Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabria Brown
Hi Sabria, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Out of college, I initially aspired to be a lawyer, specifically a child advocacy lawyer. However, before fully committing to the legal profession, I decided to pursue graduate school to explore education policy more deeply. During this time, I conducted research and worked on policy-related initiatives through the New York City school system. After earning my master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, I realized that if I was truly going to shape educational policy, I needed firsthand experience in the classroom.
This realization led me to join Teach for America in 2011, where I became a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth cohort. I moved to Dallas and spent several years teaching, gaining invaluable insight into the experiences of both students and educators. From there, I transitioned into various administrative roles across different educational institutions in Georgia and Florida.
However, after years in the education sector, I started to experience burnout and began questioning my career trajectory. Around this time, a close friend of mine was working in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), a field I was unfamiliar with at the time. As she described her work, I became increasingly intrigued. She pointed out that my passion for social justice, advocacy, and supporting people would make me a strong fit for the field—only this time, within a corporate setting.
Excited by the prospect of a new path, I started applying for DEI roles. However, I quickly realized that hiring managers struggled to see how my education background translated into a corporate setting. I found myself at a career crossroads, even briefly reconsidering law school. I actually went as far as reapplying and getting in, but ultimately felt in my heart that it wasn’t the right path for me. Instead, I pivoted toward human resources and applied to various HR programs. I was accepted into a master’s program in HR at Rutgers University, so I packed up and moved to New Jersey.
During my time at Rutgers, I secured an internship at a pharmaceutical company, focusing on learning and development. This role aligned well with my education background, as I was able to create adult learning modules and facilitate training programs. Determined to accelerate my transition, I completed my two-year master’s program in just a year and a half. Upon graduation, I was recruited into a leadership development program designed for seasoned professionals. This opportunity allowed me to climb the corporate ladder quickly, gaining experience across multiple HR disciplines, including diversity and inclusion, total rewards, and working as an HR Business Partner.
Eventually, I discovered my passion in the recruiting and DEI space. I transitioned into a diversity campus recruiting role, where I found a way to merge my love for education and student engagement with corporate talent acquisition. I focused on creating opportunities for underrepresented students, helping them secure internships and career pathways.
My career continued to grow rapidly, and I later moved into the financial services sector, where I led a large recruiting team focused on engaging talent from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), women’s colleges, Native and Indigenous schools, and various diversity-focused organizations. This work solidified my expertise in DEI, talent strategy, and organizational partnerships.
During this time, I started receiving numerous inquiries from friends and colleagues who were curious about my career pivot and how I had navigated the corporate space so successfully. Many sought my help with resumes, salary negotiations, and career advice. Eventually, people started encouraging me to formalize this work into a business—and that’s how I founded my own consulting firm, Powerhouse Talent.
Through Powerhouse Talent, I support both individuals and organizations. On the individual side, I focus on career coaching—helping people find new roles, secure promotions, and successfully pivot in their careers. On the organizational side, I provide strategic guidance on talent acquisition, DEI initiatives, and leadership development. Additionally, I help individuals in sports and entertainment enhance their personal brands, transition out of sports, navigate sponsorship opportunities, engage in media training, and manage philanthropic efforts such as foundation work.
Balancing my corporate DEI role with running a growing consulting business has its challenges, but it is incredibly fulfilling. My journey has been anything but linear, but each step along the way has reinforced my passion for helping others succeed—whether in their careers, their businesses, or their broader impact.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest struggles I faced was leaving behind something I was certain about. By the time I decided to transition from education into a completely different field—diversity, equity, and inclusion—I was in my mid-20s. At that stage, many of my peers had already solidified their careers. Friends who had gone to law school or medical school were now practicing professionals, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was starting over. I had been excelling in education, moving up quickly, and yet I was walking away from it to step into something completely unfamiliar.
When I got into grad school for HR, I had already been financially independent for years. That made the transition even harder because I was juggling full-time work, a full-time master’s program, and an internship—all while trying to avoid taking out student loans. That period of my life required immense sacrifice. Money was tight, my social life was nonexistent, and every moment was dedicated to setting myself up for the next phase of my career. On top of that, I was entering a field I knew very little about. There was a steep learning curve, not just with the material I was studying, but also in understanding corporate dynamics. It was overwhelming and, at times, really stressful.
Then, coming out of grad school and landing my first corporate job, I found myself in a leadership development program where I was older than most of my peers. Many of them had started their careers in corporate straight out of undergrad, whereas I was coming in with an entirely different background. It was humbling to feel like I was starting from the bottom again. I had two choices—I could either see it as something to be embarrassed by or embrace it as an opportunity. I chose the latter. I became a sponge, absorbing everything around me. I was incredibly observant, worked hard, and networked strategically. I surrounded myself with people who had influence, people who could teach me, guide me, and mentor me. I didn’t have the luxury of time—I felt like I was already eight years behind my peers, so I had to be intentional about how I navigated my new career path. Because of that, I was able to grow quickly and advance within my field.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from these struggles is that self-doubt will always be there, but you can’t let it define your path. There were moments when I questioned whether I was making the right choice or whether I even belonged in these spaces. But I had to remind myself that I worked hard to be in those rooms, and I deserved every opportunity in front of me. Growth often comes with discomfort, and my journey taught me that betting on yourself—especially when it’s the hardest thing to do—can lead to incredible outcomes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
PowerHouse Talent Consulting (PTC) is an agency specializing in career coaching, talent strategy, diversity consulting, and brand management. We are committed to helping individuals and organizations navigate today’s workplace by breaking through barriers, landing dream careers, and creating more equitable and inclusive work environments that foster creativity and innovation. Our approach is research-based, and results-driven, equipping clients not just with opportunities but with the tools and strategies to sustain long-term success.
We offer personalized career coaching for professionals at all levels, helping them with career planning, interview preparation, LinkedIn optimization, resume reconstruction, and overall professional branding. Our organizational consulting services help companies enhance their recruitment, talent, and culture programs, ensuring they attract, develop, and retain top talent while driving lasting impact. Additionally, we specialize in brand elevation for clients in sports and entertainment, providing strategic guidance on brand positioning, sponsorships, NIL opportunities, reputation management, and community engagement.
What sets PowerHouse Talent Consulting apart is our ability to bridge career transitions, accelerate growth, and strategically align brand and business goals. We take pride in the real impact we create—helping professionals unlock career opportunities, guiding organizations in building inclusive workplaces, and supporting public figures in amplifying their brands. At the core of everything we do is the belief that with the right guidance and strategy, anyone can achieve career excellence, lasting success, and brand impact.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I started my business after COVID, and one of the biggest shifts I’ve observed since then is how much the workplace has evolved. The pandemic reshaped employee values, particularly around flexibility and remote work. Many professionals have prioritized work-life balance in ways they hadn’t before, and I’ve seen that firsthand with my clients. However, as the external landscape continues to change, we’re also seeing a shift in how companies approach work. With our current administration emphasizing in-office work, many organizations are aligning with that perspective, scaling back hybrid policies, and even using layoffs as a way to reinforce return-to-office mandates.
At Powerhouse Talent Consulting, one of my key roles is to stay ahead of workplace trends and guide my clients accordingly. I often work with individuals who are exclusively looking for remote opportunities, and while I personally advocate for flexibility, the reality is that fully remote roles are becoming increasingly scarce. Part of my responsibility as a consultant and career coach is to ensure my clients are informed about these shifts so they can navigate the job market strategically. COVID reinforced the importance of adaptability, and for me, that means staying deeply attuned to workplace trends, industry shifts, and employer expectations to provide my clients with the best possible guidance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://phtconsulting.co/
- Instagram: @bri_thepowerhouse
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabria-b-589b7778/
- Twitter: B_thepowerhouse
