Individual & Team Coaching

Our experience has shown us that emerging movement leaders are stepping into leadership positions, only to find themselves frustrated with cultures and systems that bar them from stepping into their power and leading from their wisest selves for equity and social justice. In fact, in the course of our program development, research, and evaluation work, we've talked to many leaders – particularly folks of color – who find themselves wishing they could be more resourced and supported and feel less isolated in their roles. They want to lead from a place of alignment, clarity, and with great care for their colleagues and organization and have an impact on their field and mission. 

For Cities & People Advisors, we view coaching as a tool to support you and your team in designing and cultivating spaces that align with your values, enabling you to build a culture of care, resilience, healing, and reciprocity while increasing collaboration and movement toward your collective goals.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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About Our Coaching

We offer support through one-on-one coaching and team coaching sessions.

 

INDIVIDUAL COACHING

Through our one-on-one, tailored coaching partnership, you'll have the opportunity to strengthen your capacity according to your immediate and longer-term needs, in such areas as:

  • Finding your voice as a movement leader. 

  • Grounding actions in personal values and beliefs.

  • Naming your needs in alignment with your values. 

  • Identifying resources and supports for staying power. 

  • Leading with intent for equity, justice, and healing.

TEAM COACHING

Team coaching is a process in which the coach partners with the entire team to support them in improving team dynamics and communication, identifying and leveraging strengths, increasing clarity and trust, and enhancing the team’s capacity to address current and future challenges. This is a space for transformation in communications, transparency, and collaboration to:

  • Align on team purpose, objectives, and expectations.

  • Foster positive peer reciprocity and collaboration.

  • Support a learning organization by encouraging innovation and knowledge-sharing.

  • Nurture a culture of trust, mutual support, and joy among your team.

 
“I had the absolute pleasure of working with Cities and People for the past few months! Such an incredibly professional, light hearted, welcoming and engaging group of facilitators and coaches! Being able to host 2 plus hour learning sessions through Zoom and keep everyone engaged with valuable information is no easy feat but they managed to do it with such grace! I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and would definitely work with them again in the future! Thanks again for all that you guys do! ”
— Dar'rell Jones, Career Pathways Coordinator of BLU Educational Foundation

About Us

 

Helen Chin

Helen is a deeply feeling, quiet observer with a heart-led spirit for justice and freedom. As a coach, she uses curiosity, compassion, and creativity to support her coaching partners in uncovering their needs and values, practicing choice in their journey, and moving through internal and external conflict. She comes to coaching and facilitation through a winding journey in the nonprofit and public sectors, working at the intersection of arenas such as race, poverty, housing, health, and homelessness.  

She practices through the frameworks of transformative justice, anti-oppression analysis, abolition, and is shaped by Buddhist mindful and body-based awareness, Black Radical Tradition, and Indigenous and relational worldviews. It is her privilege and honor to walk with and witness the divinity of movement leaders as they uncover their true essence and grow toward healing and liberation. 

Helen is a certified professional coach through the Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation Program.

“As the Executive Director of BikeLA, working with Helen Chin has been personally transformative. Her coaching has given me the clarity and grounding I need to lead with intention during a critical period of growth and change. Helen creates a space where I can reflect deeply—not just on organizational strategy, but on my own leadership values, strengths, and challenges. Through our sessions, I’ve become more resilient, more aligned with our mission, and better equipped to guide our team through complex decisions, including leadership succession planning. Helen’s insight and presence have helped me grow into the kind of leader our movement truly needs - connected to my personal humanity while in service to the greater good. Helen’s support has certainly strengthened BikeLA, but the most profound impact has been on my very approach to leadership.”
— Eli Kaufman, Executive Director of BikeLA

Maya Paley

Maya's coaching style is rooted in empathy, reflection, and challenging clients to cultivate self-awareness and take incremental, accessible steps toward achieving their goals. With her extensive experience in the nonprofit field and as a consultant in movement spaces, Maya brings a wealth of knowledge on leadership development, relationship-building, strategic planning, supervision and communication, and team-building to her coaching practice.

Maya’s empathetic approach is complemented by her willingness to challenge her coachee partners to try out new perspectives and approaches. She is a caring and present listener who encourages her clients to reflect on their vision, desires, and goals. She understands the barriers for values-based professionals and provides support to individuals and teams looking to create impact both within and beyond their organizations.

Maya is an accredited coach through the International Coaching Federation.

“Time spent with Maya enlightened me. I am refocused. I am more sure of my values. Above all I am more confident that I can traverse the rocky terrain of my career. Having Maya as my coach has been one of the best decisions I’ve made this year. Her plethora of knowledge has helped me navigate all of the trials and tribulations that have been thrown my way. Whether that be the right approach when it comes to an employee needing accommodations, a peer and I not seeing eye to eye on something, having to deliver less than ideal feedback or even just creating boundaries for myself when it comes to my work life balance. I look forward to each and every session and know no matter what I throw her way Maya will be able to help guide me to the right solution. Not only that, but she holds me accountable to my goals that I’ve set for myself and I always have clear takeaways and action steps to continue to do my best. I truly cannot recommend her enough!”
— Lindsey LeFaivre, Director of Customer Success of AchieveIt

HOW IT WORKS

Our coaching sessions are conducted virtually, allowing us to make our services more accessible. Our mission is to support organizational leaders, individuals in movement spaces, and those working towards systems change by helping them stay grounded in their power and agency.

Please fill out the form below and we will contact you within a few days to schedule a 30 minute consultation about our coaching program, including our rates and approach. We look forward to meeting you!

 
 

Recent Coaching Clients

Throughout 2023, while facilitating the five-year strategic visioning and planning process of the California Work & Family Coalition, a coalition that focuses on paid family leave, sick days, and safety days for workers throughout California, Cities & People was asked to provide bi-weekly executive coaching for the organization’s Executive Director. The coaching focused on staff management, supervision, motivation, and goal-setting, as well as organizational development, member and partner relationship-building, and change management.

Throughout 2024, we provided executive coaching for Environmental Health Coalition’s Executive Director to support executive decision-making and goal implementation. We also provided team coaching services to the Administration/Human Resources Team to support them in increasing effectiveness through stronger communication, collaboration, and trust-building.

We provided individual and team coaching to Department of Sound, an organization that uses sound engineering as a means to build confidence and leadership skills among Sacramento’s youth, in 2025. Our work together focused on strategic work planning, decision-making, and role clarification to enhance the team’s internal communications and improve their capacity to set and achieve programmatic and organizational goals.