Dr. DeShondra Smith is the Founder & CEO of Cultured Innovations, which was created to address many of the organizational issues she has experienced in her career.

Her expertise includes organizational development, leadership development, evaluation,personal development, workplace learning, facilitation, coaching, and motivational speaking.

Dr. Smith worked in Durham, New Hanover, and Brunswick County schools for 13 years, supporting critical stakeholders within the public school system as an educator, advisor, and member of district leadership teams. She then worked in higher education asan Evaluator at Western Governors University and a University Supervisor at East Carolina University. Deciding to shift her focus upon receiving her doctorate in leadership and professional practice, she worked as a consultant and Training Manager for a consulting firm where she was the driving force that developed the firm’s training arm by building, facilitating, and delivering customized training and cohort programs fornonprofits of all sizes across the country.

Dr. D, as she is affectionately called by former students and clients, has a servant’s heart, which guides her collaborative, people-centric approach with her primary focus onempowering others.

She is a Brunswick County native, having grown up on the beautiful coast of Southport, NC. Today, she lives in Bolivia with her amazing husband, Brion.

Sonya Peele is a transformational coach, speaker, trainer, author, and leader.  She is the owner and executive coach of Work It Girl CTC: Coaching, Training and Consulting. Where she helps her customers engage their customers to close the sale, because business doesn’t moved forward without it.  They are sales and training professionals.  

 For more than 20 years she has been lifting leaders and helping propel professionals into their destiny. With her Reposition System she specializes in helping women identify obstacles and formulating a plan to achieve their goals. Her Sales App process is designed to help businesses successfully level up and move forward. 

As a multi-national award-winning sales and marketing executive Sonya has more than 30 year’s experience in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and business industries with some of the nations top Fortune 100 companies.  She has experienced great success as a sales trainer, facilitator, director, manager and entrepreneur helping others find success personally and in business.  

She is passionate about lifting leaders and helping women achieve success while experiencing joy in the process.