Sabrina Meherally
SHE / HER / HERS
Sabrina is a Relational Design Consultant, reimagining products and culture with liberation, planet and future generations in mind. She helps transform systems of oppression into systems of restoration. As a highly sought speaker on innovation, she has been a guest lecturer at Georgetown University and MIT.
Practice your values.
Popular Talks
Relational Design/Research
Inclusive design and research extends far beyond diverse representation. In this talk, attendees will come to understand how the foundation of research as we know it, has been shaped through colonialist thinking and white supremacy culture. We’ll explore ways to challenge power imbalances in research and center historically marginalized communities through trust, care, integrity, and reciprocity. This topic is essential for any researcher or designer who wishes to engage in ethical, inclusive, and relational practices.
Practicing the Future
Each one of us are creators, designers and shapers of the system. All that “isn’t working” is merely a reflection of the beliefs, values and ideologies we practice as individuals and as a society. To transform systems, we must dream and work from a set of decolonized and liberatory values. As Audre Lorde said, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”. So we must ask ourselves: What do we need to practice now in order to build the joyful and flourishing futures of tomorrow?
Workshops, Coaching & Consulting
Workshops
Unpacking Culture
Centering our collective liberation, joy and wellbeing, we offer a perspective shift on organizational culture. We’ll provide an overview of the origins of corporate culture, and begin to critically examine common expectations and norms that uphold systems of oppression (such as urgency, scarcity, binary thinking, and perfectionism). This is a highly interactive learning experience where you’ll compassionately explore your internal belief systems, and strengthen tools/practices that align with your values and ethics. This will lead us into an imaginative conversation where we explore possibilities that may arise through a liberation-focused cultural shift.
Relational Design
Octavia Butler said, “All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you”. Every decision we make as designers, strategists and researchers, are impacting systems. This learning experience will invite participants to critically examine the impact of traditional human-centered design methodologies, explore ways to challenge power in their practice, and practice harm reduction through care, trust, and reciprocity.
Coaching
Audre Lorde said “the masters tools will never dismantle the masters house”. If we desire a different world, we must practice a different way. We must form new practices. Remember old practices. As a coach, I support folks who are ready to unpack the ways dominant norms (such as perfectionism, scarcity, urgency, and individualism) show up in their lives and their work, and invite curiosity and wonder to help shift into more liberatory and lighter ways of being.
Consulting
We help organizations create responsible products and services that promote joy, and heal systems of oppression. We do this by: 1. Helping product design and research teams shift their practices to embody care, harm reduction, and reciprocity; 2. Conducting inclusive product/service audits to identify gaps and opportunities; 3. Helping organizations evolve their products so that they resonate with, respect, and promote the wellbeing of marginalized communities and the planet.
“The Pause and Effect team designed and executed a thoughtful audit of our product development process. They were able to summarize many trends into a cohesive report, helping us concretely identify and name gaps we previously felt but couldn’t quite put our finger on. Their audit helped us begin important conversations on how we can create a more inclusive customer experience at Outschool. We were so happy with the audit that we are continuing to work with Pause and Effect to address some of the product, research and marketing gaps they identified.”
– Jing Jin, Outschool
“Pause and Effect is our first choice as a product design consultancy. Their approach aligns deeply with our values in bringing greater inclusion to STEAM. Their team partnered with us to develop our member journey maps through an inclusive lens, and built inclusive design workshops for the youth. Both have truly set us on the right path towards making the impact we desire.”
– Anthonia Ogundele, Ethos Lab
“I found it very informative. I think a lot about inclusive product design practices, but regenerative practices that includes helping the planet rarely came across my mind. [Your session] gave me more to think about in my future strategy sessions with clients. Not just focusing on the social impact but the environmental one as well.”
– Ramel Robinson
“I just wanted to send a quick note to say how grateful I was for your presentation on the GVBOT panel. It was refreshing, thoughtful and research-based. I find it’s challenging to get beyond the corporate-speak and standard messaging about inclusion, ROI, etc. and really think about the work we need to do to increase access, belonging and equity. You are doing that well.”
– Jillian Frank, KPMG
“Pause and Effect brought a wonderful sense of clarity and interactive content when it came to Inclusive Design. Sabrina and Cherrie’s ability to share applicable examples and relatable analogies to describe complex concepts was wonderfully appreciated by our employee resource group. Many attendees walked away with a greater appreciation for what it means to think more broadly and holistically when creating, designing, and implementing solutions for clients. I’d certainly recommend others to explore and engage Pause and Effect as an organization to aid and drive inclusion efforts, we certainly enjoyed our time working with them.”
– Nico Page, AON
Sabrina Meherally is a Relational Design Consultant and an engaging speaker on innovation, who presents to academic and corporate audiences through keynotes, panels and workshops.
A creative disruptor, Sabrina isn’t afraid to dig deeper into how and why we perpetuate systemic inequities. Through her company, Pause and Effect, she helps organizations reimagine their products, culture and design practices so that they transform systems of oppression, into systems that restore the well-being of people and planet.
Leveraging the framework of Relational Design, Pause and Effect’s principles are to design for joy, healing, liberation, and the wellbeing of future generations.
Through her work and daily practices, she experiments with choices and behaviors that are informed through a de-colonial and anti-imperialist lens, relearning what it means to be in thriving and sustainable relationships with the land, human and non-human things. Connecting her personal healing with her business’ values, Sabrina demonstrates how we can plant seeds for conscious business, beginning with each member’s commitment to growth, learning, and unlearning.
Sabrina was a contributing writer for Harvard Business Review, and her work has been featured in Forbes, and the Vancouver Tech Journal. She has also been a guest lecturer at Georgetown University and MIT.
Outside of work, Sabrina satiates her curiosity and wonder through speculative fiction and sci-fi, travel adventures, and a good cup of coffee.
Let’s collaborate to ensure a transformative experience.