I remember the day my oldest daughter was born, holding her in my arms and staring into her beautiful brown eyes. It was a mix of pure joy followed by a wave of panic. I just kept wondering… are they really going to let us leave the hospital with this new baby? As a first time parent I felt clueless about what I was supposed to do.
Ironically, I became a first time dad around the same time that I became a first time manager and I experienced a similar set of emotions. On the one had, I was excited for this new challenge to lead. Finally, I could test out all my leadership theories on my direct reports. On the other hand, I was completely untested as a manager. I’d been promoted for being great at my individual job, not for knowing how to lead people. Now we were all about to find out if I could actually lead.
In both cases, becoming a new father and a new manager, I had a steep learning curve. All I knew was that I wanted to do my best, and other people were depending on me to figure it out fast. Thankfully, with a lot of guidance (and a few humbling lessons), I did figure a few things out. And over time, I became deeply passionate about helping others do the same. Because here’s the truth: most managers are set up to fail.
You’ve probably heard the saying, people don’t quit jobs, they quit managers. And can you blame them? Every day, great employees are promoted without training or support. They’re expected to lead teams but have no roadmap. And it’s draining companies of time, money, and talent. Ultimately, that’s why we built ManagerEQ, to shorten the distance between a leader’s learning curve and their impact. Because the people waiting on you to lead don’t have time for you to figure it out.
Through years of training and coaching over 5,000 managers across industries—from education to tech to nonprofits—we developed a framework that drives measurable results: stronger teams, lower turnover, and higher engagement. To scale that impact, we turned our framework into an AI-powered e-learning platform.
Now, we’ve developed an app that is a digital solution for digital natives. It’s like Duolingo for Managers, but instead of learning a new language, they’re learning how to lead. It’s self directed. It’s gamified. It’s how the managers of tomorrow learn. Imagine if I had something like this at my fingertips when I was just starting out as a manager.
Now it’s time to share what we’ve built and we’re so excited to bring along the people who have supported our work.
This week we are being showcased as a part of the LIFT Incubator’s Founders Showcase at The Gathering Spot. LIFT is the first startup incubator led by the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, a partnership between Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the Black Economic Alliance. If you’re in Atlanta, you can register here to join us in person. (Spots are limited, so grab your seat early.)
If you’re not in Atlanta, but still want to support the next phase of this work, you can join virtually and click here to learn more about our 21 Day Challenge designed to help managers build clarity, confidence, and habits that last.
At the crux of how people experience work is their day-to-day relationship with their manager. That’s the lever that changes everything.
Join us as we build the future of work—one better manager at a time.
