hello!
Hello, and welcome! I'm Kirk Eklund the founder and lead facilitator at Inkfish. I’ve been fortunate to work in my passions at the intersection of Innovation and Human Development since 2014. I do that with a unique blend of Design Thinking 1, Integral Facilitation 2, and an Insatiable Curiousity 3. I bring a fresh perspective, energy, and tools to help teams and organizations tackle their stickiest problems. Leveraging a world-class network of collaborators and co-designers, I work hard to make sure your team gets the best experience to meet your specific challenge. Believing "status quo" only gets us so far, I have an eye towards being a productive disruptor.
At home, I’m the father of two little girls who have my whole heart and provide an excellent (and endless) training ground for my own development :) Besides working to be a present parent, I also find a lot of joy in being an amateur carpenter, bonsai student, and aquarist. My partner and best friend is also a business owner (check her out at LIEFdesign.com) bringing so much beauty and inspiration to our home and to homes all over the world.
Next time you’re in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hit me up and I’ll take you to a favorite spot for a beverage or pastry!
1 - I’ve been an executive coach at Stanford’s d.school since 2016, leading groups of national and international leaders through week-long design thinking bootcamps as well as supporting the d.school’s national and international client work.
2 - I’m a certified Integral facilitator and coach through Real LIFE Programs out of Salt Lake City and have supported their work on the faculty side as well. Integral facilitation is a model based on Ken Wilber’s integral map that helps navigate the four domains of our experience: awareness, behavior, culture, and systems. Google that to geek out on some amazing adult development content.
3 - Since I was young, I have wanted to know as much about everything as I can. Just ask my parents. :) From how things work to what people are thinking and feeling, I want to soak it all up. This has shown up in all of my roles and experiences.
SOME OF MY UNIQUE INGREDIENTS :
CURRENT :
• Stanford d.school Executive Coach since 2016
• Graduate Resource Team - Real LIFE Facilitator Programs since 2023
• Integral Theory Leadership Certification - Real LIFE Facilitator Programs 2023 + 2024
• Member of the HATCH network
• Founding Executive Board Member - Seeding Justice Grand Rapids (A nonprofit aimed at undoing the harm caused by war on drug policies and systemic racism)
• Graduate of National Equity Project’s Racial Equity in Action Leadership (REAL) Center
• Graduate of Our Community Listens (now Chapman FDN)
PAST :
• Co-Founder + Senior Consultant - Public Agency
• 3yrs Co-founder + Lead Facilitator of the Global Youth Forum - An international Design Thinking program for high school students to tackle real-world challenges and present their work to peers and content experts
• Facilitator at GVSU’s Inclusion and Equity Institute
• 5yrs Design + Project Lead with an international Design Consultancy in the Southeast US
• 5yrs Facilitating a 9mos Adult Development program that met weekly and asked participants the questions “Who am I?” and “Who do I want to be in the world?”
Where does “Inkfish” come from?
That’s often the first question I get when I talk about my work. I usually respond with something like this…
1 : My favorite animal (or as we call them in our house, non-human kin) has been the octopus as long as I can remember. They seem otherworldly in their movements and intelligence. They think, act, and exist different than most other life on earth.
2: My grandpa grew up in Sweden and according to my family that still lives there, he was seen as “the dreamer.” He moved to the states in his adult years, and started a family. I feel deeply connected to the idea of being a dreamer and the Scandinavian heritage connected to that side of my family.
3 : When I wanted to give a name to the work I was doing, I wanted to tie it to the creature that inspired me with its creativity and my heritage of being a dreamer…so, the Swedish word for octopus is blåckfisk, which when translated back into English, becomes inkfish.
Contact us
Send us a message to schedule a call or a coffee to dream up ways we can support your work!