Pain to Purpose: Redesigning Our Careers and Lives

In this interactive workshop, design strategist Tracy DeLuca will guide participants through the Four Steps of Design Thinking, a powerful tool for addressing personal challenges and aspirations. Drawing from her experience teaching at Stanford d.school, Tracy will also discuss the role of psychedelic medicine as a catalyst for personal and societal growth.

Jeremy Sutherland, an acclaimed design director with a rich portfolio spanning multiple industries, will engage Tracy in a thought-provoking conversation. As a board member of Reimagine, Jeremy brings a unique perspective to the interplay of design, creativity, and personal growth.

The session will culminate in breakout sessions where participants will embark on an experiment to redesign their lives, employing the principles learned during the session. This is an opportunity to take control over how we respond to the world around us, strengthening our resilience even in the face of adversity and loss.

Through this event, participants will learn to employ empathy-building and rapid prototyping skills to turn challenges into expansive, joyful opportunities. They will walk away with a basic understanding of design thinking and practical ideas to experiment with in their own lives, helping them navigate through pain and adversity towards a more purposeful, expansive life.

Tracy DeLuca

Tracy DeLuca is the Founder of How Might We Design, a mental health and behavior change-focused creative consultancy. Her work is driven by a passion to transform patient, provider, and caregiver experiences globally.

To achieve this, Tracy creates large-scale new business offerings and organizational transformation, from strategy and visioning to design and implementation. She is currently co-teaching Stanford d.school's first course in Psychedelic Medicine x Design. She also co-hosts Results May Vary, a podcast to help you design your life.

Jeremy Sutherland

Jeremy leads world-class creative teams for both agency and in-house organizations. He has held senior leadership roles at both IDEO and Pinterest. As a Design Director, his leadership spans multiple industries, including technology, transportation, food, fashion, music, arts, finance, and healthcare. Jeremy has a depth of project experience across brand strategy, identity design, visual systems, type design, packaging, environments, information graphics, experience design, service design, and product design, as well as digital and web design.

Jeremy is passionate about creating purpose-driven brands that leverage a user-centered approach to create meaningful connections between people, products, and beyond. His work has been honored as part of the Smithsonian and AIGA Permanent Collection at the Denver Art Museum. His work has also been featured in The New York Times, Adweek, Wired, Fast Co. AXIS, CMYK, Dwell, Monocle, Print, AIGA Year in Design, IDSA, IDEA, and World Changing. He serves on the board of directors at Reimagine.

About Reimagine and the “Pain to Purpose” Series

Reimagine is a nonprofit organization catalyzing a uniquely powerful community–people of different backgrounds, ages, races, and faiths (and no faith) coming together in the hopes of healing ourselves and the world. We specifically support each other in facing adversity, loss, and mortality and–at our own pace– actively channeling life's biggest challenges into meaningful action and growth. www.letsreimagine.org

When life gets painful, how do we deal with the aspect of it we call “work”? Redesigning our careers and reflecting on what matters most beyond our professional lives can broaden how we define our vocations. In what ways are we achieving purpose, results, and impact? Join us this July for the transformative virtual series, "Pain to Purpose: Redesigning Careers and Lives." Over the course of three events, we delve into how facing loss and adversity can lead to a reevaluation of our careers and an expansion of our journeys through life.

From the burdens of caregiving for a family member to grappling with the grief of losing a loved one, and from racism or sexism to battling with recurring patterns that may limit our potential—adversity wears many faces. Through these Reimagine events, we’ll discover inspiring stories of individuals who have successfully transformed their lives and careers after experiencing hardship and pain. We’ll reflect on the regrets that often arise at the end of life, gaining insights to make more purposeful choices in the present.

With guidance from expert coaches, mental health professionals, educators, and designers, we’ll ultimately gain tools and inspiration to turn our own challenging life experiences into opportunities for healthy transformation, agency, and fulfillment.

In this enlightening workshop, author, therapist, and mental health consultant Minaa B. debunks the myth of work-life balance and instead guides us towards a more realistic and sustainable goal of work-life harmony. In an era characterized by constant connectivity, remote work, and the blurred boundaries between personal and professional life, the quest for equal attention in every area becomes an elusive ideal. Instead, the concept of work-life harmony encourages us to integrate our personal and professional spheres in a way that resonates with our individual circumstances, values, and needs, especially when we are navigating through loss, adversity, and change.

Drawing from her extensive experience in mental health, Minaa B. will share practical strategies to promote wellness across eight dimensions: physical, emotional, environmental, social, financial, vocational, intellectual, and spiritual. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to distinguish between healthy and maladaptive habits that affect mental health, well-being, and job satisfaction, particularly when dealing with challenges such as grief and trauma.

The workshop will conclude with an interactive breakout session, providing an opportunity for participants to apply these insights into their own lives and careers, followed by a Q&A segment with Minaa B. herself. This is a unique opportunity to learn from a leading voice in the field, who is renowned for her work in tackling mental health issues that plague the workplace.

Minaa B.

Minaa B. is a licensed social worker, writer, and author of Owning Our Struggles. She is also the founder of Minaa B. Consulting, a mental health consulting practice that helps organizations develop psychological safety and become mental health inclusive. An expert in her field, Minaa has been featured in various media outlets, including Red Table Talk, Peace of Mind with Taraji, and more. She also sits on the Mental Health Advisory Committee for Wondermind, a mental fitness company co-founded by Selena Gomez. You can learn more about Minaa and order a copy of her book by visiting www.minaab.com

Dr. Eric Solomon

Dr. Eric Solomon has been working at the intersection of psychology, technology, creativity, culture, and business for over 20 years. Eric has held executive leadership positions for the top technology brands in the world, including YouTube, Spotify, and Instagram. He helps companies and leaders align their words (what they say) with their actions (what they do). He is the Founder & CEO of the Human OS™, a practice that helps businesses and their leaders articulate what they stand for and how that translates into accountable, measurable, real-world actions. Prior to establishing The Human OS™, he held marketing leadership positions for some of the top brands in the world including YouTube, Spotify, Google, and Instagram. He also served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Bonobos, a DTC e-retailer owned by Walmart. Eric entered the business world through the doors of academia, earning my Master’s and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology prior to leading research and strategy for award-winning creative agencies. As part of his consulting practice, he has worked with leaders and executive teams for a wide range of organizations, from emerging start-ups and nonprofits to long-established enterprises. To date, Eric has partnered with over 50 brands and leaders to ensure that their beliefs align with corporate behaviors and outward communication. He sits on board of Reimagine. https://www.thehumanos.co/

About Reimagine and the “Pain to Purpose” Series

Reimagine is a nonprofit organization catalyzing a uniquely powerful community–people of different backgrounds, ages, races, and faiths (and no faith) coming together in the hopes of healing ourselves and the world. We specifically support each other in facing adversity, loss, and mortality and–at our own pace– actively channeling life's biggest challenges into meaningful action and growth. www.letsreimagine.org

When life gets painful, how do we deal with the aspect of it we call “work”? Redesigning our careers and reflecting on what matters most beyond our professional lives can broaden how we define our vocations. In what ways are we achieving purpose, results, and impact? Join us this July for the transformative virtual series, "Pain to Purpose: Redesigning Careers and Lives." Over the course of three events, we delve into how facing loss and adversity can lead to a reevaluation of our careers and an expansion of our journeys through life.

From the burdens of caregiving for a family member to grappling with the grief of losing a loved one, and from racism or sexism to battling with recurring patterns that may limit our potential—adversity wears many faces. Through these Reimagine events, we’ll discover inspiring stories of individuals who have successfully transformed their lives and careers after experiencing hardship and pain. We’ll reflect on the regrets that often arise at the end of life, gaining insights to make more purposeful choices in the present.

With guidance from expert coaches, mental health professionals, educators, and designers, we’ll ultimately gain tools and inspiration to turn our own challenging life experiences into opportunities for healthy transformation, agency, and fulfillment.

Our journey to a fulfilling life and career often takes us through the landscapes of adversity, loss, and mortality. These experiences, though difficult, can also open up new pathways to personal and professional transformation. Our careers aren't just about financial stability—they can also be a platform for finding purpose, joy, and a sense of belonging. In this engaging panel discussion, distinguished life and career coaches, researchers, and educators share strategies to navigate the losses and challenges that life throws at us, and demonstrate how these experiences can be channeled into new directions for growth and fulfillment.

Meet Pamela Larde, PhD., an esteemed coach, author, and educator who founded the Academy of Creative Coaching, one of the first black female-owned accredited coaching schools in the world, and who is deeply committed to infusing values of belonging, dignity, and justice into every facet of her work. Engage with Adrion Porter, an advisor and advocate who is passionate about transforming ageism into age inclusion in the workplace and empowering individuals in their middle years to thrive in their careers and lives. Hear from Roshan Paul who builds careers to solve social problems and transform communities around the world. Finally, connect with Dr. Chinasa Elue, a grief coach and end-of-life doula whose own journey through a toxic work environment and personal loss led her to become a champion for trauma-informed leadership and advocate for grief-informed workplaces.

Topics include: overcoming stagnation at mid-career; fostering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace; expanding opportunities for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds; and advocating for work environments that honor the process of grief and rethink bereavement policy.

Pamela Larde, Ph.D.

Dr. Pamela Larde, a professor, coach, award-winning author, and business owner, is committed to advancing the reach and commitment of the coaching profession to serve and build up heart-centered leaders around the world. Dr. Larde is intentional about integrating values of belonging, human dignity, justice, and care for the whole person into every fiber of her work. As a dedicated member of the global community, Dr. Larde is committed to taking the lead in addressing compelling social issues through the Academy of Creative Coaching, which she founded in 2013. The Academy is among the first black female-owned ICF ACTP-accredited coaching schools in the world. She is also the Director of Education at the Institute of Coaching. https://academyofcreativecoaching.com/ @acccoaches

Roshan Paul

Roshan Paul has spent his life questioning the status quo, and built a career around connecting global citizens to solve social problems across boundaries. He is currently the Director of Leadership Practice at IREX, a global nonprofit organization on a mission to create more just, inclusive and prosperous societies. At IREX, he manages a portfolio of over $100 million that works with thousands of young leaders across more than 100 countries.

Prior to IREX, Roshan co-founded Amani Institute in 2010 and co-led the organization from an idea to an award-winning social enterprise and the largest talent development organization for the social sector based in the global south, with offices in Kenya, Brazil and India and projects in more than 30 other countries around the world. Based on this work, he co-authored the Amazon #1 bestseller The New Reason to Work: How to Build a Career that will Change the World in November 2021.

Raised in Bangalore, India, Roshan has a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor’s in International Political Economy from Davidson College. He has spoken at over fifty universities and other institutions around the world, and is the recipient of multiple awards. He delivered the Commencement (graduation) speech at the University of San Diego in May 2015 as well as 2 TEDx talks. His writing has been published in Forbes, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, MIT’s Innovations Journal, India Today, and the India Development Review. In addition to Amani Institute, Roshan also serves on the Board or Advisory Council of several innovative education organizations worldwide, including Oxfam America, Watson University and TechChange (all USA), Design-a-thon Works (Netherlands), and Mithra Trust (India).

Adrion Porter

Adrion Porter is a speaker, advisor, age diversity advocate, and the founder of Mid-Career Mastery, a professional growth platform for organizations and people in the middle (mid-career, midlife, mid-level, 40+, etc.). A thought leader on career development and age inclusion — Adrion is on a passionate mission to help people in their middle years get unstuck, so they can thrive at work and in life. Adrion is the creator and host of Gen X Amplified, the premier podcast giving a prominent voice to the often overlooked yet very powerful generation between the Boomers and Millennials. He is also the creator of both the #FabulousOver40 Spotlight and Fireside Chat Series on LinkedIn, which showcase a selection of leaders who are making a meaningful impact on the world at midlife. As a speaker, Adrion is frequently invited by organizations around the world to present his signature framework, The Malaise to Mastery Map™, an actionable model for getting unstuck at mid-career, midlife, or any age. Additional workshop and keynote topics include building the five elements of your personal brand DNA and the ROI (Return on Inclusion) of age and generational diversity in the workplace. Through his Mid-Career Mastery programs, Adrion has partnered with an incredibly diverse group of organizations, including AARP, LinkedIn, Truist, Black Enterprise, Humana, The Institute of Coaching at McLean/Harvard Medical School, The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), Medidata Solutions, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and others. A former 20+ year marketing executive, Adrion has worked for some of the world’s leading brands, including HBO, Cartoon Network, and Citi, and as the CMO of a media/tech non-profit. Adrion holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Memphis. He currently resides in the Greater Atlanta area with his wife and their two children. www.adrionporter.com @adrionporter

Chinasa Elue, Ph.D.

Dr. Chinasa Elue is a speaker, grief coach, and CEO and Founder of True Titans Consulting Group. She currently supports leaders in moving forward to make impactful changes in the midst of uncertainty with empathy and care. She provides strategic coaching and consulting that opens the doors to transformation through policy and practice. She is also an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Kennesaw State University. Her research focuses on grief leadership, trauma-informed leadership practices in organizational settings, and the health and well-being of historically marginalized and underrepresented populations. Dr. Elue runs the research lab for the Study of Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Effectiveness, and Well-Being of Educational Leaders. Dr. Elue’s work has been featured in the Journal of Higher Education, the Journal of Negro Education, Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research, and Departures in Critical Qualitative Research. https://www.drchinasaelue.com/ @drchinasaelue

About Reimagine and the “Pain to Purpose” Series

Reimagine is a nonprofit organization catalyzing a uniquely powerful community–people of different backgrounds, ages, races, and faiths (and no faith) coming together in the hopes of healing ourselves and the world. We specifically support each other in facing adversity, loss, and mortality and–at our own pace– actively channeling life's biggest challenges into meaningful action and growth. www.letsreimagine.org

When life gets painful, how do we deal with the aspect of it we call “work”? Redesigning our careers and reflecting on what matters most beyond our professional lives can broaden how we define our vocations. In what ways are we achieving purpose, results, and impact? Join us this July for the transformative virtual series, "Pain to Purpose: Redesigning Careers and Lives." Over the course of three events, we delve into how facing loss and adversity can lead to a reevaluation of our careers and an expansion of our journeys through life.

From the burdens of caregiving for a family member to grappling with the grief of losing a loved one, and from racism or sexism to battling with recurring patterns that may limit our potential—adversity wears many faces. Through these Reimagine events, we’ll discover inspiring stories of individuals who have successfully transformed their lives and careers after experiencing hardship and pain. We’ll reflect on the regrets that often arise at the end of life, gaining insights to make more purposeful choices in the present.

With guidance from expert coaches, mental health professionals, educators, and designers, we’ll ultimately gain tools and inspiration to turn our own challenging life experiences into opportunities for healthy transformation, agency, and fulfillment.