HELLO
Mareisha Winters Reese
She/Her
Meet the Leader
Mareisha N. Winters Reese is President and COO of The Winters Group, Inc., a Black woman-owned consulting firm that has helped organizations create and sustain human-centered cultures for more than four decades. As a second-generation leader and business owner, she combines her background in technology and organizational development with a deep commitment to reimagining systems that prioritize humanity, equity, and justice.
Restorative Leadership Interview Questions:
Question 1: What helps you stay creatively courageous when the world feels threatened/like it’s on fire?
During times of crisis, my creativity is fueled by a deep belief that we’ve survived before—and we will again. Don’t get me wrong, it gets challenging at times, but I hold onto the reminder that “trouble don’t last always.” When the world feels like it’s burning, I turn to my community, to the wisdom of those who came before me, and to nature’s reminder that even fire makes way for new growth. I draw courage from the brilliance of my team at The Winters Group, from my family and friends, and from other leaders who are bold and brave in reimaging a different future. I continuously remind myself that oppression and injustice thrive on our exhaustion, confusion, and fear, so rest, joy, and dreaming are my acts of resistance. Creativity is my oxygen; it sustains me when the world feels heavy and reminds me to dream of what’s still possible.
Question 2: Describe a time when your imagination helped you move from fear into action.
The truth is, the fear is very present right now. We are living through one of the most intense periods of resistance to diversity, equity, and inclusion that I’ve seen in my career. Under the current administration, DEI efforts are being vilified, defunded, and even legislated against. As a Black woman leading a firm that has unapologetically centered equity for over forty years, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t felt fear. Fear for the sustainability of our work, fear for the safety of those who dare to speak out, and fear of what happens if our hard-won progress unravels. But imagination is what helps me move to the other side of fear. Instead of asking “what if we lose everything?” I ask, “what if this is the moment to reimagine how we lead and expand our impact?” That shift has inspired me to explore new possibilities—like rethinking how we deliver our work, building streams of impact outside of corporate contracts, and making sure our message of inclusion can’t just be silenced by politics. Fear wants me to shrink back. Imagination moves me forward. It’s what gives me the courage to keep moving, even when the path forward feels uncertain.
Question 3: What does growth and holding space look like for you after a loss or rupture?
When I think about growth after a loss, my first step is simply slowing down. It’s tempting to rush into fixing or moving forward, but over the years, I’ve learned that you can’t skip over the hard parts for real growth or healing to happen. For me, holding space looks like allowing myself, and others, to feel the grief, the frustration, even the silence, without judgment. I try to ask different kinds of questions: What does this experience have to teach me? What new possibilities might emerge as a result? That perspective shift helps me see growth not as “getting back to the way things were,” but as moving toward something wiser and more genuine. In practice, that means creating space for real conversations, leaning into compassion, and remembering that even in the midst of rupture, we have the power to plant seeds that may not bloom right away, but will shape what comes next.
Question 4: How do you protect space for imagination in your team or community?
In our current, ever-changing and uncertain reality, we’ve had to do a lot of reimagining as a team. At The Winters Group, imagination shows up in the questions we ask, the way we brainstorm without judgment, and in the permission we give ourselves to dream beyond what’s “feasible” in the moment.
I guard against a culture of urgency, while also recognizing that in times like these, urgency is real. We can’t just ignore the threats to our work and to justice itself. I try to resist the kind of urgency that only fuels fear, burnout, or short-term thinking and instead lean into what I call purposeful urgency. Purposeful urgency reminds us the stakes are high, but also gives us courage to pause, reflect, and ask “what if?” so we don’t lose sight of the bigger vision.
Protecting space for imagination is about balance. It’s holding urgency in one hand and possibility in the other.
Question 5: What rituals or practices help you (and/or your team/community) name what hurts while still holding on to what’s possible?
At The Winters Group, we create spaces for storytelling and dialogue where people are invited to share not only their successes, but also their struggles and disappointments. Sometimes that looks like structured reflection questions, other times it’s simply holding space to listen and bear witness.
We also integrate grounding practices like pausing to breathe together, opening meetings with check-ins, or even allowing moments of silence when words feel inadequate. Part of this work is acknowledging the weight of the world and discerning what’s needed in the moment: sometimes that’s open conversation, and other times it’s silence or space for people to grieve on their own.
What sustains me most is the reminder that hurt and hope are companions, not opposites. When we name what is broken, we also create the opportunity to imagine what healing could look like. In community, truth-telling helps us honor the weight of the present while daring to hold on to what’s possible.