Community Highlights: Meet Dr. Shinika McKiever of The McKiever Group Creative Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Shinika McKiever.

Hi Dr. Shinika, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story is a series of Plan B’s that led me right where I needed to be. I’m from Liberty, North Carolina—a small, rural community that taught me the value of hard work, showing up for others, and staying rooted in who you are. I’m a first-generation college graduate. I’ve always been ambitious, but not just for ambition’s sake. I believed—still believe—that I’m here to help people, and that purpose drives everything.

I started college thinking I’d go to medical school. Then law school. Neither worked out, and honestly, they weren’t meant to. What did happen was graduate school, where I studied public administration and discovered how much I care about community, systems, and people. I thought I’d end up in government. Instead, I found myself in philanthropy.

My first real break came from a fellowship at a foundation—an opportunity I didn’t expect and could barely pronounce at the time. It opened up a new world for me. I fell in love with working alongside nonprofits, building capacity, and helping people get access to the support they need to grow. That passion carried me into leadership roles across philanthropy, banking, higher education, and fundraising.

But here’s the part people don’t always talk about: I’ve also been the only Black woman in the room. I’ve had my leadership questioned, my ideas dismissed, and my voice ignored. I’ve done the “right things”—the job titles, the travel, the security. And I’ve still found myself burnt out, unfulfilled, and searching for something more honest, more aligned.

That’s what pushed me back to school. My PhD research focused on how women entrepreneurs—especially Black women—develop as adaptive leaders. And through that process, I saw myself. I saw how so many of us don’t see our lived experiences reflected in how leadership is defined. I also saw the power of rewriting that narrative.

In 2022, I took a leap. I left the job that was no longer serving me and started The McKiever Group Creative Company. I haven’t looked back. Now, I help people—especially purpose-driven leaders, nonprofits, and organizations—build clear, culturally grounded strategies rooted in who they are. I don’t do surface work. I help people find clarity, name what matters, and move forward with intention.

My story hasn’t been polished. It’s been real. But everything I’ve lived, I now use to help others show up with confidence, lead with clarity, and take action that aligns with who they are—not just what the world expects from them.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. My journey hasn’t been easy—but it’s been honest. It’s been a road shaped by faith, growth, setbacks, mindset shifts, and learning to trust myself through every turn. One of the hardest parts has been navigating spaces where my lived experiences weren’t reflected or valued—and learning not to let that make me question what I know or who I am.

In corporate America, I hit what I call the concrete ceiling. People talk about the glass ceiling, but at least glass can be shattered. Concrete? You’ve got to chip away at it brick by brick—and even then, you might not get through. As a Black woman in a space where there weren’t many people who looked like me in leadership, I had to constantly prove what I already knew. I had the skills, the experience, and the outcomes—but when it came to leadership development, support was minimal. I wasn’t given the space to lead fully. When I was overlooked for a position I was more than qualified for and started seeing my decisions questioned or dismissed, I realized it wasn’t a lack of ability—it was a lack of support and belief in my leadership.

That was a turning point. I knew I couldn’t stay in an environment that didn’t recognize or invest in what I brought to the table. So I made the decision to leave.

As an entrepreneur, the challenges haven’t gone away—but I’ve learned how to lead differently. I’ve learned how to walk into rooms that may not have been built for me and still show up fully. I use adaptive leadership to stay grounded in who I am, even when I have to adjust how I move. I don’t let obstacles define me—I let them teach me. Every experience, even the hard ones, has helped shape how I show up today and how I support others through their own challenges. That’s what makes this work personal and purposeful.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The McKiever Group Creative Company is a strategic leadership and capacity-building firm that helps people, organizations, and communities move from chaos to clarity. We work at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and lived experience—helping nonprofit leaders, purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and mission-focused organizations define what matters most, create a clear path forward, and take action that aligns with their values.

We specialize in helping clients build capacity with intention—whether that’s through strategic planning, leadership development, program design, capital campaign strategy, or custom consulting. We also support transitioning professionals who are building businesses rooted in purpose and lived experience. What we’re known for is making strategy feel accessible, helping people actually use what they create, and giving language and structure to ideas that have been sitting on the back burner.

What sets us apart is that we’ve lived it. Our work is rooted in real experience—from working inside philanthropy and nonprofit systems to navigating leadership as a Black woman in corporate America to starting a business from scratch in the middle of burnout. We don’t just bring frameworks. We bring real life, and we meet our clients where they are—with tools, language, and strategies they can actually apply.

We’re proud to create spaces where people can breathe again. Spaces where leaders feel seen, heard, and supported. Where strategy is no longer a buzzword but a tool for alignment, sustainability, and growth. And we’re proud that our clients trust us to help them build bold, clear, and community-rooted strategies that reflect who they are and who they serve.

If you’re tired of carrying it all, second-guessing your next move, or trying to lead through the chaos without a clear plan—we’re here for that. We help you pause, reset, and create strategy that makes sense for where you are and where you’re headed. This isn’t about hustle. It’s about alignment, clarity, and building something that lasts.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
What I want readers to know is this: leadership doesn’t have to be perfect, polished, or performative to be powerful. It just has to be real—and rooted in something that matters.

At The McKiever Group Creative Company, we’re not here to give you a one-size-fits-all solution. We’re here to help you lead from the inside out—whether you’re a nonprofit figuring out how to grow without losing your values, a business owner trying to build something sustainable, or a community leader navigating complex systems.

We believe strategy should reflect real life. That your lived experiences are not something to “overcome,” but something to build from. And that clarity comes when you stop trying to lead like everyone else and start leading like yourself.

We help people and organizations do the real work—get clear, take action, and build with purpose. Because when you lead with intention, everything else starts to make sense.

That’s the kind of work we do. And we’re proud of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.themckievergroup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshinikamckiever/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrShinikaMcKiever/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinikamckiever
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.shinikamckiever2307