Cultivating Leadership

What Cultivating Leadership does

Cultivating Leadership is a New Zealand-based professional training and coaching firm founded in 2011 that delivers leadership development solutions to both enterprise clients and individual leaders. Its service portfolio comprises four core offerings: Adaptive Offerings (custom co-designed leadership programs and organizational development initiatives), one-on-one Leadership Coaching, Public Programs (including the Growth Edge Coaching accreditation built on three foundational courses — Conversations at the Edge, Dancing at the Edge, and Mapping the Edge), and Keynote Speaking engagements. The firm also publishes intellectual property through books (e.g., Love Everything by Akasha Saunders), the Not Simple Podcast, and the Fresh Thinking blog, and operates content channels on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

The company's methodology is grounded in adult development theory and complexity science, drawing on frameworks such as Robert Kegan's Immunity to Change approach and Jennifer Garvey Berger's Mindtraps methodology, with thought leadership provided by principals including Jennifer Garvey Berger, Keith Johnston, Akasha Saunders, Nicolai Tillisch, Fred Jones, and John Sautelle. Distribution is sales-led and consultative, with the firm co-designing bespoke programs alongside clients rather than selling off-the-shelf products. Customer segments span individual leaders and coaches as well as organizations such as Teach For America, with service delivery extending beyond the New Zealand headquarters into markets including the Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater China.

Cultivating Leadership is a private, for-profit company with 51-100 employees and no disclosed funding, parent company, or proprietary technology platform. Revenue is generated through professional services engagements for custom programs and keynotes, and through subscription/recurring arrangements for one-on-one coaching and public course accreditation. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with service scope and customization level driving contract values. The firm has no AI capabilities, APIs, or software products; its value proposition rests entirely on human expertise, proprietary content, and methodological frameworks.

Name

Cultivating Leadership

Website

https://cultivatingleadership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cultivating Leadership is a New Zealand-based leadership development firm founded in 2011 that delivers custom co-designed programs, one-on-one coaching, public accreditation courses, and keynotes to enterprise clients and individual leaders globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF), DEI, Inclusive Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Coaching (EDABANAJ), Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE)

Keywords

• Leadership development services
• Executive coaching programs
• Organizational development consulting
• Professional coaching certification
• Leadership training workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunedin

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Leadership Coaching Services: One-on-one coaching services provided to individual clients, likely billed on a per-engagement or subscription basis.
2. Custom Organizational Programs: Co-designed custom leadership development programs for organizations, typically delivered as professional services engagements.
3. Public Programs and Growth Edge Coaching: Publicly available courses including Growth Edge Coaching accreditation program with three foundational courses: Conversations at the Edge, Dancing at the Edge, and Mapping the Edge.
4. Keynote Speaking: Keynote speaking engagements for events and conferences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cultivating Leadership co-designs leadership development solutions for organizations and individual leaders, including custom programs, one-on-one coaching, public training courses (such as the Growth Edge Coaching accreditation), and keynote speaking engagements. Their work is grounded in adult development theory, complexity science, and frameworks including Robert Kegan's Immunity to Change approach and Jennifer Garvey Berger's Mindtraps methodology.

Product overview

Cultivating Leadership is a leadership development coaching company offering a portfolio of services including Adaptive Offerings (custom programs and organizational development), one-on-one Leadership Coaching, and Public Programs (courses). Their flagship program is Growth Edge Coaching, an accreditation program comprising three courses: Conversations at the Edge, Dancing at the Edge, and Mapping the Edge. They also offer Keynote Speaking engagements, publish books (such as Love Everything by Akasha Saunders), and produce the Not Simple Podcast. The company focuses on helping leaders cultivate resilience, adaptability, and clarity through co-designed solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Growth Edge Coaching: A series of three foundational courses: Conversations at the Edge, Dancing at the Edge, and Mapping the Edge. Complete all three to become an accredited Growth Edge Coach.
• Leading Inclusively

Products and services

• Adaptive Offerings Co-designed custom leadership development programs tailored to organizational needs, including custom programs and organizational development initiatives for teams and leadership groups.
• Leadership Coaching One-on-one coaching services for leaders focused on personal growth, resilience, adaptability, and clarity development.
• Public Programs Publicly available courses and training programs for leadership development, including the Growth Edge Coaching accreditation series.
• Growth Edge Coaching A series of three foundational courses (Conversations at the Edge, Dancing at the Edge, and Mapping the Edge) leading to Growth Edge Coach accreditation, delivered live and recorded with workbook and transcripts.
• Keynote Speaking Keynote speaking engagements by Cultivating Leadership experts on leadership development, complexity, and adult development topics at conferences and events.
• Love Everything Published book authored by Akasha Saunders, titled 'Love Everything: Poems for Submerging in the Infinite Ocean of Love', released October 21, 2025.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Teach For AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeach For America partnered with Cultivating Leadership for coach training. The partnership is described as a true collaboration ensuring coaches receive the best possible training experience, with shared understanding of vision and shared responsibility in achieving goals. The Cultivating Leadership team was described as feeling like an extension of Teach For America.
• Vernice JonescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVernice Jones co-facilitates the Leading Inclusively program with Akasha Saunders from Cultivating Leadership. The program combines diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts with complexity and adult development ideas and practices, facilitating a lived experience of inclusive leadership.
• Naomi BergerminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNaomi Berger provided exceptional support for the Leading Inclusively program development and facilitation.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with significant leadership development, executive coaching, and talent advisory practices. Competes for the same enterprise leadership development budgets as Cultivating Leadership but at much greater scale.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Executive search and leadership advisory firm offering executive coaching, leadership assessment, and development services. Overlaps Cultivating Leadership in executive coaching and leadership advisory, particularly for senior leaders and boards.
• FranklinCovey: Large-scale leadership and organizational performance firm offering training, coaching, and consulting built around proprietary frameworks. Overlaps Cultivating Leadership's space but with a much broader portfolio and brand-led content approach.

Direct peers

• Conscious Leadership Group: Boutique leadership development and coaching firm focused on conscious, whole-person leadership and team transformation. Directly comparable to Cultivating Leadership in its values-based methodology, boutique scale, and emphasis on inner/transformational work for senior leaders.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Global nonprofit specializing in leadership research, education, and custom development programs for individuals and organizations. Direct peer to Cultivating Leadership in delivering research-grounded, cohort- and individual-based leadership development.
• Development Dimensions International (DDI): Provider of leadership development programs, assessment, and coaching for enterprises worldwide. Comparable to Cultivating Leadership in offering structured leadership programs, coaching, and organizational development to enterprise clients.
• Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching: Executive coaching brand built around Marshall Goldsmith's stakeholder-centered methodology, offering 1:1 coaching and coach certification. Closely comparable to Cultivating Leadership's combination of named-principal methodology and Growth Edge-style coach accreditation.

Emerging players

• CoachHub: Global digital coaching platform offering one-on-one coaching powered by a technology platform and coach marketplace. Comparable to Cultivating Leadership in serving enterprise and individual coaching demand, but with a tech-led delivery model.
• Reboot: Coaching and leadership development firm working with executives, teams, and organizations on conscious, values-driven leadership. Comparable to Cultivating Leadership in its humanistic, developmental coaching approach and content-driven thought leadership.
• BetterUp: Tech-enabled coaching and leadership development platform pairing enterprises with coaches via software. Competes with Cultivating Leadership in the same enterprise buyer market but delivers coaching through a scalable, AI-augmented platform rather than human-led co-design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cultivatingleadership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultivating-leadership
• Instagraminstagram.com/cultivatingleadership
• Xx.com/leadershipgrows

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cultivating Leadership