CO-FOUNDER, PARTNER, COACH

Jules is a Co-Founder and Partner at Kinship Methods, where she leads operations, designs curriculum, and works directly with clients as a coach and facilitator. She spent over a decade working on competitive campaigns in a variety of challenging environments from statewide coordinated campaigns to special congressional elections to presidential primaries. In that time, she managed teams of up to 250+ staff, and developed her passion for helping managers lead both ethically and effectively. Jules cares deeply about investing in staff development, making every organization she's a part of more inclusive and equitable, and centering the people we're fighting for in her decision-making as a program and team leader.She holds a coaching certification from the International Coaching Federation at the Professional Certified Coach level and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. In her spare time, Jules loves cooking elaborate dinners for her friends, spending time with her cats, Sabrina and Vito, and spoiling her nieces and nephews. 

Read more about Jules on her LinkedIn.

CO-FOUNDER, PARTNER, COACH

Sara is a Co-Founder and Partner at Kinship Methods, where she leads business development, designs curriculum, and works directly with clients as a coach and facilitator. Her career sits at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and progressive politics — and she has built her practice around the belief that the political world deserves the same caliber of leadership development as any high-performing organization in the private sector. With experience managing teams of 250+, Sara has a particular passion for supporting managers of managers as they grow in their leadership. Sara spent a decade working on campaigns and in government, with the majority of her campaign career in large organizing programs and brings that firsthand campaign experience into every client engagement. She holds a coaching certification from the International Coaching Federation at the Professional Certified Coach level and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Sara is a devoted student of her craft, constantly seeking out the latest ideas in coaching, leadership, and team culture through books, podcasts, and beyond. When she’s not working, you can find her on a long walk with her pups or making a mess in the kitchen.

Read more about Sara on her LinkedIn.

ASSOCIATE COACH

Misha specializes in helping individuals create fulfilling lives aligned with their authentic selves. With over a decade of experience as a political campaign operative and strategist, she's had the honor of managing community engagement and political strategies for prominent leaders, including Elizabeth Warren and President Joe Biden. She is certified by the ICF, the Co-Active Training Institute (CPCC), and Gallup. She is the founder of her own coaching practice, Become Your Own Muse, a coaching practice for visionary people.

Read more about Misha on her LinkedIn.

COACH

Hannah is a leadership coach and workplace culture consultant specializing in building the conditions for high performance, staff wellbeing, and positive relationships on teams. She has coached a Pulitzer Prize winner on next steps as well as candidates, elected officials, and staff at NASA, the State Department, and the EEOC on career paths, management, and team culture. She has trained a Major League Baseball team on team culture, mediated workplace conflict among nuns, facilitated leadership roundtables for National Park Service Superintendents, led staff retreats for Congressional offices, trained Marine Corps staff on leadership, and trained emergency room doctors on building positive relationships in stressful environments. Hannah earned a BA in Political Science at Brown University. She holds a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential with the International Coaching Federation as well as certifications in mediation and in applied positive psychology, the scientific study of wellbeing. 

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COACH

Jen Pihlaja brings her decades of leadership experience to her coaching. She is deeply committed to shifting the way individuals and teams approach professional and strategic development – through design-centered processes, Jen ensures people and teams feel more resilient, confident, and sustained in their work. Before becoming a coach, Jen was the managing partner of McKenna Pihlaja, a woman-owned media firm and founded and ran the pilot programs for the Blue Leadership Collaborative, a paid training and professional development project. She worked in political leadership at EMILY’s List and the DCCC, on campaigns, and in government. Jen is a certified Gallup Global Strengths Coach, holds an Executive Certificate in Facilitation from Georgetown University, and is pursuing her PCC credential from the ICF. She coaches at Kinship Methods and runs her own firm, Rowan Strategies and still considers herself a proud Midwesterner. 

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FACILITATOR

Solomon Matthews is a New Orleans–born master facilitator, strategist, and community builder whose work lives at the intersection of education, culture, and creative practice. With a background in social work and a Master’s in Education focused on Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, Solomon began his career in higher education, where he became an award-winning Academic and Career Advisor known for helping people navigate transition and possibility. In 2026, Solomon founded The Gumbo Collective, a strategy and experience design studio rooted in the idea that, like gumbo, the most powerful solutions are layered. The studio blends creativity, systems thinking, and cultural insight to design meaningful experiences, sustainable programs, and high-impact strategy. In addition to his consulting work, Solomon serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Adult Education Program at Delgado Community College, where he supports adult learners in achieving their educational and professional goals. At heart, Solomon is a steward of spaces, creating environments where people can think deeply, connect authentically, and build community.

Read more about Solomon on his Linkedin.

FACILITATOR

Benjamin Williams, Ph.D., is an educator, facilitator, consultant, and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach who helps individuals and organizations create cultures where people can thrive. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in education, leadership development, and organizational change, he partners with teams to strengthen engagement, cultivate belonging, and develop leaders who make a meaningful impact. Benjamin has facilitated workshops, retreats, and strategic planning efforts for colleges and universities, professional associations, nonprofit organizations, and leadership teams across the country. His work centers on helping people better understand themselves, navigate complexity, and build stronger relationships through strengths-based development, authentic leadership, and intentional community building.

As a scholar-practitioner, Benjamin's research explores belonging, identity, and the ways environments shape individual and collective success. His work has been presented nationally and informs his approach to facilitation, coaching, and organizational consulting. At the heart of Benjamin's work is a belief that people do their best work when they feel connected, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique strengths. Whether coaching an individual leader, facilitating a team conversation, or guiding organizational change, he brings curiosity, empathy, and a commitment to helping others belong.

Read more about Ben on his Linkedin.