Cultivating professional spaces where people can grow and thrive.
kulima: from Swahili, meaning “to cultivate.”
Kulima founder & principal trainer, Zalika Gardner, is a consultant, professional coach, and facilitator partnering with leaders and organizations in their journey towards collaborative and sustainable leadership. She is an experienced speaker including her 2014 TEDx talk Listening Differently.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Scripps College and a Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership from Columbia University Teachers College.
Zalika’s attention to the experience of each participant is based in her understanding of adult learning principles and is informed by research in leadership, organizational psychology, neuroscience and emotional intelligence.
Services
Let’s collaborate to support your leadership & organizational culture goals
Training Topics
Delivered through:
1:1 Coaching
Team Training/Coaching
Organizational Training Series
Retreat Experiences
Feedback and Clear Communication
Communication is the cornerstone of the workplace. Authentic and empowering leadership requires we learn to communicate with each other honestly and courageously.
Practicing Core Values
Through our everyday interactions, the values chosen by a workplace provide either a meaningful structure for cohesion and alignment, or lose their relevance all together.
Cultivating Team Norms
Collaboration is a gift and a difficult thing to get right. Balancing the needs of the individual within a healthy and productive team involves skills in trust building, clear communication, and conflict resolution.
Cultivating Organizational Trust
Trust is both intangible and invaluable in our workspaces. It takes intention and humility to build, recover, and protect the habits that support mission-centered trust in the workplace.
Cultivating Professional Joy
Taking time to connect to deep wisdom, define anchoring values and determine purposeful action provides a sustainable route to maximizing professional impact.
Cultivating Resiliency
Of all the leadership skills we can be practicing, our ability to tap into learning with joy when faced with uncertainty is an essential component. Change will continue to happen. We can build the skills to be ready.
“The work is to become better humans for other humans.”
~ Austin Channing Brown
Our Clients
Client Feedback
— Leadership Coaching
“Zalika is a curious learner, connected thinker, and compassionate coach. She brings a grounded confidence to her work with others. She offers insightful feedback, alongside tools for integrating new skills and dispositions. With her partnership, I have been supported and challenged in new ways.”
“ As a leadership coach, Zalika offers a transformative approach that helps leaders navigate the demands of daily operations with clarity and purpose. Through her guidance, I’ve learned to harness the power of pause—staying centered amidst chaos and leading with resilience. Her coaching has refined my leadership style, equipping me with the tools to remain focused on what truly matters. With Zalika’s support, I’ve not only strengthened my own leadership but also created an environment where my team can thrive.”
— Staff Retreats
"I feel more connected to the team and aligned with the work we are doing. I feel confident in navigating conversations especially around conflict/conflict adjacent situations…"
"Zalika, the way you grounded us with our humanity fostered a strong sense of belonging and allowed us to build up off of our existing foundations as an organization!"
“Retreats offer a powerful space for teams to deepen connections, refine their skills, share perspectives, and collaboratively develop strategies. These retreats foster a sense of unity and shared purpose, supporting leaders with the insight and tools to grow together in meaningful and impactful ways.”
— Organizational Culture Training Series
“I gained tools and a process for fostering a positive working environment. Using common language and expectations allowed me to feel braver in doing the work…”
“The trainings are tied directly to our organizational mission. Zalika's ability to engage our team through heavy things while integrating an element of play fosters a space to be vulnerable and to grow into better versions of ourselves.”
“Trainings are immersive, engaging, enlightening. Our staff has learned so much from Zalika, implementing aspects of her training into our every day work. What we learn from her feels tangible and accessible.”
— Facilitation
“I have so much respect and gratitude for her. One of the best facilitators I have experienced, so warm, wise, and engaging. I loved the pacing and the flow and sequence of the activities.”
“Zalika has a rare blend of content knowledge and experience, purposeful and connected facilitation, rapport building with folks from various walks of life, and she brings the fun.”
“I have had the joy of partnering with many skilled facilitators, but Zalika's energy, values-based facilitation, and interactive approach is one-of-a-kind.”