Solving Complex Problems
by Putting People First
WAKING the unCONSCIOUS (WtC) is an equity and social impact consulting firm that collaborates with our clients to deliver highly customized solutions that respond to unique organizational needs.
We are a proudly Black-owned and operated firm committed to supporting organizations in their efforts to drive meaningful social impact. Our Founder and Director, Nicole McKinney, utilizes her extensive expertise — coupled with her lived experience and unique heritage that intertwines the histories of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Holocaust — to develop equitable solutions that address systemic challenges.
With extensive experience collaborating with organizations of all sizes across public and private sectors, we help our clients tackle critical issues. We use data-driven insights and extensive community engagement to create effective, inclusive solutions. Our approach is shaped by the voices of historically excluded communities, ensuring that the solutions we develop are grounded in their lived realities and truly address the challenges they face. We believe in the transformative power of self-reflection to uncover and address personal and systemic biases, ensuring our work fosters meaningful, lasting change.
Nicole McKinney, Founder & Director of WtC
“The goal with our work is to turn the lens inward — we want to collaborate with our clients and encourage them to work towards discovering biases that ignite transformation. By turning the lens inward, individuals and organizations can better understand how implicit and explicit biases shape perceptions, behaviors, actions, and language in their decision-making processes. The exciting part is that through a blend of theoretical insights and practical strategies, our work will assist others in highlighting how recognizing biases can catalyze meaningful transformation in diverse settings, including education, workplace culture, and leadership development.”
– Nicole McKinney, WtC Founder & Director
Built on a Legacy of Activism
Dr. David W. McKinney Jr. — 1920-2015
In 1990, Dr. David W. McKinney Jr., father of WtC founder, Nicole McKinney, turned 65 and was forced to retire from his position as a Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph. At the time, Dr. McKinney was still heavily active and in the midst of several large, important research projects. Having always been one to act when faced with injustice, he decided to leverage his vast expertise to change the laws forcing him to retire.
The outcome was McKinney v University of Guelph [1990] 3 SCR 229 the Supreme Court of Canada case that decided that, for the purpose of determining the application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, universities were not part of the government. Therefore, the mandatory retirement age for university teachers did not violate equality rights under section 15 of the Charter. In reaching this holding, the Court refined the scope of the Charter as it applies to government bodies as well as the definition of "law" within the ambit of the Charter. Eight professors and a librarian from the University of Guelph applied for declarations that the university's policy for mandatory retirement at age 65 as well as the Ontario Human Rights Code, which allowed such policies, were unconstitutional. This case has become famous among Supreme Court Cases and continues to be used as a precedent case in Canada for both law school students and practicing lawyers.
The legacy he left behind now lives on through work and cases he fought to ensure justice for generations to come. With such large shoes to fill, Nicole is using his legacy to help fuel her passion to inspire a greater understanding of societal differences created by privilege and marginalization. She looks forward to seeing a world where true equity is achieved and with this legacy and passion came the birth of Waking the unConscious.
Our Mission
To guide individuals, companies, organizations, and institutions on their journey towards social impact and a place of sustainable behavioural and relational changes. To facilitate conversations and create tools that lead to a greater understanding of societal differences defined by privilege and the intentionally ignored.
Our Vision
One day, to have a world where critical issues and all forms of racism, discrimination, inequity, and exclusion have been eradicated throughout every facet of society, and a new system with a new culture has been created that is inclusionary of all people.
Our Team
WtC’s Global Team is comprised of innovative and experienced intersectional subject matter experts who specialize in various areas and are committed and passionate in doing this work. Their specialities include human resources, social work, mental health, organizational transformation, certified individual coaching, research design, data analytics, and sociology to name a few.
We draw on these experts as it relates specifically to your organization to join our client projects and apply their diverse intersectionality of perspectives, experience, and knowledge.
