Join fellow talent development professionals on Friday mornings for relaxed, no-pressure virtual conversation. Coffee & Connections is not a webinar or a formal networking event. It is a welcoming space to connect with peers, talk through real challenges, exchange ideas, and start the day with community.
Bring your mug, your curiosity, and whatever is top of mind. We will share stories, spark new ideas, and enjoy a few laughs as we wrap up the week together.
Register now to save your spot for this Friday morning virtual coffee chat.
We're excited to invite you to the ATD CHI 2026 Summer Social!
Join us for an evening of networking, connection, and learning as we welcome Dr. Nicole Eull, an expert in workplace communication. Through engaging, improv-based exercises and practical, research-backed strategies, Dr. Eull will share how leaders can navigate communication challenges with greater confidence and intention.
You'll leave with fresh perspectives and actionable tools to improve how you communicate, collaborate, and lead.
4:30–5:00 p.m. Networking Reconnect with colleagues, meet new professionals, and enjoy light refreshments.
5:00–6:15 p.m. Featured Presentation: Moments of Mastery: What if one moment could change everything? with Dr. Nicole Eull
Communication is at the heart of effective leadership—but it's easy to react on instinct when conversations become difficult. Drawing on her research-backed tools and signature improv-based framework, Nicole will demonstrate how to pause, adapt, and respond with intention. Through interactive exercises, you'll discover practical techniques for navigating workplace communication with greater clarity, confidence, and impact.
6:15–6:30 p.m. Closing Remarks & Wrap-Up
Dr. Nicole Eull
Dr. Nicole Eull is a psychologist, speaker, consultant, coach, podcast host, and author who’s spent more than two decades in healthcare everywhere from the front lines to the executive level. She’s a passionate champion of workplace wellbeing and believes thriving at work shouldn’t be a luxury item.
She hosts Practice on Purpose, a podcast dedicated to helping physicians build meaningful, sustainable medical careers. Through her signature Moments of Mastery framework, she teaches leaders at all levels how to spark creativity, strengthen communication, and fuel innovation, one intentional moment at a time.
Dr. Eull is the author of Well to Do: A Guide to Take Charge, Set Goals and Improve Your Health and speaks internationally on workplace wellbeing, strategic communication, and team engagement.
Networking with Purpose and Confidence is a 90-minute, interactive workshop that helps participants master strategic networking. We’ll explore the purpose of networking and provide practical strategies for how, when, and where to network, turning ordinary conversations into career-enhancing connections. Designed for anyone from recent graduates to mid-career professionals transitioning, this session combines academic research, hands-on practice, and actionable strategies to deliver tremendous return on investment (ROI) for personal and professional growth. A comprehensive workbook accompanies this workshop. About the Instructor: Dale Lasky
After 25+ years as a business education teacher (and being named the 2009 Illinois Teacher of the Year), Dale made the leap from classroom to corporate, bringing with him a playbook built on connection, compassion, and curiosity. Think of him as a veteran coach with the heart of a teacher, someone who knows how to read a room, spark growth, and inspire action. Dale doesn’t just deliver information, he delivers transformation using “how to” secrets of positive habit formation. He’s known for creating warm, energizing learning environments where people feel safe to grow, supported to lead, and motivated to improve. His sessions are interactive, strengths-based, and sprinkled with just the right amount of humor to keep people engaged (and awake after lunch). Whether it’s a team of new hires or senior leaders, Dale adapts his style to meet people where they are and help them get where they need to go. He likes to say that he develops people, not robots.
Build a High-Impact Mentoring Program That Drives Results
Looking to create a mentoring program that develops talent, strengthens engagement, and builds future leaders? Join us for this one-hour webinar and learn how to design, launch, and sustain a mentoring program that delivers measurable value for your organization.
Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to improve an existing initiative, you'll gain practical strategies, proven best practices, and ready-to-use tools to help you succeed.
In this webinar, you'll learn how to:
You'll leave with a practical framework and actionable next steps to confidently build a mentoring program that fosters growth, strengthens your workforce, and supports organizational success.
Speaker:
Joining us from ATD - Austin, Chan McDermott.
Chan McDermott has had a long career in Texas state government, primarily in Health and Human Services (HHS). Her career focus has been on leadership and workforce development, public health, maternal child health, health education and community mobilization. Chan’s most recent role was as the workforce development coordinator at a largestate agency.
Chan has developed and implemented small-scale and large-scale mentoring programs. She has also provided technical assistance and support to a non-profit organization’s mentoring program which includes 1:1 mentoring and peer mentoring.
Join ATD Chicagoland for a one-hour Ask Me Anything with Katrina Kennedy. This session will spotlight what is shaping the world of talent development today, from leadership development and workforce strategy to emerging trends and innovation.
Then, the conversation opens to you. Bring your questions, challenges, and curiosities for an honest, unscripted discussion with a leader who is actively doing the work.
About Katrina Kennedy
With digital transformation, AI and more, change is hitting teams harder than ever— and as a td practitioner, you're the one trying to steady the ship while everyone else is trying to find their footing. This session is about helping the people around you build real resilience, not just push through. We'll cover why change triggers resistance, how to spot stress points before they turn into burnout or disengagement, and practical ways to coach your stakeholders toward a more proactive, grounded mindset. Walk away with tools you can start using with your stakeholders right away!
Learning Outcomes:
We're excited to hear from our speaker, Michelle Yanahan:
Michelle Yanahan, Principal and Owner of ChangeFit 360, is a change management thought leader with proven expertise in executing change programs that enhance and grow organizational change management as a strategic business competency.
Michelle has 25 +years of experience in leadership roles in operations, change and project management office (PMO) development.
Michelle holds a Masters in Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University as well as CCMP and Prosci ADKAR change management certifications.
ChangeFit 360 has been recognized by ACMP, ATD, SHRM and ICF as a qualified education provider in support of their professional certifications and is proud to hold a >90% customer satisfaction rate for the past 5 years running.
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