Kari Loken is an expert in leadership and talent development, people and culture strategy, and organizational effectiveness — but for her, it isn’t about theory, it’s about practice. With almost 20 years of experience, she has spent her career helping leaders navigate change, lead diverse teams, and build healthy, high-performing organizations across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.
Kari’s path has given her a unique vantage point. She’s consulted for firms including Korn Ferry, Great Place to Work Institute, and Newmeasures, as well as served internally as a Learning and OD consultant within a high-tech company — designing solutions for current and future leadership needs. That experience has allowed her to see organizational challenges from both outside the walls and within them, a perspective that shapes how she facilitates today: with an understanding of both the strategy behind the room and the reality inside it.
Throughout her career, Kari has designed and led initiatives that strengthen leadership skills, foster employee engagement, and drive strategic business outcomes. But what she specializes in, above all, is helping leaders have the difficult conversations most people are taught to avoid — the kind that, done well, strengthen a relationship instead of damaging it.
What sets Kari apart in the room is her belief that these aren’t just workplace skills — they’re life skills. The tools she teaches for hard conversations at work are the same ones that matter at home, and she brings that conviction into every session she leads, drawing as much on her own ongoing practice as on her expertise. Her mission is simple: to inspire curiosity, spark intrinsic motivation, and help people discover their authentic selves and define their impact — in work and in life.
Kari holds a Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Family Studies from St. Olaf College. A Duluth, Minnesota native, she now calls Berkeley, California home, where she lives with her partner, daughter, and newly rescued puppy. Outside of work, she can usually be found on a coastal trail, or dreaming up her next trip abroad.
Clients Kari has worked with:
Verizon
Coca-Cola Southwest
Bristol Myers Squibb
Charles Schwab
Regeneron
TJX
Danone
U.S. Department of Defense
CACI
E&J Gallo
Cintas
Hormel
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
ATD
Hogan Assessments
Innodata
