In this interview, we sit down with Haileigh Nelson, Founding Creative of (in)Visible Legacy, a social impact business focused on liberation for Black, Brown, and QTLGTSI+ people through creative practices. (in)Visible Legacy's mission is to support individuals, organizations, and communities in achieving equity and liberation by centering creativity. Their approach is rooted in the idea that transformation starts from within and radiates outward, impacting all facets of society. (i)VL provides personalized coaching, group visioning, consulting, and facilitation services all tailored to unique client needs. Ultimately, (i)VL aims to empower individuals and communities to drive social change by connecting to their inherent creative potential.
Haileigh Nelson, Founding Creative
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life so we can get to know you better.
Hey y’all! My name is Haileigh Nelson, and I am from New York by way of California. I am a Black, Queer, GNC individual passionate about engaging in creativity as a pathway for social change. I am a lover of all things basketball, sewing, and fashion design, a proud Leigh Leigh to seven amazing nibblings, a sensitive soul, and a transgressive educator who pushes the boundaries of learning.
I am the middle child of three, with an older sister and a younger brother. My first memory of creative expression is from when I was around five or six years old. I remember curating my outfits and even styling my hair. I loved putting together clashing patterns and bold colors. My family used to laugh and question my outfit choices, thinking they didn’t make sense. But they were also supportive and encouraged my creative expression. Despite their lack of understanding, I knew my curations made sense to me. More importantly, I felt good in my body. I didn’t know it at the time, but this practice of commitment and determination, adorning my body with what I liked, was a foreshadowing of what would guide my future work.
Currently, in my free time, I can most likely be found somewhere reading a book. I recently found a t-shirt in a small bookshop back home that says, “I’d rather be reading,” and I don’t think any other article of clothing I own makes me feel more seen, haha! I also enjoy a nice, long morning sensory walk with my puppy, cuddling on the couch with my partner and a warm drink, and spending time in intentional community with family and friends.
What inspired you to start (in)Visible Legacy and focus on working with individuals and communities committed to social change?
(in)Visible Legacy is a social impact and equity consulting small business dedicated to fostering systemic change and liberation for Black, Brown, and QTLGTSI+ people. (i)VL’s founding principle is that creativity and innovation are our most powerful tools for change. I started (i)VL in 2022 after working for over a decade in nonprofit, healthcare, and city government settings. In my experience, change efforts rooted in existing structures, most of them, in fact, often fell short of meeting the needs of people and communities most impacted by systems of oppression. Furthermore, as I felt like I was swimming upstream, I noticed that my health and well-being were taking a toll. As I grew in my career and learned more about systems, I knew that more was possible. What many saw as “radical” ideas about change, I understood as getting to the core of the matter—aiming to address root causes. I also knew that conventional methods were not enough to dismantle these deep-rooted structures of oppression.
With this knowing, I decided to trust my body, lean into fear and the unknown, and move toward what felt aligned for me. I sat down at my sewing machine and began to create. I took classes to learn and be in community with folks who were also creating in this way. Through these experiences, my deep-seated passion for fashion and design became the unexpected catalyst for a new path forward. Sewing and creating clothing allowed me to reconnect with myself and tap into an ancestral practice that felt both grounding and liberating. This creative process revealed the power of imagination and embodiment in driving personal and social change. Fashion design was not just a hobby; it was a metaphor for the larger vision of (in)Visible Legacy, a space where creativity and collaboration pave the way for liberation and equity. It became clear to me that somewhere at the intersection of creativity, community, and systems lies social change. And thus, (in)Visible Legacy was born.
One thing my prior experiences taught me is that focusing solely on external change without minding the internal has the potential to mask us from ourselves and hide what we choose not to see. At (i)VL, we understand that social and personal transformation must happen together. Centering creativity as our most powerful tool for change, we partner with organizations, communities, and individuals committed to liberation, equity, and systemic change. We do this through our Visioning services, individual and group coaching that unlocks creativity, empowers personal and social impact, and strengthens community for transformative change; our Culture Change Consulting services, which support organizations in identifying measurable outcomes to assess where they are and align with where they want to be; and our facilitation services, which include workshops and group facilitation aimed at building collaboration, empowering communities, and creating equitable systems. All of our services center creativity as a catalyst for change and acknowledge each of us as creative beings. By tapping into our inherent creativity, we build collective power and create change with the potential to ripple throughout society.
How do you tailor your services to meet the unique needs of each client?
It's really all about recognizing that one size does not fit all. Oppressive systems benefit from applying a single formula to all situations, teaching students in one way or offering the same medical advice to different clients with the same health concern, for example. At (i)VL, we acknowledge and value that each client, whether an individual, an organization, or a community, comes with unique challenges and aspirations. While the end goal may be the same, the pathway to get there will vary greatly.
To meet these diverse needs, our service offerings are customizable and flexible. We conduct initial visioning calls with new clients to understand where they are and what they are looking for. From the very beginning, we are rooted in our values. Our visioning calls are fun and engaging while also allowing us to gain insight into what is happening for folks. From there, we discuss our services and collaboratively determine which options may best meet the client’s needs. We then co-create individualized plans, whether a coaching structure, a scope of work for consulting, or a group facilitation model, to support our work. Additionally, throughout our partnership, we continuously check in, revisit the plan, and make adjustments as needed. Our foundations remain the same: centering creativity, examining systems, structures, and processes, and envisioning where we want to go, all with the goal of achieving both individual and social change. What shifts are the methods and tools we use to get there, all shaped by the unique entity we are collaborating with.
What impact do you hope your work has on families, communities, and society overall?
At (i)VL, our work is rooted in the belief that true transformation starts from within and radiates outward, creating a ripple effect across all facets of society. We envision a world where people are more connected to their bodies and creative sources, tapping into their innate ability to create pathways toward collective liberation.
Our mission is to support individuals, organizations, and communities in fostering equity and collective liberation through creative and embodied practices. In alignment with our mission and vision, our work aims to impact families, communities, and society in several ways:
Empowering individuals: Through personalized coaching, we help individuals unlock their creativity, access their power, and achieve personal growth. This can lead to greater self-awareness, connection, and empowerment. Our individual visioning sessions are designed to support self-expression and help people navigate life’s challenges with confidence, using creative expression as a pathway to broader social transformation.
Strengthening communities: Through group visioning sessions, we support collective goals, enhance creativity, and strengthen community bonds for transformative social change. We believe that communities provide the support and resources needed to achieve shared goals. By fostering a deep connection with ourselves and learning to listen to our needs, we can better understand the needs of our communities, creating a more compassionate and equitable world.
Transforming organizations: We provide thoughtful consulting services to help organizations reimagine their culture, fostering environments conducive to furthering equity and systemic transformation. This includes implementing meaningful and sustainable culture change, operationalizing equity action plans, and fostering a sense of unity, trust, and collaboration.
Promoting collective liberation: (i)VL envisions a world where people can develop embodied creative practices and collaborate with others committed to liberation, equity, and systemic change. We believe that collective action is more powerful than individual efforts alone and that liberation does not happen in isolation. By better understanding our bodies and working collaboratively, communities can amplify their impact, expand their creative potential, and create a supportive network that nurtures growth and progress.
Shifting societal norms: Last, but certainly not least, we aim to challenge the status quo and create pathways to freedom and justice by embracing the power of imagination to envision a world free from oppression and inequity. Our work is rooted in the belief that creativity is a powerful force for transformation and that by tapping into inherent creativity, people can unlock new possibilities for personal and collective growth. By living liberation—which, for us, means embodying our humanity in our daily lives—we aim to foster systemic change from within.
Let’s create!
Thank you so much for sitting down with me for this interview! Remember that everyone is inherently creative and capable of driving social change. If you are curious about how engaging your creative self might support you or your organization, please reach out to (in)Visible Legacy today and schedule your free visioning call!
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