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Sara Minkara, LLC works to promote Authentic Leadership to drive strategic solutions through value-based inclusion.
During these interactive sessions, participants remove the lens of sight to gain greater vision. These experiences focus on discovering both the authentic self and the world in which we each live—as well as the relationship between the two—and the journey happens while participants are entirely blindfolded.
While the workshops are powerful in stand alone sessions, using them consecutively, exponentially increases the transformative effect. Moreover, taking them in sequence will lessen participant’s fear and biases that prevent belonging and connection (Inclusion in the Dark); harvesting communication and self-expression knowledge and skills to optimize open communication (Improv in the Dark); developing mutual trust and safe spaces for the open space to develop creative and thoughtful solutions to systemic issues (Design Thinking for Innovation in the Dark); and, recognition of personal power required for the engagement in adaptive self-leadership practices within diverse groups (Leadership in the Dark).
Why use the In The Dark Methodology? The answer is simple, but the impact is profound.
Series creator Sara Minkara had the unique experience of becoming Blind as a young child—and becoming keenly aware of how people treat each other based on appearances. For most people, visual cues trigger assumptions, conscious and unconscious alike, a near-instantaneous process that’s difficult to prevent. Sara, meanwhile, considers her blindness a sort of superpower because she avoids these visually cued judgments—and instead meets every person as they are.
But what if that process could be disrupted, or even reserved? How would it change the quality of human connections? Would it change how we evaluate ourselves?
There is a freedom in rejecting visual cues and in allowing people to connect without fear of judgment. That’s why the Discovery in the Dark series incorporates blindfolds: not to simulate blindness but to eliminate social constructs and support participants in finding—and using—their voices.
With Sara’s warm and expert facilitation, Discovery in the Dark participants connect more deeply with each other, adopt new social perspectives, and begin to really listen to others’ voices.
When we really “see” ourselves and each other—in the dark and otherwise—we become the best versions of ourselves at home, at work, and in our communities.
How does In The Dark Methodology Work? This methodology consists of a multi-layered serial intervention that addresses and transforms the misalignment of perspectives and expectations that prevent stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to engage in authentic collaborative practices that aim to successfully promote systemic social change. By embedding In The Dark Methodology as a core component of your organizational culture through leaders and team, a foundation will be established, reinforced, and secured that supports open communication, mutual comprehension, accurate reporting, and bilateral and collective agreements. As a result, the impact associated with multimember or intercultural projects will not only be organizational goal achievement, but also in the long-term mindset transformation of all core individuals associated with the foundational implementation of systemic authentic inclusion. All workshops are fully customizable to the needs of our clients and partners for their team’s needs.
Discovery in the Dark featuring In The Dark Methodology.
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Sara [They] provided a thought-provoking, unforgettable experience for our company. Sara worked closely with us to tailor the event to make it relevant to our employees with topics for conversation designed to address some of the challenges faced in our industry. From the first communication to the final execution of the event, their guidance and expertise were instrumental in making the dinner a huge success. While we know not to expect change overnight, [Discovery in The Dark] provided the groundwork for us to continue to encourage open and honest conversations amongst our employees in order to ultimately make our company stronger and more successful.
–Greg Eisner, President
Engineers Gate
I unconsciously label people much more than I realized. And when I do that, it limits what I share and how open I am with them. With this new awareness, I can share and build relationships with more value. Thank you for coming and leading that experience; I really value your mission and work to integrate communities in real time and real life. Global and local citizens need more common ground and [Sara] actively creates space for us to connect and understand each other in new ways.
–Teambuilding in the Dark Participant
AirBnB
It was perhaps the most unique experience I’ve had at an event. Dining in the Dark, and not being able to ask the traditional questions of who you are, where do you work, etc., led to my dinner companions having deeper and more meaningful conversations. I felt connected, even if only briefly, to the people around me in a way that you simply do not experience in a normal professional dinner.
-Dining in the Dark Participant
CompaUAE Embassy in Washington DC
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