Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is an Equity & Inclusion Consultant, Coach & Speaker, and Founder of Phern Education Studios. She founded Phern Education Studios to be a catalyst for change in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) space by prioritizing not just learning but taking action.
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Abbiola has lived internationally in Japan, the USA, and Belize for 20+ years and worked as an educator and program designer for 17+ years, giving her a unique lens through which she approaches equity and inclusion.
Abbiola works primarily with values-driven professionals, event organizers and organizations helping them center equity and inclusion into their business, events and workplace through intentional action. She is also the co-founder of the Disruptor’s Leadership Academy – a community for those who have a desire, are committed and need support as they dismantle & disrupt oppressive systems in their life and work while prioritizing self care.
Abbiola is currently a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Database of DEI Practitioners that have been tasked to serve on panels evaluating the inclusion plans of scientific proposals submitted.
Previously, she applied an equity & inclusion lens to help revise the Standards of Good Practice of Education Abroad in collaboration with the Forum on Education Abroad which is recognized by the US Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission— as the organization for setting the standards for education abroad programs internationally.
Abbiola is a dynamic speaker and has been featured on several podcasts and spoken at conferences and summits including the CMX Summit, Yellow Conference and Button. She has also been featured in Feminist Entrepreneurs Magazine (FEM).
She studied International Education Management at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Applied Linguistics & TESOL at the University of Leicester in the UK, and Communication Arts at St.Francis College, New York.
Abbiola is an avid reader, travel nerd, theatre buff, and Japanese karaoke queen.
