March 2026 Edition | Meeting the Moment

✨This month’s insight:

“The moment isn’t waiting. Neither should your leadership.”

This edition is packed with things I’ve been working on specifically to help you show up stronger, whether that’s at work, in your community, or in the mirror.

From a critical Lunch & Learn on immigration rights, to a celebration of women who lead boldly, to honest conversations about why organizations need smarter HR leadership, this month we’re meeting the moment together.

But first, I want to share something that has been on my mind lately.

Clarity Mondays

I’ve been thinking a lot about clarity lately.

Not the kind that comes from having every answer, but the kind that comes from pausing long enough to see the moment clearly and move forward with intention.

That reflection is what inspired my Clarity Mondays video series. Each week I share a short conversation about leadership, workplace culture, and the real challenges many professionals are navigating right now.

Many people tell me they watch these during their Monday coffee or before their first meeting of the week. If it helps you start the week with a bit more perspective, I’m glad.

👉 Watch Clarity Mondays

Know Your Rights on Immigration in 2026 Lunch & Learn

In today’s climate, knowing your rights isn’t just important, it’s essential.

I’m proud to be in partnership with The Rise Journey Lunch & Learn series, bringing this critical conversation directly to workplaces and communities.

If you’re an employer wondering how to support your team, or an employee navigating uncertainty, this session is for you.

Knowledge is protection.
Protection empowers people to keep showing up, keep contributing, and keep leading.

📌 Want to bring this session to your team or organization?
Keep reading here to learn how to book me for your next event.

🎤 Book Me for Your Next Event

The right speaker can shift a room.

I bring energy, expertise, and a whole lot of heart to every stage, from conferences to community convenings.

Topics I Speak On

• AI and the Future of Work
•  Building inclusive cultures that actually work
• Celebrating Arturo Schomburg & the Power of Legacy — how understanding Afro-Latine/o/x history enriches organizational identity and purpose
• Leading through change and uncertainty
• Women in Leadership — Gender Equity and Resilience

You can explore my full Public Speaker Profile via Talkadot, where you’ll also find session feedback from past audiences.

And if you’re a speaker yourself, Talkadot is a game changer for collecting audience feedback.

⭐ Try it FREE using my referral link below.

💼 Book me for your next event :
Lets Talk

⭐ Talkadot Referral:
Click Here

Upcoming Speaking Events

New York, NY | March 18

Gender Equity Initiatives in NYC: Your Perspective Matters
John Jay College of Criminal Justice 
RSVP HERE

If you’re in the New York metro area, I hope to see you there.

Seattle, Washington | March 21

NWEW Convening 2026

This interactive workshop positions AI literacy as a liberatory practice and care as resistance for BIPOC educators.
Get Your Tickets HERE

As automation and algorithmic bias risk deepening inequities, developing digital fluency becomes essential for self-preservation and collective empowerment.

Through guided reflection, collaborative dialogue, and hands-on exploration, participants will examine how AI can:

• Support educator wellness
• Amplify BIPOC voices
• Disrupt systemic barriers

Ultimately transforming technology from a potential threat into a tool for healing, storytelling, and transformative leadership.

Why Fractional HR Leadership?

Many growing organizations are feeling the strain of people challenges without the budget or the need for a full-time CHRO.

That’s exactly where Fractional HR leadership can make a meaningful difference.

As a Fractional CHRO, I partner with mission-driven organizations to:

• Build or modernize people systems — hiring, onboarding, performance, and total rewards
• Align talent strategy with business goals during periods of growth or change
• Support leaders through complex issues like restructuring, burnout, and culture repair
• Advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in practical, sustainable ways

Organizations often reach out when they’re experiencing:

• Rapid growth or restructuring
• High turnover or low engagement
• Fuzzy roles, ad hoc HR practices, or burned-out managers

💡 You don’t need a full-time hire to get full-time impact.

📧 Ready to explore what your organization needs right now?
Start a conversation about Fractional HR leadership for your team.

Spotlight: Exude Human Capital

This month I’m shining the spotlight on my colleagues and collaborators at Exude Human Capital, experts in HR, DEIB, and Leadership Development.

Exude HC and I share something foundational: a deep commitment to building workplaces where people are seen, supported, and set up to thrive.

Our missions align, and that alignment shows up in the way we work together and the conversations we create.

🌐 Explore Exude HC:
Dora Mendez Consultant Profile

Thought Leadership on Substack

Want to go deeper?

My Substack publication is where I share longer-form thinking on leadership, HR, and the real work of building equitable organizations.

It’s where I get to write without the character limits and where you get to read without the noise.

📰 Subscribe and join a growing community of leaders committed to doing the work.

🔗 Coach Dora on Substack:
[Read and Subscribe HERE]

International Women’s Day Celebration

On International Women’s Day, March 8, we celebrated in a big way across Coach Dora platforms.

If you missed the live event, don’t worry. It’s never too late to celebrate.

The replay is available and waiting for you.

💜 Women who lead boldly change everything.

Watch, share, and celebrate the women in your life and in your organization.

🎥 Watch the IWD Replay on YouTube:
Watch HERE

🎧 Listen on the Building Leadership Community Podcast:
Listening Options

Follow us on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Book Recommendation

This month’s book recommendation is close to my heart and perfectly timed for International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.

From Gaslighting to Truthlighting: A New Framework for Advancing Fair Opportunities for Women in the Workplace

It’s a read that will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

GET YOUR COPY HERE

Closing Reflection

March reminds me that leadership is never a solo act.

It’s built in partnerships, in community, and in the willingness to say:

“I see what this moment needs, and I’m showing up for it.”

Whether you’re navigating rapid growth, fighting for your team’s rights, celebrating the women who paved the way, or finally getting the HR support your organization deserves, you’re meeting the moment.

And that matters.

Thank you for being part of this community.

Until next month,

With gratitude and purpose,

Coach Dora 💜
Fractional CHRO | Speaker | Leadership Coach