Speaker, Scholar, Storyteller.

From motivational keynotes to hands-on trainings, Dr. Cairo engages people, communities and organizations to implement positive change and communicate the message that every story has value.

about.

Born and raised in the Netherlands to Surinamese parents, she left for the US to pursue her college education. She obtained a dual Bachelor in Psychology and Physical Education, Master’s Degrees in Clinical Psychology and Medical Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology… (read more)

upcoming.

Holding Space training and learning retreat November 27 and 28!

Join Aminata and her team consisting of Winnie Roseval, Cristina Grifone and Camiel Kesser. For more information and registration, click here.

Holding Space Performance Tour in both Dutch and English

Tickets are for sale now:

Bijlmerpark Theater (Amsterdam) – Dutch spoken

Maaspodium (Rotterdam) – English

De Vaillant (The Hague) – Dutch spoken ticket sales to be announced.

For a look back at the previous tour, click here.

the books.

Holding Space: A Storytelling Approach to Diversity and Inclusion

Published by Aminata Cairo Consultancy

What I do then is to hold space. Specifically I hold space for the stories that are normally overlooked, silenced, marginalized or dismissed. My ultimate goal is to normalize these spaces as part of the larger multi-storied mosaic. If the larger space is transformed by it, than that is beautiful. However, this is not what I set out to do, not anymore. Striving for that goal merely leads to disappointment I have found. Terms such as diversity and inclusion are misleading… Learn more.

Print, audio and ebooks!

Netherlands and Europe: Order here…

US and other countries: Order at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, independent book stores and more

E-book: Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Nobles, ebooks.com, and more

Audio book: available on all your favorite audio platforms: Audible, Googleplay, Rakuten kobo, Scribd, chirp, and more

BARBERSHOP WISDOM: LESSONS FROM A D1 DAD

Justin Johnson Jr. and Aminata Cairo

This beautiful photobook shares the life story of Justin Johnson into manhood and fatherhood. In writing this book with Dr. Aminata Cairo, a connection has been made with Turkish and Moroccan barbershops in the Netherlands, where the barbershop also offers a safe haven for men in marginalized communities. This book, in sharing Justin’s story is not just an insight into one man’s life, it offers hope for men and all those who love men and boys all over the world.

Purchase your Barbershop Wisdom book in the Netherlands here.

LOVE ME FOR ME: STORIES FOR CHILDREN IN TRANSGENDER FAMILIES

Published by Aminata Cairo Consultancy

After that day my mommy took me with her to the doctor a few times. The doctor explained how the medicine was going to change my mommy’s body and that she would have to take shots. I didn’t like that idea, but my mommy said she didn’t mind. He asked if I had questions and I asked him if he was going to teach my mommy how to pee standing up. He laughed at that, but never gave me an answer. Learn more