Laila St. Matthew-Daniel, the first inductee into the Life Coaches Hall of Fame and a member of the Advisory Board of the Life Coaches Association of Nigeria (LCAN), has unveiled The Veneer Principle, described as the first Afrocentric coaching framework designed for diagnostic assessment.

Matthew-Daniel said the framework draws from more than three decades of professional experience and intellectual work, including insights from her Deep Release (Underneath The Veneer) column published in City People Magazine between 2006 and 2007. The column explored the contrast between outward appearances and inner realities among women dealing with mental health concerns, personal challenges and high achievement.

According to her, the concept has also been applied informally over the years in her work as a leadership trainer focused on governance and cultural transformation.

She explained that the framework integrates African cultural context and the Ubuntu philosophy to address what she described as gaps in many existing coaching models.

“Most coaching frameworks are built on Western, individualistic models and often do not account for the cultural context, collective identity and family dynamics that influence how African and diaspora clients navigate their lives,” she said.

Matthew-Daniel noted that The Veneer Principle™ provides coaches and therapists with tools to identify the gap that sometimes exists between what individuals project publicly and their underlying personal realities.

The framework, she said, is intended to help practitioners better understand cultural dynamics such as code-switching, communal values and identity, while equipping them with diagnostic tools, including worksheets, pattern recognition guides and case studies.

She added that the model is grounded in the Ubuntu philosophy, which emphasises relational identity and the idea that individual well-being is connected to community.

“The veneer for many of our clients includes navigating predominantly non-African spaces and balancing traditional family expectations with modern pressures. Healing is not just individual; it is relational,” she said.

Matthew-Daniel disclosed that The Veneer Principle™ is the first instalment in a broader three-part Underneath The Veneer Methodology, which is currently in development and aimed at providing a comprehensive system for culturally grounded coaching practice, professional training and organisational development.

She added that the framework responds to growing demand among African and diaspora coaches seeking culturally rooted methodologies, as well as non-African practitioners working with African clients who require deeper cultural competence.

The workbook accompanying the framework is available for download on Selar.

Matthew-Daniel is an executive coach, leadership facilitator and therapist. She is also the founder of ACTS Generation GBV, an organisation that advocates against domestic violence and promotes women’s rights.