In Search of Greener Pastures: Processing Grief from Career Transitions

How do we begin to process the grief of leaving a career or job we once loved? For Black women, this question is especially difficult as we are some of the most highly educated, credentialed, and certified professionals in the workplace. Despite these facts, Black women’s experiences in the workplace are often plagued with discrimination, inequitable pathways to leadership, wage disparities, and limited access to mentoring networks and professional development. These experiences and many more are leading to Black women leaving the workplace in search of more equitable, humane, and sustainable ways to thrive both personally and professionally.

In this spirit, this workshop will provide an entry point to begin unpacking how grief shows up at the crossroads for Black women making the difficult career decision to leave their roles. We will spend some time discussing how workplace stressors impact Black women’s health outcomes and career trajectories. Lastly, we will discuss strategies for intentionally moving our careers forward in ways that intersect with wellness and joy.

Join Dr. Chinasa Elue and the THRIVVE community for this free workshop for Black professional women.

Who are we?

Asila Calhoun is a certified coach whose coaching business, Calhoun Coaching & Consulting, focuses on partnering with new leaders through executives from a variety of professional backgrounds who are ready for change. Asila facilitates this change during one-on-one and group coaching sessions with her clients and through her consulting services of delivering leadership training, team facilitation, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging coaching, consulting and training.

Asila has a direct yet supportive style that facilitates self-discovery and growth in her clients. Asila is recognized as a coach and facilitator who deeply listens to what her clients say – and do not say, inquiring about what she’s sensing while offering a different perspective.

Asila earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC Berkeley, and she holds PHR and SHRM-CP HR certifications. She is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC), and a Certified Inclusion Coach (CIC). Asila is also a certified meditation teacher.

Joelle LaGuerre is a certified HR professional – a consultant and coach with a passion for positive psychology. A trainer and facilitator by trade, she is a dynamic presenter with an evident enthusiasm for both individual and organizational growth.

Through her company PRO-YOU, Joelle works with coaching clients to focus on self-awareness and exploration as the foundation for meaningful career and leadership development. An equally passionate consultant, she seeks to help organizations develop strategies that promote optimal individual and team performance.

Joelle earned her Bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology from Oakwood University as well as a graduate certificate in leadership development from George Washington University. She is a certified professional in talent development (CPTD) and will soon be an Associate Certified Coach (ACC).

Dr. Chinasa Elue is a speaker, grief coach, and CEO and Founder of True Titans Consulting Group. She currently supports leaders in moving forward to make impactful changes in the midst of uncertainty with empathy and care. She provides strategic coaching and consulting that opens the doors to transformation through policy and practice. She is also an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Kennesaw State University. Her research focuses on grief leadership, trauma-informed leadership practices in organizational settings, and the health and well-being of historically marginalized and underrepresented populations. She currently resides in Atlanta, GA with her husband and two children.