The Story Behind
Coffee, Kindness, & Inclusion
Coffee, Kindness, & Inclusion was built at the intersection of lived experience and professional purpose. It was founded on a simple belief: workplace culture should feel human, and inclusion should be experienced—not just written into policies.
What began as personal experience became a mission to help organizations create environments where people feel seen, supported, and able to thrive.
As a disabled professional, Jessica spent years navigating workplaces where inclusion was often discussed, but not always fully experienced. While building a global career in learning, culture, and inclusion, she gained a unique perspective on both the employee experience and the challenges leaders face.
One thing became increasingly clear:
Most organizations genuinely want to create inclusive workplaces. The challenge is rarely intention.
Policies can exist. Hiring goals can be met. Conversations can happen. Yet employees can still leave feeling unseen, unsupported, or unable to fully contribute.
That gap became impossible to ignore.
And that's when The Inclusion Gap™ was born.
The Inclusion Gap™ is the space between hiring someone and creating an environment where they can succeed, grow, and belong.
Many organizations succeed at hiring. Fewer succeed at:
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Supporting employees
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Developing talent
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Creating advancement pathways
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Retaining disabled employees
Closing that gap became the foundation of Coffee, Kindness, & Inclusion.
Coffee, Kindness, & Inclusion exists to help organizations move beyond awareness and create cultures where inclusion lives in everyday leadership behaviors, conversations, decisions, and experiences.
Hi, I’m Jessica Pelasky, Founder of Coffee, Kindness, & Inclusion and a Disability Inclusion Consultant dedicated to helping organizations turn empathy into action. With more than 10 years of experience in learning, leadership development, and workforce transformation, I've designed global programs reaching thousands of professionals across 30+ countries.
My work focuses on helping leaders build workplaces where people with disabilities can thrive—not just be hired.I also serve on the Delta Air Lines Advisory Board on Disability and Accessible Travel, where I collaborate with leaders to advance accessibility and inclusion across the travel experience.
As someone who lives with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), commonly known as brittle bone disease, I bring both professional expertise and lived experience to every conversation. My mission is simple: help organizations close The Inclusion Gap™ and create cultures where everyone belongs.
Why Organizations Work With Me
Organizations partner with Coffee, Kindness, & Inclusion because they need more than awareness.
They need action.
By combining lived disability experience, global leadership expertise, and practical consulting approaches, I help organizations move beyond good intentions and create meaningful, sustainable change.
The Philosophy Behind the Name
Coffee
Coffee represents connection because some of the best conversations begin around a table. It creates space for openness, trust, and honest dialogue.
Kindness
Kindness reflects the belief that empathy and humanity are not weaknesses in leadership. They are strengths that shape how people experience work and each other.
Inclusion
Inclusion is the outcome. Creating workplaces where people feel seen, supported, valued, and able to contribute fully.
The Mission Today
Today, Coffee, Kindness, & Inclusion partners with organizations to help close the gap between intention and impact.
Through leadership development, strategic advisory, and conversation-driven experiences, the focus is simple: helping organizations create cultures where inclusion becomes something employees genuinely experience every day.
Some of the most meaningful conversations I've had about leadership, disability, and belonging didn't happen in conference rooms. They happened over coffee.
With her compelling recounting of her personal lived experience and insight derived leading global disability inclusion discussions, Jessica is a voice for the power of disability employment and inclusion. Jessica illuminates her disability experience with engaging storytelling that leaves an audience with new information on the everyday challenges individuals with disabilities face and surmount. She also shares and embodies the resilience, the perspective, and the contributions employees with disabilities bring to the workplace. After you hear Jessica speak, you will have no doubt there is enormous potential just waiting to be unleashed through greater disability employment. Jessica is a fantastic and engaging speaker who will elevate and educate audiences on disability inclusion.
Michele Christ
People and Culture, Community Impact, Elder Care and Disability Consulting
Jessica's work was detailed and right on time. She communicates well and is interested in pleasing her clients. I enjoyed working with her and will recommend her to my friends and colleagues.
Eileen Thorne
AAS, BS, MS, Clinical Nutritionist, Business Owner, Single Parents Nia /SPN Herbs,Health & Wellness
I have worked with Jessica and have not been disappointed one time. She is extremely proficient in every area that she works in. Jessica is very personable and seeks to provide the very best service possible without sacrificing results. She is innovative and creative. She is constantly working to improve the overall process that makes the client relationship easy and comfortable. Her ability to do what is needed in a timely fashion is refreshing.
Douglas J. Doran
President at Life Radio Ministries, Inc.
I had the pleasure of working with Jessica as a speaker in our webinar series, and I can't recommend her highly enough. She exemplifies professionalism and brings an impressive depth of expertise and advocacy to the table. Jessica blends her personal experiences and convictions seamlessly with the topic and audience, delivering messages that are both insightful and relatable.
Her content was highly relevant to our series; she understood the theme, stayed on topic, and ensured her messaging resonated with our audience. Beyond that, Jessica's communication skills are exceptional — she was always punctual, responsive, and receptive to collaboration and feedback. She actively engaged in promoting the event on LinkedIn, amplifying our reach, and making the experience pleasant and productive for the whole team.
If you're looking for a speaker or collaborator who is professional, knowledgeable, and dedicated, Jessica is someone you absolutely want to work with.
Sarah (Naumann) Gabriel
Advocate | Lead Learner | Innovator
I had the pleasure of working with Jessica, and her radiance and ability to articulate learning solutions was stellar. She has continued to expand her reach, and I've been able to share her career journey, and equip leaders through her powerful storytelling about her personal work and life journey as a disabled person who has to navigate a world that challenges her autonomy by not offering solutions, resources, workplaces and accommodations that afford her the ability to live her fullest (and best) life. Jessica's passion, advocacy for herself and others in the disabled community was an amazing experience that shed a light on this meaningful and impactful topic. Jessica's passion and willingness to share deeply personal experiences has been a pleasure to witness and I look forward to continuing to leverage her insights, solutions and knowledge in the future.
Oneka Cornelius
HR/People | Talent & Culture Strategist | Learning Strategy
Anyone that gets the honor and opportunity to hear Jessica speak, whether it is one on one or as part of a group, will surely be inspired, engaged, and positively impacted. Jessica has a very caring and generous spirit with a strong desire to help others. Jessica also is a great influencer and educator. Aside from having a masters degree in adult education and broad work experience, Jessica is a natural born educator and has taught many through the years on a variety of topics from web design to accessibility, and so much in between. Any audience would be fortunate to learn from her and will come out of the experience with a new found perspective, enlightenment, and most likely an opportunity for self reflection that may not have occurred otherwise.