About Us
Who we are
We are Shantelle Thompson, Lilian Musyawa Kikuvi & Gemma Saunders, also known as BBTC. We we help organizations create cultures of belonging and respect.
Rooted in First Nations, Kenyan, and Queer ways of knowing and being, BBTC empowers organisations to lead inclusively and thrive in a fast-changing world.
We deliver immersive programs at
We are Shantelle Thompson, Lilian Musyawa Kikuvi & Gemma Saunders, also known as BBTC. We we help organizations create cultures of belonging and respect.
Rooted in First Nations, Kenyan, and Queer ways of knowing and being, BBTC empowers organisations to lead inclusively and thrive in a fast-changing world.
We deliver immersive programs at the intersection of Leadership, Workplace Culture, and DEI, grounded in ancestral knowledge and aligned with today’s organisational realities.
By blending cultural wisdom with contemporary practice, we create learning experiences that spark engagement, deepen connection, and drive lasting impact. Our programs close capability and confidence gaps by:
- Strengthening critical leadership and DEI skills
- Preparing teams for the future of work
- Enhancing the human–tech partnership
Our approach isn’t a 'new solution'. It is based on approaches that have existed and been practiced for thousands of years – through brave conversations and storytelling.
Our unique pillars
Anchored in our cultural pillars of Yarning, Kiki, and Harambee, we help organisations build capability, shift behaviours, and lead transformation from the inside out.
Pillar One: Yarning – Storytelling to foster empathy and build connection
Rooted in First Nations traditions of deep listening and shared storytelling, Yarning creates sp
Anchored in our cultural pillars of Yarning, Kiki, and Harambee, we help organisations build capability, shift behaviours, and lead transformation from the inside out.
Pillar One: Yarning – Storytelling to foster empathy and build connection
Rooted in First Nations traditions of deep listening and shared storytelling, Yarning creates space for honest connection—where lived experiences are honoured, biases are unpacked, and new insights are co-created.
Pillar Two: Kiki — Gathering to have brave conversations
Kiki is inspired by the queer tradition of open dialogue format where real, often uncomfortable questions are explored with honesty, curiosity, and care. Rather than speaking on behalf of communities, participants share their lived experiences, breaking down barriers and deepening collective understanding.
This pillar creates safe and courageous spaces to tackle the complexities of leadership, workplace culture, and DEI head-on .
Pillar Three: Harambee — Joining efforts to achieve a common goal
Rooted in the Kenyan principle of Harambee - “joining efforts to achieve a common goal”—this pillar centres collective responsibility, systems thinking, and collaborative leadership. In the organisational context, Harambee strengthens alignment between individual actions, team collaboration, and strategic goals across leadership, workplace culture, and DEI.
Harambee invites participants to explore four powerful questions that unlock inclusive systems and shared accountability.
Our promise & offerings
Our promise & offerings
Our promise is to shift people from mandate to movement by crafting moments of connection, belonging and collective change. We address the key capability gaps at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, and DEI.
We will meet you where you are at and deliver impact via our signature offerings:
- Signature Workshops (1.5–4 hours)
- A
Our promise is to shift people from mandate to movement by crafting moments of connection, belonging and collective change. We address the key capability gaps at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, and DEI.
We will meet you where you are at and deliver impact via our signature offerings:
- Signature Workshops (1.5–4 hours)
- Activator Program (8 weeks)
- Equity Impact Assessments (EIA) (2 week sprints)
We support individuals and teams to lead with inclusion, foster respectful cultures, and embed equity across systems, behaviours, and decision-making.
Check out our services page for more information.
The BECOMING BETTER TOGETHER COLLECTIVE PRACTICE
Our signature practice
One thing we are deeply proud of is our ability to co-create impact by following a few critical steps. Here's what we do, together:
- Understand your baseline. Where are you people at? What do they feel, know, do, experience, want, expect and understand?
- Co-design a solution based on our successful program framework.
- Deliver a bespoke offering that will ignite individual agency and foster cultures of respect and belonging in the workplace.
- Generate organisational and individual action planning that spark accountability.
- Offer a toolkit that supports action and keeps the fire burning.
- Evaluate the experience and the impact.
We support individuals and teams to lead with inclusion, foster respectful cultures, and embed equity across systems, behaviours, and decision-making.
Every experience is shaped by the 3H Model, drawn from The Fearless DEI Practitioner:
- Head – Evidence and insight to understand the ‘why’
- Heart – Empathy and storytelling to build trust
- Hands – Tools and actions to lead meaningful change
The Context
Together, we need to accelerate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) outcomes by consulting and offering DEI training. Despite the cupcakes, hashtags, black squares on social media and unconscious bias training, we have not closed these vital gaps. By leveraging the ancient practices of storytelling and conversation, we guide people from a fear of getting it wrong to one of responsibility: we all have to address historical and current inequities & barriers. The slow pace of change calls us to do things differently. To go back to our roots. We are living in a century of advancements and human progress. If we can achieve this in other spaces, why can't we revolutionize our workplaces?
We have the capability. We have the desire.
Let’s become better, together.
Who we have worked with
