Program Calendar

In-Person Lunch & Learn

Sponsored by:

A different spin on diversity, equity, and inclusion training. Participants will engage in discussion and activities to identify and celebrate differences, whether it’s coworkers, clients, or friends. This workshop with help participants to build bridges and connect with others from different perspectives and backgrounds. After all, life is a collaborative effort!

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will learn to identify microaggressions.
2. Participants will learn the difference between appreciation and appropriation
3. Participants will be able to identify appropriate ways to celebrate other cultures/lifestyles.

This program is ideal for: all

About Our Facilitator

Daniella Flowers is a Community Inclusion Ambassador for Shafer Leadership Academy. For the past four years, Daniella Flowers has worked as a life coach for the Excel Center, a tuition-free public high school for adults offered through Goodwill Industries of Southern and Central Indiana. For eight years prior, the Muncie native was a program manager for Capitol City Family Education Services, an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in Merrillville, Indiana. These roles and others have taken Flowers across the state to build programs that help individuals identify strengths and connect them to resources.

Virtual Workshop
2-Part Series

Session #1:
Tuesday, December 20
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2:
Wednesday, December 21
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Have you lived by the subtle message of “if you work hard, you will become successful. Once you become successful, then you will be happy.” Unfortunately for many of us, this message hasn’t been realized. The goal post for success keeps getting pushed out and therefore, happiness seems to be elusive. Thanks to science, we now know happiness comes before success! Shawn Anchor, author of The Happiness Advantage attests, “Happiness and optimism actually fuel performance and achievement.”

Learning Objectives

1. Discover the happiness advantage through understanding positive psychology at work
2. Learn seven specific, actionable, and proven patterns that predict success and achievement
3. Identify ways to spread the happiness advantage at work, at home and beyond.

About Our Facilitator

Susan Rozzi (pronounced Row Z) is the president and owner of Rozzi & Associates, a leadership and organizational development firm. She has a passion for unleashing the potential for greatness in good leaders and believes each person has a unique way of leading. Susan is a leadership coach focusing on leadership development, emotional intelligence insight and career management. Each of her programs starts with the premise 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 her candor.

Rozzi graduated from DePauw University and earned an MBA from Indiana University. She is certified in EQi-2.0 and EQ 360 (emotional intelligence assessment) and DiSC, a Certified Real Colors (temperament assessment) facilitator, and a Certified John C. Maxwell coach, trainer and speaker. She is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Hendricks County as well as a Board member of the Level Two co-working space and Outreach Inc.

What does it mean to be vulnerable as a leader? Being vulnerable implies the courage to be yourself instead of projecting a specific image or persona. This is the key to building trust and bonds with your team, and requires a shift in mindset. This authenticity enables closer connections, a more involved and invested team, and inclusivity. Learn strategies to lead with vulnerability and authenticity, and overcome your fear of showing what is traditionally considered a ‘weakness’.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover ways that vulnerability becomes a leadership strength
2. Identify 3 practical ways you can become more vulnerable with your team
3. Learn useful phrases to ask for help, show your team you care, and admit you don’t know all the answers
4. Take away additional books and resources for further development

This program is ideal for:  team leads or managers of any level.

About Our Facilitator

Laura Holt is a queer career coach and leadership consultant who has led workshops and talks about DEI for the past 5 years. She has led multiple LGBTQ+ ERG groups and worked on HR teams for 4 years. She leads and teaches with empathy and vulnerability.

Sponsored by:

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”.

This program is ideal for: young professionals; new managers

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.

What is a typical day like for you? Do you find yourself struggling to get out of bed? Once you get to work, do you spend your time responding to crises while fighting distractions? Do you feel irritable or impatient during your day? Do you find yourself driven by the demands of others, either at work or outside? The solution is not the latest time management trick or tip; its to focus on our energy levels, not our time. Energy Management instead of Time Management.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about 4 forms of energy: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
2. Learn how each type can be renewed and even expanded
3. Develop our own individualized rituals to renew and expand our energy

This program is ideal for: everyone!

About Our Facilitator

Liz Haney is a Director of Sponsored Projects Administration at Ball State University. She manages her physical energy with a vegetarian diet, an early bedtime, workouts at the gym, walks around the neighborhood, hikes in the woods, and trips down the ski trails. She manages her mental energy by practicing the techniques in Getting Things Done.She manages her emotional energy by having face to face conversations with people she likes and by expressing appreciation at least once a day. She manages her spiritual energy by practicing yoga and metta meditation. And every once in a while, she completely loses her $h!+ because she is human. 🙂

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1:
Wednesday, January 25
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2:
Thursday, January 26
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Anxiety, sadness, and trauma is impacting every one of us in these unprecedented times. There is hope. We have a new opportunity to recover from our painful experiences and heal. This session will support participants to understand how negative experiences impact their mind, emotions and body and influences their mental, emotional, social, and organizational world. This session will empower participants with practical tools to create positive changes within these areas. In this interactive session, participants will have the ability to gain fresh insights and practice new skills to deactivate their threat response in real time, become more emotionally aware and experience a relaxed body to help them gain more clarity to connect with the best version of themselves. Clients will improve their self-compassion and their self-respect which will transform their ability to influence others in a healthy way. Participants will leave with an intentional plan to live more fully with purpose and honor.

Learning Objectives

1. How stress and painful experiences impact your brain and body.
2. How to identify triggers that activate your threat response.
3. How to self-regulate your autonomic nervous system by being emotionally aware and relaxing your body,
4. How to get reconnected with your mission and vision for your life’s purpose in the midst of chaos and confusion.

This program is ideal for: anyone who has experienced their own or someone else’s emotional distress in their private life or workplace that has impacted their ability to function in a healthy way.

About Our Facilitator

Demetria M. Jackson is a Muncie native and a current resident, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and owner of Free to Flourish Counseling and Consulting, LLC., which specializes in offering safe, secure, online psychotherapy services to adults and couples within the State of Indiana and Florida. Demetria supports clients to overcome anxiety, stress, trauma, depression, and relationship conflicts.

Professionally, Demetria has been on the front lines of human services for over 20 years-working with youth, adults, couples, and families in residential, correctional, crisis and outpatient settings. Demetria is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist and has expertise and specialized training in a variety of psychotherapy modalities including but not limited to: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), the Flash Technique, and Gottman Couples Therapy Methods.

Demetria has been married to Alton for 21 years and has two children. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with extended family and friends, trying new restaurants, and watching international films. She also enjoys the arts by singing, playing the alto saxophone, and acting in community theatre.

How do successful individuals leverage their professional brand to succeed? Whether you are looking for a new job, hoping to elevate your position in your current company, or looking to grow a business, your brand is critical to meet your goals. It’s even more important during a time when many interactions are virtual and when anyone can search your name online in five minutes or less. Learn three things you can do today! Take control of your brand! Take control of your success!

Learning Objectives

1. Empower the audience with information on the value and importance of professional branding.
2. Explain how professional branding helps to stand out from the competition.
3. Provide examples of how to promote their professional footprint.

This program is ideal for:  Anyone

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.

Sponsored by:

People speak English differently. The differences can be obvious or subtle, but does it matter?

In Delaware County, about 3.5% of the population speaks a language other than English at home and about 2% are foreign-born. Yet many more individuals do not recognize their own verbal differences but do in others even though there are 160 English accents in the world (or put a little differently, there are as many English accents as there are English speakers).

Very few people speak English as it is taught i.e. “received pronunciation,” however, many employees believe they speak English properly and use Standard American English. Yet, sometimes they harbor an implicit or explicit bias that impacts how people work together and organizations function. What does this mean for team members, managers, and organizations wanting to work better together? What is the business case for embracing linguistic diversity?

The first steps are to understand one’s own English speaking relative to others, appreciate the benefits of such linguistic differences, and then understand internal and organizational biases to identify the linguistic challenges to find solutions for overcoming them.

While some technical terms will be used, the program aim is to recognize and overcome any linguistic bias.

Learning Objectives

1. Reflect on personal linguistic differences
2. Appreciate the benefit of linguistic differences
3. Understand internal and organizational linguistic biases

This program is ideal for: employees and hiring managers.

Note: This program will use interactive tools – Participants should bring their smartphones.

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.

It is becoming more and more popular to hate small talk, but the truth remains that surface level conversations are crucial to forming impressions, building a network, and cultivating relationships. Drawing from her training and experience as a clinical mental health professional, nonprofit leader, and communications professional, Michele will explain the psychology of first impressions, the importance of foundational conversations, and strategies to master and enjoy the delicate art of small talk.

Learning Objectives

1. Challenge misconceptions that small talk is boring, unnecessary, or useless
2. Understand and practice the principles of making a memorable first impression
3. Understand and practice Foundational Conversation as a key component to networking

This program is ideal for: introverts & anyone who wants to learn!

About Our Facilitator

Michele Owen was trained as a clinical mental health counselor and practiced trauma therapy with women and children before pursuing a career as a nonprofit executive. She currently also holds the position of Communications Director for the City of Muncie, and works with several initiatives and taskforces around the City. Her experience includes teaching at a collegiate level, developing and delivering a TedX talk, social psychology research, leadership training, and professional writing.

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1:
Wednesday, February 22
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2:
Thursday, February 23
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

We’ve been told that resiliency and a healthy lifestyle are important, but how do we implement those things into our already busy schedule? During this session, we will explore what resiliency and wellness look like as well as the different ways resiliency can be experienced. We will engage in reflection and look at the ways we’ve already seen wellness and resiliency in our lives. Participants will learn how resiliency and wellness interact, actionable steps for developing both in their lives and having a plan when life doesn’t go the way they thought.

Learning Objectives

1. How resiliency and wellness interact
2. Actionable steps to developing wellness & resiliency
3. A plan for continuing to take action even when life gets crazy
4. How to re-frame failure

This program is ideal for:  anyone looking to better themselves

About Our Facilitator

Shaina Partlow is a certified health coach who empowers young professional women with healthy lifestyle education through individualized coaching, motivation, and positivity so that they can feel confident and comfortable in their own daily life. Shaina received her Health Coaching certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is also a founding instructor for LYFE at Home, a virtual wellness company, where she leads livestream workouts.

She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She went on to receive her master’s degree from Ball State University in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education. After working as a Career Coach at Purdue University, Shaina recognized the need for coaching on various topics in addition to a career. She decided to get certified as a Health Coach to help people better understand how health is interrelated to all areas of their lives.

Shaina coaches her clients in the areas of nutrition, fitness, and mindset. Shaina believes that health involves moving your body, eating foods you enjoy, and being with the people you love.

Shaina lives in North Carolina with her husband and a very sassy labradoodle!

In-Person 3 Hour Session

Learning Objectives

1. Learn the key parts of Organizational Change and its benefits and risks.
2. Explore how Change affects personnel morale and retention.
3. Develop a practical plan of action that can be immediately implemented.

This program is ideal for:  anyone in a leadership role who is undergoing or planning a significant transition in the workplace.

About Our Facilitator

Mark Demchak has more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience working for 3 YMCAs in Illinois and Indiana. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Miami County YMCA in Peru, Indiana, where under his leadership the Y has successfully built a new YMCA facility and medical clinic (open February 2022). Mark’s experience includes strategic planning, capital project development, fundraising, board development, and staff development, and he is a sought after trainer in leadership coaching. He holds a B.A. from Purdue University and an MFA from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks–both degrees are in Creative Writing.

Queerology 101 takes the participants into the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community and allows them to become more understanding about issues faced by the community. This is done through sharing our stories, providing education about the history of and vocabulary in the Queer community, as well as facts and information about the community relevant to a wide variety of participants. Participants will also learn about ways to be better allies and advocates for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Learning Objectives

1. An increased understanding regarding the history of and vocabulary in the LGBTQ+ community.
2. Tips and suggestions for being better allies and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.
3. A greater understanding of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ Community.

This program is ideal for:  Nonprofits, supervisors, teachers, medical professionals, and community members wanting to create a more inclusive community.

About Our Facilitators

Mike Martinez, a full-time doctoral student at Ball State University and returns to higher education with a great amount of experience in the workforce as an Athletic Trainer. Mike is a native of California where he received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from California State University, Fullerton in kinesiology and athletic training. His most recent professional position was Head of Sports Medicine for the USA Volleyball Beach National

Jeffry Neuhouser, a doctoral student at Ball State studying the intersection of queer and professional identity and how to create a sense of belonging for members of the LGBTQ+ community. They completed their BA in History at Taylor University, where they were the first student to come out publicly on campus. After completing an MA in History from Memorial University of Newfoundland and an MA in Student Affairs Administration at Ball State, they moved into career development work in higher education.

Brandon Million has a MA from Ball State University and is currently pursuing his doctorate in Higher Education. He has conducted research on the LGBTQ+ for 10+ years, including writing his master’s thesis on the impacts of body image issues and internalized homophobia on community connectedness within the LGBTQ+ community.

Sponsored by:

More than ever, we are being called not just to adapt, but to be flexible in our leadership. So what is flexibility? This workshop will explore three types of flexibility– cognitive, emotional, and dispositional, and will outline key action steps that leaders can implement with their teams, and themselves.

Learning Objectives

1. The difference between adaptability and flexibility
2. Three different types of flexibility
3. What flexibility looks like in action
4. How to apply the concepts to your team

This program is ideal for:  all in management/supervisory positions; particular those who are newer, or who are grappling with how to best support their teams

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.

We all have needs: food, shelter, clothing; meaningful work; love and friendship; self-esteem. The term “legacy” in today’s society often refers to how one will be remembered. There’s a Greek proverb that reminds us as “wise” people to “plant trees we will never sit under” — but how can we do that?

This workshop will be part-discussion, part-activity, and a lot of reflection. What makes your heart beat faster? What legacy are you building? Is that even a good goal? Life is too short to let it pass by.

Learning Objectives

1. Take stock of their strengths and how they use them
2. Consider the needs of the spaces they occupy and how their strengths might be best utilized
3. Understand the value of community and giving back through gifts of time, talent and treasure as a business tactic to grow your network, improve the lives of those around you and be a better leader.

This program is ideal for:  young professionals, mid-managers, about-to-be retirees, supervisors

About Our Facilitator

James Mitchell serves as the Director of HR and Employee Experience at Minnetrista, a 40 acre museum and gardens that celebrates the legacy of the Ball families and their company which transformed food preservation with canning jars at the beginning of the 20th century.

He is both the HR generalist and chief people officer for his organization. The museum employs around 65-70 people at any point of the year. He has had several experiences in HR that he hopes to never have again (as him about them sometime!) but most every day he appreciates the opportunity to help new employees catch the “why” of their roles at Minnetrista.

Prior to his work at Minnetrista, James worked in college career services, residence life, and was an AmeriCorps member.

James has been and is very proud of his service as a nonprofit board chair three times and as the President of the local HR professional association. He also established a fund through the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County in honor of his parents.

In his free time he is a foodie and loves to play video games.

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1:
Wednesday, March 22
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2:
Thursday, March 23
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

In the workplace, coaching is a powerful and valuable skill for any leader to possess, but how is it done effectively? In this workshop participants will learn what coaching is and what it is not, some key principles to keep in mind when having a coaching conversation and a simple outline for conducting an effective coaching conversation. This is a great topic for anyone in leadership or preparing for a leadership role.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover the framework of a coaching session
2. Develop an outline to conduct your own coaching sessions
3. Learn how to listen beyond the words
4. Experience an example of a powerful coaching session

This program is ideal for:  HR managers, leaders, first-time supervisors, and anyone with direct reports

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.