius. That’s when I left teaching to start my business focusing on coaching, training, and consulting.

Over the course of two decades, I’ve gone from individual coaching, then group coaching for small business owners, then live events, and in the last 7 years I’ve moved to working almost exclusively with organizations. We’re helping workplaces be cultures of belonging, and amplifying the voices of underrepresented people in organizations.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

“Smooth road” and “being a business owner” rarely go hand in hand! Being in this kind of business requires constant recalibration. You need to know what issues are affecting your clients and have distinctive and effective ways to help them get the peace they seek. Right now, those of us who do work that helps to promote inclusion and belonging in the workplace are dealing with unnecessary obstacles fomented by fear and lack of understanding. We’re in a huge pivoting stage but rest assured, our values of honoring each individual’s lived experience will always be solid.

We’ve been impressed with Talent and Genius, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Workplace conflicts drain time and resources. They can lead to a toxic culture and cost companies billions in lost productivity. This is my purpose: to build real connections through empathy and emotional intelligence, and to understand each other’s lived experiences.

We’re a boutique firm with 20 years of experience helping teams understand each other better, reduce conflict, and create a healthier workplace culture. What I love about our approach is that we customize how we work with clients and design tailored programs that resonate.

For example, we helped Native American aerospace engineers overcome cultural barriers around self-promotion, leading to career growth and higher salaries. And at a government agency, our DISC assessments helped reduce conflicts by giving teams the tools to understand each other’s communication styles.
At the end of the day, it’s about making the workplace more human.

How do we do it?
We offer training, consulting, coaching, and keynote presentations that spark transformation and inspire people to grow.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?

I do consider myself to be a lucky person, but much of my “luck” has come from being very intentional about what I do. I believe in the adage, “What you focus on expands”. I focus on attracting great clients who are mission-driven and forward-thinking; I focus on friends, colleagues, and clients sending perfectly matched referrals; I focus on maintaining a great reputation so more “luck” can come my way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://talentandgenius.com
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nancymarmolejo