Let's evolve together

Zykina Lafaye Stewart, affectionately known as Coach Z, is a dynamic leader, author, speaker, educator, facilitator, grief recovery specialist and transformational strategist whose work centers on helping individuals, families, leaders and organizations heal, grow, communicate and evolve.

She is the Founder and CEO of Evolve Coaching Solutions, LLC, where she leads a team of professionals committed to transformative coaching, grief recovery, personal development, communication, leadership and whole-person growth. She also serves as Founder of the Evolve Foundation, the nonprofit extension of her vision to strengthen individuals, families and communities through education, access, advocacy, healing-centered programming and community engagement.

Known professionally as The Evolution Strategist™ and conversationally as Coach Z, The Evolve Coach™, Zykina has built a multifaceted career at the intersection of leadership, education, grief recovery, communication, personal development, faith and community impact. Through coaching, teaching, speaking, facilitation, curated experiences, retreats, masterminds, trainings, workshops and original curricula, she creates spaces that challenge people to move beyond simply surviving life's transitions and intentionally step into their next evolution.

Zykina holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees from Southern Methodist University in Psychology and Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, as well as a Master of Science degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is an Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist®, Certified Life Coach, Grief Coach, Christian Coach and Communication Coach, with additional specialized training in helping adults support children experiencing loss and in pet loss recovery.

Her professional foundation includes more than 23 years of federal public service with agencies including the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where she was selected as one of only 35 participants nationwide for the VA LEAD Leadership Development Program. Her experience also extends into higher education, where she has taught at the collegiate level, connecting academic principles with real-world experience.

As an accomplished speaker and facilitator, Zykina has delivered presentations, workshops, leadership experiences, professional trainings, faith-based teachings and healing-centered discussions for diverse audiences — appearing across media, radio, digital platforms, webinars and community forums addressing grief, growth, leadership, communication, domestic violence awareness, faith, resilience and emotional wellness.

Her creative work extends beyond speaking and coaching. Zykina has authored books, journals, teaching materials, programs, workshops and original curricula designed to move individuals from information to transformation. Her published works include Evolve Your Life, Affirmations A-Z, Evolve Your Grief and The Emperor's New Truth. Her body of work reflects her belief that healing requires more than inspiration — it requires strategy, truth, intentional action and safe spaces in which people can do meaningful work.

Through Evolve Coaching Solutions, Zykina has developed and facilitated specialized organizational trainings, grief recovery programs, family engagement programs, masterminds, coaching experiences and transformative retreats — signature experiences intentionally designed to combine education, reflection, emotional honesty, connection, restoration and personal strategy.

Her commitment to community impact has earned her recognition throughout California and beyond, including honors as a California Senate Lady Honoree, the MILady Achievement recognition, and Woman of Impact in San Diego during the Bayside Gospel Concert aboard the USS Midway. She is a proud graduate of the inaugural class of San Diego's Black Women's Institute for Leadership Development (BWILD) and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.

Faith remains central to Zykina's life and leadership. She serves alongside her husband, Pastor Nate Stewart, as First Lady of Greater Life Church San Diego and has invested more than two decades in Christian ministry through teaching, counseling, mentoring, discipleship, women's ministry, young adult development and spiritual formation.

Above every title, credential, achievement and professional role, Zykina considers her family her greatest priority. She is a devoted wife and mother, and motherhood remains one of the roles she treasures most. "It warms my heart that I'm responsible for shaping and molding someone to be released into the world."

Whether she is coaching one person, teaching a classroom, training an organization, speaking before a community, developing a curriculum, facilitating a mastermind, curating a retreat or leading Evolve into its next chapter, her mission remains consistent:

to help people heal, grow, and intentionally evolve.