Program Calendar

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1: 
Wednesday, September 27
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2: 
Thursday, September 28
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

We are all in the business of “customer service,” no matter what our role, our organization, or our industry. So what does it mean to provide “firefly” service? This workshop explores the impact of going above and beyond, and offers practical strategies for participants to gain, and retain, a loyal client and employee base.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will understand how they are in the business of customer service
2. Participants will understand the concept of “firefly service”
3. Participants will learn strategies for going above and beyond, and will understand how the “little” things go a long way

This program is ideal for:  anyone

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $250 non-member. $200 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Erika Petrelli Bayh has been in people-development for more than 25 years, currently as The Leadership Program’s Senior Vice President of Leadership Development (& self-declared Minister of Mischief). She worked at the helm of Leadership’s central programming for more than a decade, overseeing its largest expansion, and now trains key leadership skills to professionals across the country—as a keynote speaker and featured presenter at conferences, a trainer and coach within organizations, and a leadership-whisperer to individuals. She also blogs regularly and wrote an interactive journal, On Wings & Whimsy: Finding the Extraordinary Within the Ordinary, available on Amazon. Whether from a conference stage, behind a pen, or in one-on-one conversation, the legacy Erika strives to create daily is to be the runway upon which others take flight.

In our society, more and more people are receiving autism diagnoses and/or identifying as neurodiverse.

What does that look like in the workplace? How do folks on the autism spectrum gain skills and find careers that align with their interests? Or interview and apply for jobs? How do employers recruit and retain neurodiverse people? How do we create cultures of inclusion in our offices? How do we streamline processes for accommodations? Or use universal design?

Discussion on these topics and other important issues around neurodiversity will be included in this session. There will be time for Q&A and audience participation.

Panelists:

• Dr. Courtney Jarrett
  Director of Disability Services
  Ball State University
• Melanie Wright
  Program Chair for Human Services
  Ivy Tech – Muncie
• Gina Davenport
  Chief ABA Officer
  Hillcroft ABA Clinic
• Kate Boller
  Post Secondary Regional Lead Counselor
  Vocational Rehabilitation

This program is ideal for: people with disabilities, HR and other hiring staff, people interested in learning more about inclusion

Cost: This is a Free Community Program

Are you struggling with feeling like a fraud at work? Do you find yourself running on empty, despite your best efforts?

If so, you’re not alone. The “Burnout and Impostor Syndrome: The Two Silent Workplace Killers” workshop is designed to help employees identify and cope with the symptoms of burnout and impostor syndrome. Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by chronic workplace stress. Impostor syndrome is a condition in which people doubt their accomplishments and feel like they are frauds.

The Burnout and Impostor Syndrome workshop offers practical tools and strategies for dealing with these two silent workplace killers. You’ll learn how to recognize the signs of burnout and impostor syndrome, how to manage stressors that lead to these conditions, and how to build resilience. This workshop is beneficial for employees who are struggling with burnout or impostor syndrome, as well as for managers who want to create a more supportive workplace environment.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how to recognize burnout in yourselves and others
2. Explore how to manage workplace stressors
3. Learn how to think about impostor syndrome in a healthy way

This program is ideal for: first time managers, all leaders and members of staff

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Janice Chaka is a respected international HR professional, virtual business owner, introvert and impostor syndrome coach, and professional podcaster. Long before “working remote” was hip, she confidently led a remote recruiting team. Known as the Career Introvert, Janice excels at solving complex HR challenges, managing emotions, and setting boundaries as an introvert — Janice has mastered the art of leveraging introvert strengths to build a thriving virtual business in a global market. As a result, she is a sought-after author and speaker for digital summits on introversion, virtual work, and mental health.

Sponsored by:

We tend to think that the best decisions are the most rational—full of logic and void of emotion. Yet the research suggests otherwise: those who experience strong emotions actually make better, more effective decisions.

As leaders, you are making decisions all day, every day. These decisions include people, budgets, communication, and strategy. In this workshop, we will explore the business case for bringing more emotion into your decision-making, not less.

Whether you are someone who has been told you are “too emotional” or you are someone who prides yourself on stifling emotions—this session will help you realize the power of bringing emotions into the process, strategies for doing it effectively, and the peril of thinking you can make decisions without emotions.

Learning Objectives

1. Explore foundational brain-based aspects of decision-making
2. Identify the impact of unconscious emotional impact on decision-making
3. Learn about key cognitive biases that inhibit effective decision
4. Develop a personal strategy for integrating emotions into an effective decision process

This program is ideal for:  anyone who is making decisions! New and seasoned leaders can gain insights to experience decision-making breakthroughs.

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Adam Bouse is the Manager of Performance Coaching at 15Five and founder of Adam Bouse Coaching. With more than 15 years of management and leadership experience, Adam is a certified Brain-based Coach through the NeuroLeadership Institute and holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership. His coaching specialties include emotional intelligence, resonant leadership, new managers, difficult conversations, and empathy

We often hear about the need for transparency in leadership. However, many of us don’t understand why it matters or how to do it well. A transparent leader walks the line between being honest and oversharing. They’re vulnerable when the time comes but do so in a composed manner that earns employee buy-in and establishes trust. Join us as we talk about transparency, how and when to display it, and why it’s essential for great leadership.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize the importance of transparency in leadership.
2. Recognize individual barriers to transparency.
3. Determine how and when to display transparency in leadership.
4. Understand how transparency in leadership promotes buy-in and builds trust.
5. Understand that vulnerability in leadership is a strength, not a weakness.

This program is ideal for: anyone in a leadership position

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

E. Jake Gamble is an executive coach, thought leader, writer, leadership/performance advisor, and underdog advocate. Jake’s candor, passion, sense of humor, and real-world approach to business and life make him a favorite coach, trainer, speaker, and mentor to many. Mr. Gamble established Leadership Support Services in 2009. His passion is leadership with an emphasis character development, authenticity, and transparency. Jake is an accomplished guitarist and vocalist who enjoys performing at small clubs and venues in the Fort Wayne, IN. regional area. In his spare time, he loves to spend time with his 5 yr. old French Bulldog, Frankie!

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1: 
Tuesday, October 24
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2: 
Wednesday, October 25
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Do you have a mean coworker, oblivious boss, unruly employee, inept department or frustrating client? Chances are, they are driving you crazy. Their problem has become your problem and is derailing your work and your job satisfaction. Learn how to identify and handle workplace relationships with key emotional intelligence skills so you can move from surviving to thriving.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the six most common behaviors that drive you crazy
2. Practice four steps to change your reaction
3. Learn valuable techniques to improve almost any work relationship

This program is ideal for:  everyone

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $250 non-member. $200 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Susan Rozzi (pronounced Row Z) is the president and owner of Rozzi & Associates, a leadership and organizational development firm focusing on leadership development, emotional intelligence insight and career management. Susan has a passion for unleashing the potential for greatness in good leaders and believes each person has a unique way of leading. She reminds her clients that great leadership skills are a product of time, practice and focused development. What makes Susan different is her observant approach and ability to speak grace with candor.

When not coaching, Susan can be found training on some of her favorite topics, including growing your emotional intelligence, having hard conversations, using strengths in the workplace, providing empowerment with accountability, developing a coaching mindset, and establishing core competencies. She uses her strengths in problem-solving, communicating, developing people, activating initiatives, and strategic thinking to partner in creating unique solutions for her clients. Susan is a high impact entrepreneur with experience leading a leadership development organization; directing operations for a nonprofit; establishing a communications department; leading a marketing team; and managing a call center. She has helped leaders and teams in a variety of sectors including technology, logistics, manufacturing, banking, real estate, health care, and education

Organization leaders want to be inclusive but fear they have to be perfect. Often that fear prevents them from acting in the best interests of their organization or community.

Although many leaders are well-intended, the gap between intention and strategies must be closed. Most leaders want to be better, but lack the tools they need to bring their inclusive values to life. For years, Dar Mayweather has helped well-intended leaders overcome the fear of doing inclusion perfectly by sharing thought-provoking and insightful personal stories of failure and success. Through activities and assessments, Dar tells participants how inclusive leadership transformed his life from apologizing for terrible behavior to teaching inclusion across the country!

Learning Objectives

1. Identify and understand social identity group experiences.
2. Reflect on how we experience social identity privilege and oppression.
3. Increase awareness of diverse leadership capacities
4. Develop acceptance of individual and collective strengths/limitations within the community.

This program is ideal for:  early-career professionals, new supervisors, HR training managers, and mid-level managers.

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Dar Mayweather is a leadership studies faculty member at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He has more than a decade of diversity and inclusion teaching and training experience. His professional journey began in corporate, then mental health, before ending up in higher education. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, and a Master of Science in Education, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Eastern Michigan University. He received Eastern Michigan University’s Student Success and Engagement Award and the State of Michigan’s King Chavez Parks Future Faculty Fellow Award. Dar’s work focuses on inclusive leadership in higher education. He credits a lot of his professional growth to the Social Justice Training Institute (SJTI.org), the Intergroup Relations Department at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Eric Thomas’s Game Changers Speaker Certification Program.

Sponsored by:

As human beings, we look for patterns and similarities and often connect with people similar to us. While this was helpful for survival long ago, today it runs counter to the diversity of experience and ideas organizations need on their teams to succeed. To counter “affinity bias,” the tendency of humans to gravitate to people similar to themselves, participants will view and discuss art and photographs to experience, describe, analyze, and interpret subjects that promote flexible, critical, and creative thinking.

The facilitator will use stimulating images with the museum-developed teaching method of Visual Thinking Strategies to promote open discussion. Research shows that “our preference for the safety of the familiar can curb creativity, undermine collaboration, and close our minds to novel ideas and new perspectives.” (Davis, 2020) By offering this training to organizational groups of 2 – 3 members, the goal is to demonstrate how ideas can be generated through neutral and open-ended questions using a new kind of team-building experience. Team members will build affinity through their shared experiences while building awareness of “in-group” and “out-group” tendencies.

Davis, Jeffrey. The Bias Against Difference. Psychology Today. June 25, 2020

Learning Objectives

1. Describe effectively new experiences through selected images
2. Build on the ideas of others
3. Use open-ended questions to generate more ideas
4. Facilitate related conversations
5. Learn how unfamiliar authentic materials generate creative and critical thinking

This program is ideal for:  individuals or groups of 2 – 3 from the same organization (staff, board members, volunteers)

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Tania Said, an independent nonprofit professional, worked in museums for over 30 years and continues to consult with museums across the country. Tania’s educational philosophy relies on authentic materials, deep listening, and social learning based on decades of working to improve access to museums and education. She previously worked for the Smithsonian Institution, Ball State University, Bead Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the American Alliance of Museums. Tania serves her community through board service and volunteering with the Ross Community Center, Minnetrista, and Muncie Arts and Culture Council.

She is also the principal and owner of Tania Said Consulting, a firm that offers organizational and program development services to nonprofits and museums. She is an immigrant and new American who was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and educated in Bloomington and Muncie, Indiana; Washington, DC; Bournemouth, England; and Msida, Malta. She is proud to be an alum of Ball State University and The George Washington University. Tania lives in Muncie with her husband and son, and their two dogs. Her interests include yoga, running, reading, museums, art, and meeting new people.

“Business is problems.” This nugget of wisdom acknowledges the reality that our best laid plans, ideas, and strategies rarely carry on without hitting obstacles, challenges, and dead ends.

And of course there are pandemics, recessions, social unrest, and environmental disasters that are entirely out of our direct control. Whatever your organization is working on, there will be problems.

So how do we build teams that can endure the ups and downs, the pivots, the shifting priorities, the unwelcome interruptions? It’s not enough to say “power through” or to simply grin and bear it—that’s the old model of “toughness,” one that is a perfect recipe for frustration, burnout, and turnover.

To build truly resilient people and teams, we need to equip them with next generation skills: intrinsic motivation, emotional regulation, mindfulness, maximum sustainable performance, strategic adaptation, and more. In this workshop, we will talk neuroscience, practical application, and give you the chance to practice before you start applying the principles of next generation resiliency.

Learning Objectives

1. Establish a science-backed understanding of resiliency
2. Identifying individual practices and skills to increase resiliency
3. Explore environmental and structural aspects that impact resiliency
4. Create a 90-day action plan for you and your team to develop more resiliency

This program is ideal for:  everyone!

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Adam Bouse is the Manager of Performance Coaching at 15Five and founder of Adam Bouse Coaching. With more than 15 years of management and leadership experience, Adam is a certified Brain-based Coach through the NeuroLeadership Institute and holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership. His coaching specialties include emotional intelligence, resonant leadership, new managers, difficult conversations, and empathy

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1: 
Wednesday, November 29
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2: 
Thursday, November 30
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

How often do you say “yes” to a request while thinking, “but I don’t really want to do it”? Or maybe you take things on entirely by yourself because you feel bad asking for help? You’re not alone. We’re hardwired to want to please others and also not be seen as a burden. However, when we don’t honor our inner voice, it erodes away the integrity we have with ourselves.

Learning Objectives

1. How to honor your inner voice in these moments
2. Strategies to say “No” that fit your personality
3. A deeper dive into identifying beliefs that are driving behavior and how to reframe them

This program is ideal for:  anyone

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $250 non-member. $200 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Halle Simpson is a globally certified Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation, Keynote Speaker, Trainer and Author of the Know Thyself Journal. Her passion for speaking and coaching stems from growing up in a household with a parent battling depression and the grit gained from a 20 year career in sales and leadership development. In her work with executives and business owners across the country, Halle has come to specialize in creating intentional conversations to grow leaders and their businesses.

In her down time, Halle enjoys daily journaling, yoga, massages, watching cooking shows and trips to Traverse City, Michigan. She resides in Indianapolis with her Boston Terrier, Marco (named after Marco Andretti) and is a race fan who attends the Indy 500 each year.

In today’s companies, workplace culture and values are becoming more and more important to workers.

Being aware of how workplace bias shows up in your company can attract or repel top talent. This session will provide a safe and supportive environment for future leaders/managers to explore common workplace biases and provide solutions so that they can foster an inclusive work culture.

Learning Objectives

1. Exploring common workplace biases
2. Learn tips to mitigate bias in your workplace
3. Create an action plan for your team

This program is ideal for:  all people who want to learn more how to identify workplace bias

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Kim Yarborough has a master’s degree in Business Psychology. She works with men and women who want to learn to lead with confidence. She also works with new managers who are just starting out how to lead. She has over 26 years of experience in the public sector leading and managing employees.

Sponsored by:

What is neuroleadership and what makes it so awesome? By understanding our brains and the way they function, we can learn how to work with our physiology, not fight it. We’ll use neuroscience as a lens through which we can look at ourselves, our direct reports, our co-workers, and our organization to understand what motivates us, inhibits us, and how we can create environments that maximize our brains to help us perform at our best.

This workshop is designed to give you a basic understanding of neuroleadership and how it can be applied to the modern workplace to accomplish today’s most challenging tasks, such as developing effective leaders, enhancing creativity, increasing organizational trust, improving teamwork, understanding and overcoming cognitive biases, deepening employee engagement, and more.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the five social drivers that leaders should be aware of to improve their efficacy and performance as a leader.
2. Gain clarity about how neuroscience can be applied to leadership and organizational development to develop brain-friendly approaches that increase productivity and enhance employee engagement.
3. Develop a feeling of reassurance and peace. In this workshop, people will feel seen. Our brains are hardwired to behave in certain ways and by applying neuroscience to the workplace, we can begin to see our reactions and emotions at work as the result of “normal” brain responses.
4. Explore several practical tools that can be applied right away to work with physiology and not against it. Every single attendee will walk away from the workshop with a few small actions that can make a significant difference.

This program is ideal for:  mid to senior-level managers, HR professionals, and emerging leaders

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Shelby Schuh is a leadership consultant and owner of Ideation Coaching and Consulting. Her consulting specialties include neuroleadership, organizational development, executive coaching, and team and group coaching. Shelby’s inspirational and empowering leadership style is rooted in a belief that we are never fully done growing and becoming, personally or professionally. She is passionate about helping others to reach their highest potential and approaches all aspects of work and life with a natural enthusiasm that inspires, energizes, and engages.

In addition to her consulting work, Shelby has over 11 years of experience leading marketing strategy, executive communications, internal branding, and creative direction at organizations spanning the financial, non-profit, and political sectors. In her “spare time” she enjoys spending time with her family, acting in local theatre, and volunteering for various non-profit boards.

Shelby graduated from DePauw University in 2004 with a BA in Creative Writing and minors in Philosophy and Women’s Studies. In 2020, she obtained her graduate certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching through the University of Texas at Dallas and achieved her ACC certification in Executive Coaching. She graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2021 with an MSLOD (Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development).

The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably impacted countless lives and left a mark on our society since its first appearance.

Although the United States is no longer under a national emergency, the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 persist, with current research focusing not only on the physical challenges post-COVID, but also on the trends in mental wellbeing among many individuals. As we learn to adapt to the decline in mental wellbeing during this new ‘normal’, let us use our influence as leaders to be understanding, compassionate, and mindful of individuals from all walks of life. Together, we can empower ourselves as advocates for mental wellbeing and share resources helpful for everyone in need.

Learning Objectives

1. Establish an understanding of trends in mental wellbeing following the Covid-19 pandemic
2. Learn the importance of being mindful of mental wellbeing in others and yourself as a leader
3. Learn about the many resources available and useful for those who need help with their mental wellbeing

This program is ideal for:  everyone!

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Alicia Van Duyn is a Muncie local and a senior at Ball State University studying psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She was a graduate of Muncie Central in 2022, earning both her high school diploma and her associate degree from Ivy Tech through the high school’s dual credit program, transferring 63 college credits to Ball State. At the university, she has worked in different labs within the psychological science department, including Dr. Nardi’s Space and Time lab and Dr. Luttrell’s Attitude and Behavior lab, and has served as a teaching assistant for Prof. Mathieu-Frasier’s cognitive psychology class.

She first learned about Shafer Leadership Academy during her freshman year at Muncie Central High School as a student in the first group to go through The Muncie Youth Leadership Program in 2018-2019. Since then, she has worked to empower and lead others her age in and outside of the classroom, and she took up an internship for Shafer Leadership Academy this past summer. She has a passion for psychology and mental health with plans to someday earn her doctorate in clinical psychology, and a passion for social activism.

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1: 
Tuesday, December 19
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2: 
Wednesday, December 20
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

The only thing you have control over in your career is YOU. Everything you say and do tells people who you are and the value you bring. Does your resume tell your story? What do people think when they read your LinkedIn profile? Learn important steps you can make today to ensure a consistent brand message and story.

Learning Objectives

1. Review opportunities to tell a story, verbal and non-verbal.
2. Creating a brand message to help you stand out from the competition.
3. Provide examples of how others told their story.

This program is ideal for:  anyone

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $250 non-member. $200 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Susan Caplan is a professional development and communication specialist with a Bachelor of Science in Education and over 15 years as an author, speaker, and consultant. Susan is a Professional Development Advisor at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, author of the Marketing Yourself to the Real World™ book series, and Founder and President of SC Associates, LLC with work receiving the PR NEWs Digital PR Award and Publicity Club of Chicago Silver Trumpet Award. Susan serves on various advisory boards including Women and Drones (UAS, AAM), Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering SOTY Board of Judges, College Career Consortium of Illinois, and Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers.