Interview with Laura Lomax
Founder, Intercultural Works
Interview Summary
Laura Lomax, with 35+ years in intercultural competency, teaches emotionally charged topics like cultural competence to police officers, correctional staff, and government agencies. Her key insight: continuing education accreditation is "surprisingly easy" and serves as a powerful marketing advantage, and the same core content can be tailored for different professional audiences without starting from scratch.
Teaching in High-Stakes Environments
Laura's career path is anything but typical for a course creator. She ran a healthcare management firm serving 30+ correctional facilities across the US before turning her intercultural competency expertise into accredited online courses. Her audiences — police officers, correctional officers, attorneys — are not voluntarily seeking personal growth. They are often required to take training on topics they may resist. This forces Laura to be exceptionally thoughtful about course design. "Diversity is just a reality. It's not like something you have to like or not like," she explains. By reframing cultural competence as a practical professional skill rather than a political position, she meets learners where they are.
One of the best compliments I got was that now when they go to a call, a domestic issue, they think about what that other person might be thinking and not just what they have to do.
The Power of Accreditation
Laura discovered that CE accreditation — for law enforcement (CLEE), attorneys (CLE), and other professionals — is both easier to obtain than most people assume and dramatically more valuable as a marketing tool. "I put my little certificate on my sales page. It's a big plus and it's surprisingly easy. Don't be intimidated by the form," she says. Accreditation provides outside validation that course creators in any licensed field can leverage: it signals quality to buyers, creates a built-in marketing channel through professional licensing boards, and gives organizations a compliance reason to purchase.
Course Design for Sensitive Topics
For emotionally charged content, Laura relies on scenarios, reflection exercises, and live Zoom sessions rather than lectures. The live component is non-negotiable for social and emotional learning: participants need to process reactions, hear diverse perspectives, and practice responding to challenging situations in real time. She also tailors the same core framework to different professional audiences by swapping scenarios, terminology, and examples while keeping the underlying methodology intact. A module on communication across cultural differences uses police encounters for one audience and client meetings for another — same principles, different contexts.
I use the Ruzuku platform not just for the courses, but also for the products... and also for staging. When I do in-person material, for getting all my material organized.
Laura's Action Steps
Laura recommends these 3 steps to improve your course planning:
Investigate continuing education accreditation
If you serve professionals in a licensed field, CE accreditation is easier than you think and provides built-in marketing through licensing boards. The credibility signal on your sales page is immediate and powerful.
Tailor core content for different professional audiences
Swap scenarios, terminology, and examples while keeping your framework intact. One core methodology adapted for police officers, healthcare workers, and attorneys serves three markets with minimal additional work.
Always include a live component for sensitive topics
Discussion and interaction are essential for social and emotional learning. Zoom sessions, breakout groups, and scenario-based exercises let participants process reactions and practice new skills in real time.
About Laura Lomax
Founder, Intercultural Works
Laura Lomax is an expert in intercultural competency, instructional design, and leadership with 35+ years of experience. Former CEO of a healthcare management firm serving 30+ correctional facilities, she creates accredited continuing education courses for law enforcement, attorneys, and government agencies on cultural competence and inclusive leadership.
Listen to the full episode
From Course Lab with Abe Crystal & Ari Iny on Mirasee FM