Join a learning community of fellow people-leaders across various industries to collectively make our businesses and organizations more welcoming and inclusive for an increasingly diverse clientele and workforce.

This institute, created by Goodenough Consulting LLC, and sponsored by Explore La Crosse and La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, is a 6-series in-person course, taking place one Wednesday a month from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Our 2024-25 cohort is in progress. The next available BaM Institute will begin in Fall 2025.
[2024-25 Rate] $495/person | Group Rate: $425/person (3 or more from same organization)
This year’s location: Onalaska Omni Center

Through the BaM Institute, participants build a supportive learning community with fellow cohort members, engage in critical self/organizational reflection, gain a greater understanding of the experiences of minoritized patrons/customers/employees within the area,  find inspiration and urgency to lead with more boldness and innovation, and are eligible to receive ongoing support/coaching (by request) at discounted rates.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Developing identity-conscious leadership

  2. Avoiding common diversity/inclusion pitfalls

  3. Incorporating proven business practices for inclusive internal culture and customer/client experience.

Wondering:

Why should I attend BaM?

  • “The institute provided me an opportunity for self reflection as well as helping me to grow confidence in becoming a bold leader in both my personal life and professional life. I have increasingly become more aware and in tune with things going on around me and feel I have gained education in how to productively address harm and or change the trajectory of projects and growth in our organization. Due to occurrences in my personal life, I also feel that I gained insight on how to productively respond to harm - knowledge I did not have before and struggled to represent prior to the class.”

    Explore La Crosse participant

  • “I thought I had a good knowledge going into this class, I was WRONG. Yes, I did have knowledge but this class was so eye opening in many aspects. I would recommend this to anyone because it really digs into the nitty gritty of businesses, aspects of the workforce that you may not thought of and how to improve your business to be more accepting and inclusive. You can never know too much.”

    The Court Above Main participant

  • “Provides a different perspective on many of the issues and also provides a safe space to have conversations and ask questions. Also both Amanda and AJ were willing to share personal experiences and thoughts and feelings which made it easier for participants to share.”

    La Crosse YMCA participant

  • “My mind has opened up to seeing areas where I could do better and not marginalize people I interact with.”

    City of Onalaska participant

  • “We've always been told to be kind, we don't know the battles that someone may be facing. This class opened my eyes to hardships that I wasn't even aware of. It has changed how I choose my words and actions. I have become far more observant of microaggressions in the world and continually challenge myself to avoid being the source of someone's "harm" and intervene when seeing it happen to someone else.”

    City of Onalaska participant

  • “I would recommend the BaM Institute to everyone! This program was phenomenal! I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate. I would encourage all employers in our community to participate in the BaM Institute along with their employees. I came into the Institute with a relatively strong background knowledge of DEI. However, I learned so much more through participating in the BaM Institute. Amanda and AJ are incredibly gifted instructors, speakers, and people. It is my hope that this program will continue long-term!"

    YMCA Board Member

  • “I look at the world differently and am paying more attention.”

    The Charmant Hotel participant

  • “I feel that I learned so much about myself and so much about bias and microaggressions and how to lead boldly.”

    City of Onalaska participant

What Participants Say:

  • Small Business Owner Participant 💬

    “The BaM Institute was a course that I looked forward to every month over the 6 months the course was held. Facilitators guided the course in a way that was beneficial to participants by pushing us out of our comfort zones while not placing blame or shame along the way. I reflected more on my personal growth journey, learned how to communicate in ways that will challenge others to think differently without shutting them down, and added tools to my toolbox that allow me to speak up in the moment. Even with being together for only one morning per session, BaM allowed us to learn from different perspectives of identities, workplaces, and beyond. I would 100% recommend BaM to any business or individual looking to truly dive into their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

  • Explore La Crosse Participants 💬

    “Taking this course was important to me not just due to our current climate and my responsibility to be an equitable marketer, but also in my personal life. Identifying both my "why" and my values alongside learning constructive ways to disrupt harm, have given me tools to apply in all facets of my life. As someone who has traditionally lived a very passive to passive-aggressive lifestyle when it comes to conflict, I feel much more prepared and educated to affect productive change both at work and in personal relationships. I think that it was valuable to know it is a journey, not an entire destination and that acknowledging privilege and discrimination done by myself is not always aggressive, but rather important to identify in order to learn and grow. I will strive to continue being open to constructive feedback and apply lessons learned - especially in my professional role and role as a mother.”

  • City of Onalaska Participant 💬

    “Instructors did a phenomenal job! The topics were appropriate and it opened my eyes to different areas I hadn't thought of before, so I really appreciated that. Would love to explore some type of mini sessions with my staff around our annual inservice training in the spring. Thank you!”

  • YMCA Board Member 💬

    “I want to thank Amanda & AJ for this incredible opportunity to participate in the BaM Institute! This has been such an amazing learning experience for me & I am sure for everyone else in our cohort. I sure hope that the BaM Institute will continue to exist within our community for many years to come! Every meeting was very educational, informative, and mind opening and everyone learned so much. I am certain that all of the cohort members will put their new knowledge gained through participation in the BaM Institute to good use in their workplaces and in our community as a whole. Everyone should have the opportunity to participate in a BaM Institute!”

  • Explore La Crosse Participant 💬

    “I appreciated the class in entirety and when I was unable to attend a session due to emergency surgery or vacation, I was extremely disappointed! The candor and education was excellent and I appreciated the vulnerability of the cohort.”