Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is an Equity & Inclusion Consultant, Mentor & 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.
In her signature mentorship program, Taking Inclusive Action, she guides values driven business owners, professionals and community leaders to go beyond simply stating their stance on inclusion and instead building practices and policies to create online & in-person environments where people feel like they belong, no matter their identities.
Abbiola also offers one on one Equity & Inclusion coaching as well as private consulting and workshops for organizations.
Previously, Abbiola 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.
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 has spoken at the CMX Summit: Thrive, Yellow Co. Values Summit, Wealth and Wellness Network Summit, and at private universities, in business masterminds, and online communities. She has been featured in Feminist Entrepreneurs Magazine (FEM) as well as on several podcasts such as the Excited 4 Equity Podcast, All the F*ck In Podcast, Transcend Your Dichotomy Podcast, Badass Business Podcast, and the Career Resilience Podcast to name a few.
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.
