“What’s Possible for Them is Possible for You”: White Supremacy and The Myth of Meritocracy in the Coaching Industry

*You can also listen to this essay here*

Have you heard this before? “What’s possible for me, is possible for you.” Or I’ve also heard, “What’s possible for them, is possible for you.”

I hear this a lot in the coaching industry and not only is it just not true, it’s harmful and could lead people to feeling shame or blaming themselves for their circumstances or results. It’s also extremely ableist and doesn’t account for the fact that many people are neurodivergent and/or disabled (shout out and thank you to Dan for highlighting this while I was discussing this live on Instagram!)

I’m sure it’s not the intention when people say this, but this is the problem of “covert” white supremacy. (Also, intentions don’t matter, impact does). And I put “covert” in quotations because for the people are targeted by white supremacy it’s not covert. It’s only “covert” to us white people because we are enacting it on a daily basis, and it’s the way we’ve been conditioned to behave, to think, to talk, to treat people, etc. It’s so entrenched in our minds, (white people’s specifically), and systems that we say and believe oppressive things without thinking twice.