Kirstin Lund

Early in her law career, Kirstin Lund had the opportunity to take collaborative negotiation and mediation training. The insight gained opened her eyes to how her personal communication style impacted work and relationships – and she realized it wasn’t always positively. Kirstin changed her approach to conflict in every aspect of her work and life, and as she integrated the new skills, she noticed problem solving was easier and life, work and relationships felt less stressful and more harmonious. 
 
In 1996, Kirstin left law to offer mediation and training through her business, Collaboration School. Since then, she’s taught thousands of individuals and work teams to confidently navigate conflict, foster collaboration and reduce workplace tension. At the heart of Kirstin’s training is “Collaboration in a Box”, a uniquely innovative workplace tool she developed in 2018 to help teams get to the heart of what’s important and manage and prevent conflict with ease. 
 
Kirstin has also used her collaborative skills to contribute to women’s leadership and family violence prevention. In 2022, she received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada for co-developing Circles of Safety and Support, a collaborative safety planning model for those at high risk of intimate partner violence. 
 
Outside her professional work, Kirstin is a fiction and screen writer and performs with the all-women improv troupe, Side Hustle. 
 
She believes conflict, when managed well, can inspire creativity and positive change. For a deeper insight into her work, you might find this video informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MITHLWfYf0Y