About Us

Lesley Curtis  |  Founder & Director

Lesley is the founder of Sagely and a trusted thought partner to leaders navigating complexity, change, and impact. She holds a doctorate from Duke University, where her research explored how historical trauma shapes story, belief, and decision-making—insight that now informs her practical, results-oriented work with leaders.

What sets Lesley apart is her ability to bridge deep understanding with real-world action. By integrating tools from the humanities and social sciences, she helps leaders move beyond insight to create sustainable, human-centered change that works. Clients value her capacity to work at the level of both feeling and strategy, supporting growth that is meaningful, manageable, and durable over time.

Lesley works one-on-one with senior leaders and facilitates system-wide initiatives. She has taught leadership and innovation at the UNC Graduate School and served as a practicum instructor at the UNC School of Social Work. With her team, she also writes and podcasts at Lead Consciously, exploring new ways of thinking about leadership, change, and organizational success.

Cord Whitaker  |  Co-Owner & Advisor

Cord Whitaker is co-owner of the Sagely Center and a trusted thought partner to leaders navigating complex change and moments of organizational crisis. He helps leaders resolve the impacts of inherited assumptions, beliefs, and narratives.

A widely published scholar, Cord brings to his work a rare ability to connect with people beyong the intellectual. As a facilitator and consultant, he works across sectors to help leaders stabilize culture during disruption, align action with values under pressure, and build the internal capacity required for sustainable, adaptive change.

Affiliated Experts

  • Alexandra is a social worker from Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand). She has worked across the Pacific, Asia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, supporting communities affected by war, displacement, and violence. She excels at strengthening the capacity of practitioners who work alongside affected communities.

    Alex’s approach is informed by critical and liberation psychologies, as well as a decade of experience in trauma healing at the individual and collective levels. Currently, Alex serves as Visiting Lecturer in Conflict Transformation at the University of North Carolina. In her work with the Sagely Center, Alex supports clients in transition by helping them identify moments when past experiences are shaping present-day responses, focusing on ways to meet those moments in generative ways. 

  • Burgandy Holiday holds degrees in social work and psychology and has helped multiple organizations promote social, cultural, and organizational change. She engages clients through community building and gentle activism, focusing on race, religion, and identity-based healing and reconciliation. She is a practicing psychotherapist in Philadelphia.

  • Dan Mahle is an ICF-certified executive coach and facilitator who helps founders and senior leaders lead inside AI-driven acceleration without outsourcing judgment, presence, or responsibility.