Our Story

We’d like to see the phrase “It’s lonely at the top” become a quaint phrase from the past, from a world where leaders shouldered the burden of their organization’s success alone. We are working to create a world in which leaders learn how to activate the intelligence, creativity, and commitment of the groups they lead. We help leaders and their teams to experience the gift of truly sharing responsibility.

At Groupaya, we want everyone we work with — clients, partners, and associates — to get better at tapping into the intelligence and creativity of groups. We help individuals and groups to think bigger about what is possible, work together to turn their visions into reality, and develop the skills and mindset for continued success. Our name “Groupaya”, which is a combination of “group” and “upaya” (Sanskrit for “skillful means”), embodies this purpose.

Based in the Bay Area, we are lucky to have visionary clients who are committed to changing the world for the better. We are committed to changing the world for the better, too — through creating leaders, organizations, networks, and nations that bring everything more alive — their people, their communities, their customers, their citizens, and the planet.

Our clients are C-level leaders in small and large companies, nonprofits, and foundations, as well as government agencies and networks. And we aspire to work with nations, starting with the United States. Yes, we’d like to work with you, Mr. President.

Groupaya was founded in the fall of 2011 by Kristin Cobble and Eugene Eric Kim. Rebecca Petzel played a key role as our brave first associate. Since then, Eugene has moved on to focus on sharing his wisdom and tools for helping individuals become more effective agents of change. Rebecca is now specializing in helping networks to create together. Kristin Cobble, Amy Wu and Dana Reynolds continue to play critical roles. Dave Huffman and Brooking Gatewood have also joined and supported our team. We also have a fabulous network of coaches and consultants that we bring into projects whenever we need their particular brilliance.