Our consulting, coaching, and education radically transforms systems and builds a critical mass of change agents who pursue joy, healing, and liberation along the continual quest to do better.

Our Vision:

Amanda Florence Garcia Goodenough (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Lead Executive Officer and Founder of Goodenough Consulting, LLC (GC). She is also a member of the Greater La Crosse Area Diversity Council's (GLADC) Speakers Bureau, a board member for The Pump House Regional Arts Center, co-creator of the Belonging & Mattering Institute, facilitator of deconstructing Karen in the Coulee Region, a cultural guide for the Waking Up White Collaborative steering committee, and co-chair of the La Crosse County Civilian Review Board (CRB). Previously, Amanda served as the Director of the Research & Resource Center for Campus Climate at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she worked for 17 years.

Amanda has presented and consulted at the international, national, state, and local levels for institutions of higher education, PK-12 school districts, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and corporate entities on topics of cultural humility, inclusive company/campus climate, bold leadership, hate/bias prevention & response, white supremacy culture, mattering of Black lives, racial justice, multiracialism, microaggressions, bystander intervention, liberatory activism, social identity development, power & positionality, and healing centered engagement.

Amanda was the 2010 recipient of the Social Justice Achievement Award for YWCA's Tribute to Outstanding Women, and in 2021, Amanda was the recipient of the La Crosse Area Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Leadership Award. Goodenough Consulting, LLC was recognized with the 2023 Black Excellence Award by Black Student Leaders and also received the 2024 Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazer Award for the BaM Institute. In 2025, Amanda received the 2025 Phenomenal Women Award by UWL’s ALANA student organization, while Goodenough Consulting was again recognized with BSL’s Black Excellence Award, nominated for a Governor’s Tourism Award in the Bright IDEA category, and received the Community Partner of the Year award from Explore La Crosse.

Amanda resides in the La Crosse area of Wisconsin with her husband and two kids. She enjoys campfires under starry (bug-free) skies, chronicling life’s adventures through photos and blog posts, exploring paths less traveled, and collecting books she hopes to someday read. A self-proclaimed spreadsheet enthusiast and recovering rule follower, Amanda lives at the intersection of justice, curiosity, and radical hope—often arriving fashionably late for social gatherings due to unsuccessful experiments with time travel.

Meet Our Collaborators

LAURA ABELLERA

SHE/THEY
AJ CLAUSS

THEY/THEM
AUTHRENE BLASS

SHE/HER
ANGELA BIRRITELLA

SHE/HER
STEPHANIE BOHLMAN

SHE/HER
CARRIE BERO

SHE/HER
MONTREECE PAYTON-HARDY

SHE/HER
ROI KAWAI

HE/HIM
DEHAVEN SAWYER-MAYS

THEY/THEM

Laura Abellera (she/they) is a facilitator and consultant drawing from her professional, educational, and lived experiences as a community organizer and teacher. She received her M.S.Ed. from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) while spending her graduate assistantship in the Research and Resource Center for Campus Climate. She also received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago, focusing on civil rights, public interest, and legislative research. Laura has undergraduate teaching experience in the area of Race, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. She has experience with organizational harm response and intervention, as well as community organizing, political education, and arts-based student leadership programming. She also received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago, focusing on civil rights, public interest, and legislative research. Laura has undergraduate teaching experience in the area of Race, Gender, & Sexuality Studies.
Laura currently works as a justice and equity consultant with Goodenough Consulting and Social Responsibility Speaks. She brings her identities as a queer, multi-racial, Filipina daughter and sister into spaces to better facilitate collective and shared learning experiences. She is passionate about cultivating strong systems of community care and social transformation rooted in liberation, healing, and joyful relationships. Outside of paid work, Laura is involved with local grassroots initiatives that focus on criminal legal system reform, multiracial movement organizing, housing and tenants’ rights, and spending lots of time at her favorite local independent bookstore (Pearl Street Books in La Crosse, go check them out!).
AJ Clauss (they/them) earned a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Ethical Leadership from Viterbo University and a Master of Science in Education specializing in College Student Development and Administration from UW-La Crosse.
Currently, AJ serves as the Equity & Inclusion Leader at Western Technical College, where they play a pivotal role in co-leading the DAT (Diversity Advocacy Team) to address hate/bias incidents and facilitating Equity Leaders, a grassroots social justice collective among coworkers. They actively contribute to strategic JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) planning. Previously, AJ held the position of Programming Coordinator at the Research & Resource Center for Campus Climate and served as a co-advisor to various programs including SEEDs (social justice peer education), ATP (Awareness through Performance), and the Native American Student Association at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Their experience in higher education also encompasses roles in Residence Life at Carroll College and Georgetown University. Additionally, AJ has demonstrated leadership within the Kwik Trip organization.
AJ has presented extensively at regional and national conferences on topics such as Knowing Your "Why": Leading with Purpose, White Privilege in the LGBTQ Community, Equitable Decision Making, Sexual Assault Prevention, Native American Retention, and Mentoring & Career Success in Women from Lower Socioeconomic Status.
Beyond their professional accomplishments, AJ's true passion lies in fostering meaningful connections, particularly within Indigenous and marginalized communities. Their unwavering commitment is to empower, support, and validate the truths of those they serve.
Authrene Blass (she/hers) is committed to social justice, equity, and inclusion. She currently works full time at Western Technical College and is also a full time doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership program at Alverno College. She is currently researching multiracial college students' racial identities and experiences for her dissertation. She is passionate about working to end systemic inequities for all, especially in education spaces. Outside of work and school, you can find her with her two young sons, husband, and their dog out and about exploring.
Angela Birrittella (she/her) is an Instructional Designer and Educator with 15 years of experience in higher education, training, and workforce development. She received her M.S.Ed from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse while spending her graduate assistantship in the Research and Resource Center for Campus Climate, working with students in social justice programming. Angela also served as the Retention Coordinator in the Office of Multicultural Student Services at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she advocated for services to move beyond a deficit framework. Most recently. Angela managed young adult workforce development programming across Southeast Minnesota, upskilling and training youth into living-wage employment. In addition, Angela is working to bring accessible social justice training online by creating justice-centered e-learning modules. You can find her work at AB4learning.com.
DeHaven (they/them) is a non-binary educator and youth development professional who has spent their career working with and for LGBTQ+ youth. The focus of DeHaven’s work has been to provide education to change hearts and minds with the goal of creating safer spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and adults to be their full selves. Currently, they work at a national non-profit creating mental health programs for middle schoolers, while being a part-time graduate student in counseling and school counseling. Outside of providing work and school, DeHaven lives in Virginia where they play with their bouncy pitbull and roam in nature as much as possible.

Stephanie Bohlman (she/her) is a first-generation immigrant woman of color and is the founder of Bohlman Consulting. Additionally, Stephanie is the current Director of the Center for Student Success, at Winona State University. For 10 years, Stephanie has worked to advance equity and decrease inequities for marginalized and underrepresented populations. Stephanie has also spent 15 years working on educating and improving her own knowledge, skills, and identity in anti-bias work.
Stephanie has presented and facilitated at national, state, and local organizations on anti-bias work, cultural humility training, uplifting marginalized voices, and equity in the workplace.
Stephanie attended St. Cloud State University for her doctoral program in Higher Education Administration, the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse for her master’s program in Student Affairs and Administration and bachelor’s degree in Organizational and Professional Communication. Stephanie resides in Minnesota with her partner and their two multi-racial children.
Carrie Bero (she/her/hers) has over a decade of experience in curriculum development, instructional design, facilitation, cohort learning models, and leadership development in both higher education and business settings. Carrie received her M.S.Ed. from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. As a white cis woman, Carrie continuously explores intersections of privilege and power in her own identities, and is eager to learn in community with and from others.
Carrie currently serves as the Leadership Development Program Manager at Organic Valley. In this role, she facilitates the Emerging Leaders Program and the Leading Others Program, both designed to nurture empathetic, people-centered leaders. She also co-manages the cooperative’s performance management process, and is committed to designing systems and structures that mitigate bias and increase equity and inclusion. Carrie designs and facilitates training on topics including emotional intelligence, change management, and team cohesion and effectiveness.
Carrie has presented nationally and locally on topics such as privilege, power, and oppression, anti-hate and bias, microaggressions, and designing and implementing social justice curriculum. She is certified to teach several Crucial Learning courses and recently earned a certificate in Hybrid Work Strategy from eCornell. Currently enrolled in a six-month coach training program through the Institute for Coaching Excellence, Carrie is eager to partner with people in the coaching process as they explore who they are and how to build values-aligned lives.
Montreece Payton-Hardy (she/her/hers) is the new Co-Director of the ABIDE (Accessibility, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) Department at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). With a strong foundation in education, professional, and lived experiences, Montreece is dedicated to enhancing equity, inclusion, and accessibility, focusing on disability intersectionality and awareness. She employs a thoughtful and strategic approach to all ABIDE education, training, and speaking engagements.
Montreece has collaborated with Embassy Suites, Bold Blind Beauty, Asset Based Consulting, KIPP Texas Public Schools - Houston, and various state and national brands and small businesses. Her services include strategic advising, document creation, trainings, webinars, and coaching, all delivered with a genuine and candid perspective on intersectionality and disability inclusion.
You can reach Montreece through the American Printing House for the Blind (mpaytonhardy@aph.org) or on LinkedIn to learn how she and her APH team can support your organization.
Bio coming soon!

WANT TO COLLABORATE? CONTACT US TODAY

Our Building Blocks

Common Questions

We have worked with PK-12 school districts, institutions of higher education, governmental agencies, non-profits, and corporate entities.
Not yet. Stay tuned…
We seek clients who align with our values, not those who can help pay our bills. This doesn’t mean we need you to have all of your sh*t together, afterall, we are a work in progress too! Simply put, we want to work with people and places that acknowledge the basic principles of social justice (i.e. racism exists and it’s bad) and have an openness to learning and resilience for growth.
We don’t try to be all things to all people and we also don’t view this work as competitive. Therefore, we will often recommend other consultants/speakers who might better suit your needs if we aren’t your people. That said, if you support our values and are interested in a style that involves storytelling and effective analogies, and an approach that models vulnerability and promotes critical self-reflection, maybe we are your people!? Let’s chat!