About us
Our mission is to help organizations build great leadership practices at all levels.
We provide coaching, training, and consulting services for organizations seeking to develop exceptional leaders.
Our values
Relationships
We center our work on building resonant relationships that are trusting, engaged, and energizing.
Wisdom
We seek wisdom and honor the notion that wisdom encompasses the artful balance of deep knowledge and deep humility.
Curiosity
We lean into curiosity with commitment and passion, and leverage its power to elicit meaningful insights to improve our work and lives.
Gratitude
We practice gratitude and embrace all that shapes our life and contributes to our learning, growth, and evolution.
Joy
We embark on important work with great joy. We incorporate humor, play, and celebration into our partner engagements.
Our founder
Kara Grieco (MPA, ACC) has over two decades of leadership development experience that spans organizations in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. She's served at an executive level on regional, national, and global leadership teams. During her career, she has designed and facilitated learning experiences for new managers, sector switchers, sales teams, customer success teams, leadership teams, and nonprofit boards of directors. She has overseen leadership development programs that served over 400 adult learners and has built organizational talent, leadership, and culture functions from the ground up.
Kara earned a B.A. from Rutgers University, an M.P.A. in Management from New York University, and a Certificate in Professional Coaching from NYU. She holds the Associate Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation, and is an active member of the New Jersey chapter.
Kara lives in New Jersey with her husband, her toddler, and her two very fluffy goldendoodles. She enjoys pilates, hosting friends and family for dinners and parties, and singing (loudly) and dancing (joyfully) around her house with her tiny back-up dancer.
Why upward spiral?
The spiral symbolizes the consciousness of nature, starting from the origin and expanding outward. From seashells to pinecones, from the DNA helix to human fingerprints to galaxies – spirals are present all around us and seem to embody an inherent wisdom.
Spirals represent energy.
Spirals represent momentum.
Spirals represent growth.
In positive psychology, the term upward spiral is used to describe a self-reinforcing process that creates a valuable resource as it grows.
That's how we view our work with leaders.
In your partnership with The Upward Spiral Group, we’ll co-create your own upward spiral– with you and your team at the center of the experience. Let's unlock your team's true leadership strengths, skills, and styles.