Black women are still being left behind.
As Seen in…
Next Up! U.S. Air Force Academy National Character and Leadership Symposium
The annual National Character and Leadership Symposium is a flagship event on character and leadership held at the U.S. Air Force Academy. It brings together distinguished scholars, military leaders, corporate executives and world-class athletes to motivate and equip participants for honorable living and effective leadership.
The 2022 National Character and Leadership Symposium (NCLS) will be a hybrid event held at the U.S. Air Force Academy on February 24-25, 2022. The symposium will offer a combination of in-person and virtual sessions. This year’s theme is Ethics and Respect for Human Dignity which will focus on helping leaders of character comprehend moral knowledge and ethical alternatives, respect the dignity of all persons they encounter, and use ethical judgment in moral decision making. Our speakers will share their own experience with the character and leadership implications of making ethical decisions, overcoming bias, and promoting inclusivity, among other important topics.
Pick up Your Copy Today! You are Enough! Reclaiming Your Career and Your Life with Purpose, Passion, and Unapologetic Authenticity.
“One person’s survival story is another’s survival guide. This is not just a story of surviving but also
one of flourishing against all odds. ‘You Are Enough’ … is perfect for career-driven people, both men and women.
It is a true testament to self-discipline and being true to oneself.” Reader Views
one of flourishing against all odds. ‘You Are Enough’ … is perfect for career-driven people, both men and women.
It is a true testament to self-discipline and being true to oneself.” Reader Views
From renowned businesswoman and communications visionary Charlene Wheeless comes an inspiring memoir about facing life’s struggles with unrelenting courage and strength. Part memoir, part motivational guide, and a clear roadmap for thriving in career and in life, YOU ARE ENOUGH! draws from Wheeless’s experiences climbing the corporate ladder and battling breast cancer to illustrate life lessons for others. Personal recollections are used to demonstrate that women have to contend with a glass ceiling and for Black women, a concrete wall that makes it impossible even to see what lies on the other side, much less determine how to get there. Wheeless shares advice on how she navigated the route to reclaim her career and life. For Wheeless, this means busting up stereotypes, breaking down barriers, and flat-out refusing to be ignored, pigeonholed, or forgotten.
While YOU ARE ENOUGH! chronicles Charlene’s fearless quest to be her best, her story is everyone’s story regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender. With raw honesty, blazing courage, and solution-driven sensibility, Charlene reminds us that we are enough!
Alan Murray, CEO Fortune Magazine:
‘All those executives reading Isabel Wilkerson and Robin D’Angelo … now need to add Charlene Wheeless to their bedside tables. She offers a view of Corporate America that will open your eyes. The fact that she had to confront cancer as well only adds to this mini-memoir’s power.”
Net GALLEY Review:
“I know our community will be raving for this book and I can’t wait to hear and see many lives changed. We give this book five stars.”
Ways to get ‘You are Enough!
For the best reading experience of the download, read in two-page view.
We love Testimonials!
Brilliant Job
Charlene did a brilliant job planning for and facilitating a courageous conversation on race for a group of business and medical leaders convened by our firm. She prepared the panelists well, and brought out powerful stories and insights. She’s adept at covering potentially charged issues with sensitivity and grace, making everyone feel comfortable, even when covering uncomfortable topics.”
Dynamic Partner
Charlene combines business acumen and strategic thought to bring forward the best solutions to business challenges. I could always depend on Charlene to come up with a unique communication solution to a vexing business problem. She was a dynamic partner.”
Excellent and Engaging
“Charlene is an excellent and engaging speaker. Charlene possesses the confidence to challenge the status quo and propose constructive alternative viewpoints and approaches to challenges. This is not always easy to do, but it is a trait that sets Charlene apart, and one from which Bechtel has benefited.”
Photos by Heather Philbin Photography
My Story
Four years ago, at the height of my career, I was an executive at a multi-billion-dollar global company and living my best life. I was killing it! Or so I thought. While I was busy breaking down barriers and busting up stereotypes, my body was on its own journey, and I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I want to say it didn’t change my life; it just put it on pause. But that’s not what happened. As my projected seven-month treatment plan stretched into a more than three-year battle for my health, it was clear that things would never be the same. Cancer changed me, so I changed my world.
Today, I am an accelerant for other people’s success. In my work as a keynote speaker, author, and leadership and personal development coach, I delight audiences and help individuals and organizations chart a roadmap to success. I specialize in executive communications, presence and influence; diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the workplace; and people development. For career professionals, I help you find a saner way to climb. For everyday people, I support you in discovering a better — and happier — path in all facets of life while living and leading with purpose, passion, and unapologetic authenticity.
Whether you are looking for a keynote speaker for your next conference to educate and motivate your audience, a best-selling book for strategies and inspiration, or leadership, organizational and personal development coaching, I’m here. Let’s work together to find the fire to forge what’s next for you.
READ FORMAL BIO HERE
CHARLENE WHEELESS
RESILIENT. AUTHENTIC. UNSHAKEABLE.
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I’ve been sitting on this blog post for nearly two months. When I first wrote it, I was filled with optimism and ready to declare some semblance of a victory. But deep in my subconscious, I knew it wasn’t time to even hint at success, and I wasn’t sure optimism was warranted, either.
Rebuilding together after the insurrection
Since the seditious insurrection incited by the president last week, I’ve had two things on my mind. First, as a Black American, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as the insurrectionists scaled the walls of the Capitol, broke through its windows and doors and disrupted a sacred Constitutional process. My first thought was, if…
COVID-19 in 2021: Is Your Company Ready?
Authored by Charlene Wheeless, senior advisor for equity and justice at APCO Worldwide and Barie Carmichael, senior counselor at APCO Worldwide
Half and Half, Pt. 3
“In my adult life, I have approached most things from an intellectual perspective."
Half and Half, Part 1
“Growing up, being biracial wasn't "a thing." That didn't start until college.
When Will America Love Us Back?
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
