Program Format: Lunch and Learn

Facing Fear

Be empowered to face fear in pursuit of your own definition of success in an authentic and unapologetic way. Sara will share four facing fear tips you can apply to various areas of your life to overcome whatever may be holding you back.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn to prioritize your happiness and how to do so regardless of your personal commitments and professional duties.
2. Reframe your mindset from the old adage, when one door closes, another opens to the new adage, when one door closes, knock on the next. This new adage is the catalyst to make life-altering change.
3. Lean into feeling the fear and doing it any way, taking actionable steps instead of running from fear.
4. Ignite your strengths and feel empowered to do more of what makes you awesome.

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

Sara McInerney Hauck is on a mission to encourage others to face fear while living an authentically unapologetic life. She’s a two-time TEDx speaker, self-published author and previous podcast host. Sara works as a communications consultant living in Indianapolis with her husband and dog and is a Ball State University graduate.

In today’s fast-paced work environment, building a stress-resilient workplace is essential for employee well-being and productivity. In this 90 min interactive workshop, “NeuroResilience: Building a Stress-Resilient Workplace,” participants will explore the neuroscience of stress and learn practical strategies to foster resilience. Through discussions and hands-on activities, they’ll gain tools to enhance personal resilience and contribute to a supportive workplace culture. 

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how stress affects employee performance and well-being from a neuroscience perspective.
2. Identify key elements of a stress-resilient workplace culture.
3. Learn practical strategies to support mental well-being and resilience.
4. Apply practical techniques for personal stress management and resilience in the workplace.

About Our Facilitator

Vivi Tean is a leadership coach with 15 years of experience in leadership development and transformation management. As the Founder and Lead Executive Coach at Neuro-Integration Coaching & Consulting, she collaborates with mid-size & global companies across various industries, including technology, healthcare, manufacturing, consumer goods, and fashion & beauty, in North America, Europe, and Asia to elevate leadership capabilities and organizational performance. Her work focuses on executive coaching, leadership development, resilience, and fostering inclusive, psychologically safe cultures. Driven by a passion for helping leaders make conscious decisions for a healthier world, she applies neuroscience-based strategies to create thriving, high-performing teams. Her programs consistently enhance leadership effectiveness, employee engagement, and organizational resilience.

Taking a nod from author Anne Lamott’s story, and book by the same name, “Bird by Bird” is a reminder to break down our large to-do lists, our overwhelming projects, our yearly KPIs, and anything else that has us stuck. This workshop will discuss how we take our tasks, and our lives, one thing at a time.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will learn the meaning behind “bird by bird”
2. Participants will explore the things that have them overwhelmed, and therefore stuck.
3. Participants will learn strategies for breaking down their daily tasks “bird by bird”.

About Our Facilitator

Erika Petrelli Bayh stands at the helm of “The Extraordinary In You,” an organization that provides vibrant partnerships and facilitated experiences designed to ignite and unleash the extraordinary in individuals, teams, and projects. A master facilitator, inspirational coach, growth trainer, curriculum designer, and strategic partner with over thirty years of expertise in igniting the personal and professional growth in individuals and organizations, Erika recently left her decades-long stead with the NYC-based Leadership Program, where she was responsible for overseeing the programmatic growth of one of the city’s largest afterschool programs, designed ongoing professional development trainings for staff of the NYC DOE as well as educators around the country, and spearheaded the creation of leadership curricula honored by CASEL, OJJDP, SAMHSA, and more.

 Erika is also an adjunct professor, currently instructing students at Ball State University in Indiana on an undergraduate course she created, “An Introduction to Youth Work,” designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the diverse realm of youth work. She is the author of the interactive personal growth journal, “On Wings & Whimsy: Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary,” as well as the deck of cards, “52 Ways to Connect,” designed for leaders to strengthen their team time. Both are available on Amazon.

In-person Lunch & Learn

Individuals committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging often find themselves deciding between “calling someone in” versus “calling someone out.” This session will facilitate a dialogue about the most impactful and supportive use of these strategies within a variety of contexts. Attendees will leave the session with sample phrases and strategies that will help them navigate “calling” conversations.

Learning Objectives

1. Be able to distinguish between what is meant by “calling in” versus “calling out” in the DEIAB context.
2. Recognize the dynamics that impact decisions around “calling in” versus “calling out.”
3. Identify times and topics that might influence our personal decision to “call in” versus “call out.”
4. Practice using various phrases and strategies to help navigate conversations.

About Our Facilitator

Melinda Messineo, PhD is a professor of Sociology and the Distinguished Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement at Ball State University. She is a nationally recognized award winning teacher and workshop facilitator. Her research explores representations of individuals in the media and the impact that all media forms have on our understanding of people different from ourselves.