designRoom Creative

This is the first year in over a decade that I’ll be attending NATCON without a booth space and all that goes with it, and I have to say, it feels a lot lighter 🙂

I’m looking forward to being able to fully engage in the sessions, learn, and hear from some of the voices I always find impactful: Philip Rutherford, John Driscoll, Dave Gomel, Charles Ingoglia, Linda Rosenberg,
Tristan Keelan, and David C. Guth, Jr.

I’m also excited to connect and spend time with colleagues and friends I admire, including Gina de Peralta Thorne, MS, Nancy Gandelot Spearman, and Aileen Brady Brady.

Grateful for the opportunity to step back, take it all in, and be present for the conversations that matter. Let me know if you would like to connect.

NatCon NatCon is where the future of behavioral health care takes shape — a can’t-miss event where bold ideas spark breakthrough solutions.

New York City visit started with a delicious dinner at Don Angie alongside Joseph Cipri and Albert Rinehart, there’s nothing like sitting with two New Yorkers swapping stories; you learn a lot about the city.

It’s hard to fully capture the impact of the Cohen Veterans Network Annual Meeting. Two days filled with powerful learning, mindful moments, and deep connection with those who serve, support, and care for military families and veterans.

The 10-year Anniversary Celebration Dinner at Gotham Hall was unforgettable, with J.R. Martinez bringing incredible energy and purpose to the evening.

The workshops led by the Cohen Veterans Network team were thoughtful and impactful. Two highlights stood out:
• Leading When It Matters Most: Trust, Culture and Clinical Leadership Workshop. I completed a new leadership profile through Bolman and Deal, Four Frames Model - structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. My top two frames are Human Resource, closely followed by Symbolic.

• Caring for Women Veterans Workshop: An eye-opening session that highlighted the many factors that must be considered to truly support women who have served.

CVN closed with a powerful keynote from Shaun D**e, whose message resonated: behavior is the first language - we’re always speaking it, and it’s not about intent, but what people experience.

Thank you Anthony Hassan, Alice Kim, Paul Wood, Elise Harte, Nicole Meek and Rebecca Moynihan for including us.

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I’ve been in the Entrepreneurs'​ Organization for 16 years, and this week marked my 16th Forum Retreat.

Once a year our forum steps away from the daily grind to learn, connect, challenge each other, and grow.

This year our conversations centered around Stephen Cope’s book The Great Work of Your Life. The book is about uncovering your Dharma. Our Dharma's are not personal, not based on our own choice, they are based on what is already in us at birth.

In the middle of the retreat we stopped for coffee at Elementos Café, and the owner happened to be there. He came out and spent time talking with us and shared a sample of a new flavor he was working on. I always love moments like this, talking with other business owners, especially when traveling. There’s something universal about the passion, the risk, and the heart that goes into building something.

Grateful for the journey, the conversations, and the people who keep showing up year after year. Huge thanks to Aya Shlachter for the incredible thought and heart she put into making this retreat meaningful, and to Kirk Zehnder for his strength and for facilitating the hard conversations.

I’ve been in the Entrepreneurs'​ Organization for 16 years, and this week marked my 16th Forum Retreat.

Once a year our forum steps away from the daily grind to learn, connect, challenge each other, and grow.

This year our conversations centered around Stephen Cope’s book The Great Work of Your Life. The book is about uncovering your Dharma. Our Dharma's are not personal, not based on our own choice, they are based on what is already in us at birth.

In the middle of the retreat we stopped for coffee at Elementos Café, and the owner happened to be there. He came out and spent time talking with us and shared a sample of a new flavor he was working on. I always love moments like this, talking with other business owners, especially when traveling. There’s something universal about the passion, the risk, and the heart that goes into building something.

Grateful for the journey, the conversations, and the people who keep showing up year after year. Huge thanks to Aya Shlachter for the incredible thought and heart she put into making this retreat meaningful, and to Kirk Zehnder for his strength and for facilitating the hard conversations.

hhttps://www.facebook.com/elementoscafe

Quick but deep read from Peter Tashjian, loved this quote because this is how we think at designRoom too.

"I wish people understood that branding isn’t a paint job. When it’s done well, it’s closer to defining a belief system: an organizing idea that shapes hiring, culture, operations, product, everything."

"Branding isn’t a paint job": 5 questions with Peter Tashjian The Love & War partner discusses the value of strategy-led design.