Three careers. One practice.
Cindy Zackney is a mediator and conflict resolution professional whose practice is built on three distinct careers.
What sets me apart
My practice sits at the intersection of three distinct careers,
each one building the next.
Twenty-Five Years in Global Technology
Senior marketing roles at TechCrunch/Foundry and Belkin International — directing cross-functional teams across North America, Europe, and Asia, managing international brand strategy and high-stakes B2B partnerships.
A Decade Holding Space
Founder and owner of Kava Yoga in Long Beach for ten years — logging over 1,300 hours teaching and leading teacher training programs that cultivated deep skills in facilitation, active listening, and holding space for others through discomfort.
Formal Training in Conflict Resolution
40-hour mediation certification from the International Mediation Campus (IMC) in Berlin, MS in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding (in progress) at CSUDH, and active casework through Groundswell Community Mediation at Orange County Superior Court.
Workplace conflict costs US businesses $1 trillion in voluntary turnover every year.
– Gallup, 2019
Why you should hire me
Most mediators come from law or therapy. I come from 25 years inside the technology industry — managing global teams, negotiating high-stakes partnerships, and navigating the organizational complexity that defines modern tech companies. I’ve lived the pressures, the dynamics, and the culture that my clients are navigating.
I also spent a decade as a yoga teacher — logging over 1,300 hours in facilitation, presence, and the practice of holding space for others through discomfort. That training is not incidental to my mediation practice. It’s foundational to it.
What I bring to every engagement: business fluency, calm presence, and a process that actually works.
Credentials
- MS in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding (in progress) — California State University, Dominguez Hills
- 40-Hour Mediation Certification — International Mediation Campus (IMC), Berlin, Germany
- MBA in Marketing — Loyola Marymount University
- B.A. in International Relations — University of California, Davis
- Volunteer Mediator — Groundswell Community Mediation, Orange County Superior Court
- Senior Fellow, Marketing and Communications — Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI), UN Economic Council-affiliated
An enthusiastic Formula 1 fan, Cindy has a particular appreciation for high-stakes competition, split-second decisions, and the art of navigating at speed — on and off the track.
