Sonja Pemberton is a captivating professional speaker and a transformational catalyst. Her relaxed and engaging style resonates with audiences, allowing new insights and perspectives. For over 30 years, she has been privileged to lead, mentor, and coach across all career levels and generations, working with startups to Fortune 100 companies. The cornerstone of Sonja’s success has been her NeuroConscious™ Framework, which is designed for long-term, sustainable behavioral change.
Sonja Pemberton, MA-OMD, RTC
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
Growing up as an only child in a non-traditional household in the 1960s, I became aware very early in life that I was different not just due to my family structure but because of several societal factors: my gender, socioeconomic status, and race. I watched as the women in my life navigated their challenges and triumphs with dignity, no matter the obstacles and, in some cases, barriers they had to overcome. As a result, the lens through which I viewed and experienced the world from an early age has informed and guided my life choices.
I also knew my life path would require learning to be steadfast in my commitment to overcoming the perceived societal expectations of who I was and what I could become. I grew up with powerful females who modeled not to adhere to any societal rhetoric that was not aligned with what I knew was possible for me.
And that inspired what I speak about to organizations and anyone who will listen!
We are WHAT we think, Not what we THINK we are.
Can you share the inspiration behind starting your business?
My most valuable life lesson was understanding that my focus must be on managing my mind and not the situation, which is counterintuitive to how we are taught to problem solve and what continues to inspire my work today.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
For years, we have been taking an intellectual approach to large-scale initiatives, which is not sustainable. When we understand the power of a transformational, transcendent process, the change we want to see in the world becomes possible. This would require transformation at the individual level, which entails becoming more aware of who we are as humans and learning to navigate our three-dimensional human operating system, which I call the C.A.B.; the Cognitive – our thoughts; the Affective – our feelings; and the Behavioral - our actions.
In doing so, we each take personal social responsibility for change. For that to happen, we must understand how our most valuable human resource, our brain, works. Our brain is the master of the human operating system. Once we know how to make it a powerful ally, we can enact change in any area of our lives and subsequently affect organizations, communities, and society.
Could you provide an overview of the main products or services offered through your business?
As a NeuroConscious strategist, my work is an interplay between social science, adult development theory, and neuroscience. The goal is to drive large-scale behavior change for organizations, communities, and society using a NeuroConscious framework. For any initiative to be successful, we must first begin at the individual level. I work with organizations interested in designing initiatives that result in long-term sustainable change. Whether it's leadership development, employee engagement, retention, inclusion and belonging, or wellness programs, the answer lies in going beyond the intellectual approach, which is focused solely on changing our thinking. The key to any behavioral change is understanding the cohesive power of the C.A.B. and allowing it to drive the desired change.
How do you engage with your audience and community?
First and foremost, I am a speaker. It is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my career. I've been fortunate to speak in a variety of settings and interact with professionals from the C-suite to individual contributors from many industries. These opportunities have led to facilitating engaging workshops and coaching leaders across cultures and generations.
What are your plans for the future development of your business? Are there any upcoming features, products, or innovations that your audience can look forward to?
I am very excited about curating a global membership community for organizations that will provide ongoing support to their employees for their work with the NeuroConscious™ Change Framework. The membership community is an international brain trust made up of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) that collaborate to ensure workplaces are inclusive environments where all individuals are valued and respected and empowered to contribute to the innovation needed to enhance and sustain their organizations long-term.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
Named a motivational speaker to watch in 2022, I continue to forge a path beyond what society says is my working life. Like other women who are in their third chapter of life, who have spent most of their adult lives balancing many responsibilities from raising children, managing households, and building careers/businesses as we actively engaged in our communities, I am FINALLY in the PRIME of my life, blazing new trails while modeling and empowering younger generations to also live life on their terms!
