We are professionals committed to helping people embrace their challenges and access the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to achieve the success they deeply desire. We have decades of experience working directly with individuals, as well as with organizations in North America and elsewhere in the world.
We are among the diverse people targeted by diversity, equity and Inclusion(DEI) programs. We therefore know what it is to experience inequities, and have seen that to overcome conscious and unconscious bias, we must first know our authentic selves and value the gift that we are to the world. This perspective has enabled us to bring to our clients greater knowledge and experiences of they are, as well as the lessons and support they need to achieve their greatest success.
Our Team
M. Dawn. Armstrong
I am Dawn Armstrong, founder and leader of Nudaan Learning Center. I am BOLD, which is my acronym for a Black, Older, Lady, with a Disability. I boldly embrace and learn from all of me. This equips me to partner with other professionals and organizations in the creation of opportunities that enable all people to be seen, heard and valued for who the are, including the knowledge and experiences that they bring to the world.
I have a passion for people, learning, research, and developing multi-media learning modules. My 30+ years of experience include skills in the areas of communications, group leadership, self-directed learning, as well as various aspects of virtual and onsite learning and development I have a Bachelors of Arts (Political Science with a minor in Mass Communications), a Masters in Information and Library Science (MLS), and a Masters in Theological Studies (MTS).
MY STORY:
HOW INVISIBILITY SHOWED ME MY PATH TO VISIBILITY AND TO SUCCESS
When I was a little girl, my mother brought me and my sister from England to live with my grandmother in Jamaica. A lot of people thought my much lighter skinned sister was so pretty that they would often praise her and never noticed me. Instead of being overwhelmed by, or stuck in, the invisibility I felt, I put everything into school, where I was recognized as a top performance.
After 1971, when I came to live with my mother in Canada, racism devalued me and caused me again to become invisible in public. For years, no one, except close family or friends, truly saw me or knew who I was. In 2007, I became even more invisible when I had a brain-attack. Following six months in the hospital and four months in out-patient care, my doctor filled out a document classifying me as permanently disabled and never able to work again.
In the years that followed, my mind had to fight against historical beliefs that devalued my race, my disability, my gender and my age. With support from my loved-ones, self-education, belief in my self, and belief in a higher power, I began to heal. As my thinking slowly improved, a more creative version of my communication skills (multimedia focused) showed-up, and I became better and better at sharing my story, and helping others share their stories, with gratitude for all our challenges.
My healing led me to Tyndale University, where I was able to obtain my third university degree in 2020, a Master in Theological Studies. As a result, I began to better see my authentic self. I saw that I had to let go of the negative things that others say I am, as this was in complete contrast to the gift that I, a black older lady with a disability, am to the world. It became clear that while I cannot let my past experiences define my world, I also cannot live without they are my gift to myself and to the world.
Now, more than ever, I am inspired and committed to not only value all that I am, but also all the differences that all people of God bring to the workforce and the world. To do so requires seeing our true selves, embracing the gift that we are, and fulfilling our unique visions for our world. Nudaan Learning is Center provides a space for this fulfillment of such vision. It is my vision for the creation of a world where all people are seen, heard and valued for the wonderful gifts that they bring for the betterment of our world.