Cherisa Zafft, Founder & Principal Facilitator
Meet Cherisa Zafft, the mastermind behind CoreShift Development, LLC, based in Chapel Hill, NC.
With over 25 years of experience, she’s a Swiss Army knife for leadership and team development, specializing in helping individuals and teams tackle real-world challenges like trust issues, lack of communication, and conflicting goals.
Cherisa’s hands-on, active learning experiences empower teams to problem-solve, experiment, and grow together, transforming organizational chaos into cohesion.
Her diverse career spans healthcare, hospitality, higher ed, nonprofits, and tech, earning her the reputation of a Cultural Change Agent and a Yoda of consulting. Whether it’s untangling complex team dynamics or navigating change, Cherisa brings clarity, a bit of humor, and a knack for guiding teams out of tough spots.
She is certified in coaching and training by DDI®, ATD®, Wiley Everything DiSC®, Kepner-Trego project management®, Tilt 365, Crucial Learning®, Flawless Consulting®, 6 Team Conditions®, 6 Types of Working Genius®, and Grove Consultants International® Team Performance System and Survey.
Curious to see the magic for yourself? See the rave reviews from those who’ve worked with her for yourself. If your team’s stuck in the wilderness, Cherisa’s the one with the map, flashlight, and a few clever remarks to guide you out.
Mission Statement
To facilitate the growth of others by co-creating spaces of inclusion and safety that provide opportunities for the cultivation of connection and community.
Favorite quote:
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
—Dr. Jane Goodall
Our Values
“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” – Roy E. Disney
Our organizational values are:
Generosity. Share openly and abundantly to improve the wellbeing of others.
Enthusiasm. Share what love and celebrate your passions.
Learning. Challenge yourself by seeking new opportunities to develop and grow.
Integrity. Be true to yourself and your principles.
Accountability. Take ownership of your actions and provide grace for others to do the same.
Our Values in Action
"The value of life is not based on how long we live, but how much we contribute to others in our society." —Buddha
Core Collaborate Create donates 5 percent of our net earnings to the following organizations:
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Foster Parrots, Ltd. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and protection of unwanted and abused companion parrots and other displaced captive exotic animals.
Cherisa has loved anything with feathers (ducks, chickens, crows, turkey vultures...) for as long as she can remember.
After purchasing a parrot in her early 20s, Cherisa learned about the devastating impacts of the parrot trade. She has owned 8 parrots and all but the first have been adopted.
You can donate to their cause here: https://www.fosterparrots.com/support-us
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The Human Rights Campaign and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation together serve as America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ+ equality.
Cherisa has family members who have been threatened and assaulted just for being LGBTQ+. We believe no one should be maligned for living their authentic selves.
We support the Human Rights Campaign's efforts to make the world safer for everyone regardless of how they identify or who they love.
Click here to learn more about their work: https://www.hrc.org/about
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The mission of the Trevor Project is to end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning young people.
Cherisa has a number of young people in her life who identify as LGBTQ+ and have shared their stories of pain related to their gender or sexual orientation.
We find it tragic that there are young people in the world who feel it's better to end their lives that live authentically.
Learn more here: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/