We didn’t set out to start a consulting firm.

But after seeing the same problems surface again and again across nonprofits, startups, and organizations that are stuck, the COE House Collective was born.

No matter the sector, the pattern was familiar. Smart, well-intentioned people doing meaningful work—slowed down by unclear decisions, tangled roles, and systems that couldn’t keep up with the pace of growth. The issue was rarely effort or talent.

It was how the work was designed.

We’ve spent our careers bringing products to market, scaling organizations, and working inside fast-moving environments where viability actually matters—not just vision.

The problem is rarely the idea.
It’s the system around it.

Work today feels heavier than it needs to be. Leaders are overwhelmed by tools, frameworks, and constant advice about what they should adopt next.

At the same time, many organizations are still forcing people into rigid ways of working that don’t reflect how humans actually think, focus, or create. Performance drops. Engagement fades. Retention becomes harder than it needs to be.

COE House exists to help organizations step back, make sense of what’s actually happening.

We operate as a collective of trusted operators and specialists, assembled based on what the work actually requires. This keeps teams lean, avoids unnecessary layers, and ensures expertise is applied where it creates real momentum.

We don’t sell decks, frameworks, or shiny solutions. We help teams keep what works, let go of what doesn’t, and build practical systems people will actually use. Our goal is to build internal capability—then step back once the system holds.

We’re not a fit for everyone. We work best with leaders who are honest about what isn’t working and willing to address it directly.

That’s what COE House exists to do.

COE stands for Center of Excellence — but here, it means something more human.

COE House is a collective of people who genuinely care about doing work well and serving the missions behind it. We exist to support leaders who are trying to build something real — not just impressive.

This is a house for leadership done with integrity, people treated like humans, decisions made with clarity, and missions supported by structure that actually works.

We don’t parachute in with opinions and disappear with a deck. We work alongside you. We take your mission seriously — because for the time we’re in it, it becomes ours too.

No theatre.
No hero worship.
Just honest work, done well, by people who care.

We believe clarity is kindness.
Organizations don’t struggle because people aren’t capable — they struggle because expectations, decisions, and systems are unclear. Our job is to remove ambiguity so teams know what’s happening, why it matters, and what comes next.

We believe culture is not a poster — it’s a system.
Culture shows up in how decisions are made, how work flows, and how accountability actually functions. People aren’t the problem. Systems are. That’s where we focus.

We don’t do strategy theatre.
No jargon for sport. No performative leadership. No meetings about meetings. If it doesn’t move the work forward, we cut it.

We are human-first, always.
High standards and healthy teams aren’t opposites — they depend on each other. We design work that respects humans, energy, and real life while still delivering results.

We believe real value should show up fast.
We audit what exists, make clear recommendations, and build in real time. Clean thinking. Decisive action. Visible progress.

We believe leadership is not a rank — it’s a responsibility.
As organizations grow, leadership must evolve. The work is no longer you. The work is your people. Great leaders shift from doers to enablers.

We believe organizations can — and should — be a force for good.
Leadership behaviour compounds. Culture and workforce design are among the highest-return investments a leader can make.

We don’t believe in tearing down the past.
We believe in updating it.

And finally — levity matters.
The work is serious. It doesn’t need to be joyless. We bring warmth, humour, and perspective, because the best systems are built by humans who still enjoy working together.