Meet the Team
Kim Douglas
Founder
Kim Douglas is a writer, educator, speaker, and founder of Write to Unite. Her business provides online writing services to empower individuals to write their stories of growth and empowerment to meet the urgent need for personal and collective awakening and transformation.
Kim’s educational, editorial and writing career spans over three decades. The Baha'i Faith inspires her commitment to transformation, service and unity. She has served more than 2,000 individuals to free their voices, explore and expand upon their truth, and write their stories to contribute to social discourse and as an act of service.
Kim holds a BA and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arizona. She is the author of "High Desert: A Journey of Survival and Hope" and "Arising," co-authored with Kevin Locke and Aleah Douglas Khavari, both published by Baha'i Publishing. Poems, essays and feature articles have been published in periodicals and newspapers. Currently, she is writing a memoir titled "Where on the Map Is Love?"
Kemba Saran Braynon
Facilitator
Kemba Saran Braynon, an architect and writer, integrates her passion for history and sense of place into her storytelling. From publishing her memoir "To Dine with the Blameless Ethiopians" to performing her work "A Dress of Steel Mesh," she has navigated through experiences abroad and personal struggles. With a background in English Literature and Architecture from the University of Michigan, she found her calling in historic preservation, contributing significantly to Detroit's cultural restoration during the city's bankruptcy. Now recognized with the AIA Michigan Presidents Award, she currently resides in Ypsilanti, MI, where she is actively working on a memoir.
Masud Olufani
Facilitator
Masud Olufani is a versatile Atlanta-based artist with a background spanning various cities. He's a graduate of Morehouse College and holds an M.F.A. in sculpture from The Savannah College of Art and Design. Masud has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, currently serving as the 2021-22' Visual Arts Fellow at Emory University. He has received grants, completed residencies, and works on projects like "Blocked: A Global Healing Project." Besides his art, he's an actor featured in various TV shows and films, a co-host of the investigative journalism show Retroreport, and now co-hosts the podcast series "Undaunted." Additionally, he's a published writer with articles in various publications and an untitled memoir in the works.
Phyllis Unterschuetz
Editor
Phyllis Unterschuetz is the editor of Toward Oneness and Freedom From Racial Prejudice (Palabra Publications 2021) and the co-author of Longing: Stories of Racial Healing, a collection of personal essays about awakening to the effects of racism (Baha'i Publishing, 2010). Previously Phyllis served as a speaker and workshop facilitator. She and her husband lived for fifteen years on the road in an RV, conducting field research on the dynamics of racial conditioning and presenting for universities and community organizations around the country. She was also co-founder and president of the nonprofit Race Story ReWrite Project. In 2021, she retired from facilitating to focus full-time on writing. Her essays have been published in Tell Your Story and long-listed for the International Amy McRae Award for Memoir. Phyllis is currently writing her second book, a memoir about healing from a traumatic experience in her youth. She blogs on Medium.com about race, spirituality, abortion, eating disorders, and rewriting the stories we tell ourselves.
Melodie Yates
Administrative Partner
Melodie Yates, educator, and diversity, inclusion and belonging specialist, has spent over 30 years in higher education. With her M.Ed. from Colorado State University and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, she has dedicated her life to supporting people, young and old, to become lifelong learners in service to humanity. Her life professionally and personally has been focused on fostering unity, organizational change, and community building.
Under the mentorship of the Write to Unite program, her book, Love is an Action Verb: A Caregiver’s Journey, is ready for publication. She is currently working on her second book, I Have Climbed Invisible Mountains.
Sharon Nesbit-Davis
Facilitator
Sharon Nesbit-Davis is an author, artist, and storyteller. Her memoir, Intended-A marriage in Black and White, was published in 2021 by 10/16 Press. Sharon conducts memoir writing and creative recharge retreats which include storytelling, writing and painting. Sharon and her husband, George, currently reside in Evanston, IL.
Janice Nelson
Senior Editor
Janice has always had a passion for books and enjoys collaborating with writers to create engaging and compelling content. She firmly believes that a well-edited story makes all the difference when it comes to making a book great, and she strives for excellence at all levels of editing. Initially pursuing an English degree, her interests later shifted to the life sciences, leading her to study microbiology
and psychology at the University of Arizona. She believes her diverse educational background has helped her become a better editor. After years as a freelance editor editing college papers and books for friends, Janice has partnered with Kim to work with Write to Unite clients. Janice and her husband, Steve, currently resides in Oregon.
Anisa Everett
Editor
Anisa Everett has served as a Write to Unite editor since 2018. She graduated from Grand Valley State University with a dual degree in English and Education and a minor in Applied Linguistics- Teaching ESL. Upon graduating, she was awarded three awards by the English Department: the Excellence in a Discipline award, the Most Distinguished Student in Applied Linguistics/ Teaching ESL, and the Most Distinguished Students in K-8 Language Arts. In addition to editing for Write to Unite, Anisa works with the Midwest Regional Training Institute, coordinating after-school educational programs throughout Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. The mission underlying all of her work is a desire to promote justice in and through the arts by making arts education accessible to historically oppressed communities, and by magnifying the voices of writers from diverse racial, linguistic, religious, and economic backgrounds.
Joan Hartley
Licensed Clinical Psychologist | Education Consultant | Author
Joan Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, holding a degree from the top-ranked university in her home country of Peru, as well as a Master of Science in Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology from University College London and the Anna Freud Centre in London. With nearly 15 years of clinical experience, Joan transitioned into an education consultant following a profound personal transformation. Her expertise in personal development has enabled her to collaborate with international organizations, including the World Bank and UNICEF, and to advise government ministries in Mexico and Peru.
Joan’s work centers on personal growth, empowerment, and transformation. She believes that inner change is the key to systemic evolution. Her TEDx talk, “The Power of Listening to Your Heart,” and her transformative workshop, “In the Flow,” reflect her commitment to helping others connect with their inner wisdom. Joan’s upcoming book explores her personal journey of awakening and offers insights into living with purpose by tapping into the heart’s power.
Joan is a proud mother to two sons, Hugo and Cristobal, and is passionate about supporting individuals on their path to self-discovery and healing. Joan comes to us from Spain.