The connections we form with others are a powerful force in our lives, expanding our horizons and helping us feel more fulfilled. As we transition into new stages of our personal and professional journeys, one can always benefit from the insights of peers who are going through similar changes.
The University of Chicago Graham School’s Crafting Your Next Chapter program assembles a community of mid-to-late career professionals who are planning their next chapters. This cohort-based, online program provides tools for self-reflection and individual development, providing the structure for participants to support one another and engage in thoughtful dialogue.
The program includes 8 sessions over sixteen weeks, but that’s not the end of the experience. From September 6-8, 2024, the first two cohorts gathered in Chicago for the first Crafting Your Next Chapter reunion. The event deepened the ties between participants, setting the stage for future collaboration and illustrating why community is so essential to long-term flourishing.
Defining Your Purpose
With a history that stretches back to the late 19th century, the Graham School has always stood at the forefront of lifelong learning. As the average lifespan grows longer and people seek to rededicate their time to meaningful challenges, the school’s offerings have evolved to meet that demand.
That commitment to lifelong education made Graham the right home for the Crafting Your Next Chapter program. The program presents resources, tools, and frameworks that cohort members can apply practically in life and work, broadening their horizons and fueling a purposeful future. Professionals from a wide range of backgrounds come together to collaborate during major turning points in their individual journeys.
One of those participants is Beth Coronelli, principal and consultant at Coronelli Advisors, who enrolled in Crafting Your Next Chapter while already working toward her Master of Liberal Arts degree at UChicago.
“I’m very immersed in the Graham School, and it’s been a life-changing experience to be involved through that process,” Beth said.
With many years of experience as a leader in the education, real estate, technology, professional services, manufacturing, and banking sectors, Beth found herself at a transition point. Crafting Your Next Chapter offered the structure she needed to reflect on what she’d accomplished, think holistically about what she wanted out of life, and plan her future.
Michael Werner, the founder and executive chairman of HomeX Services Group, said the program challenged him to “hold the mirror up to myself and dig deep to identify my motivators and future dreams.”
Michael recalled reading an assigned article by David Brooks that discussed how the cultural understanding of adulthood has transformed since the 1940s. He felt inspired to consider what these ongoing shifts will mean for his own next chapter and for others at a similar point in their lives.
“Just like the word teenager was not widely used prior to World War II, we don’t even have a word for post full-time career people yet,” he said. “I realized that we are actually a very fortunate and new group who will be blazing our own trail. Work life going forward is likely to be very different, with people more frequently coming in and out of the formal work force, education, and the nonprofit world.”
Moving Forward in Community
Community is the heart of Crafting Your Next Chapter and is built into the program’s structure. Every participant is grouped with three or four progress partners who encourage one another to stay on track toward their goals and serve as a sounding board to talk through ideas.
In addition, class sessions include regular breakout sessions. During this time, varied groups of cohort members meet up for peer coaching. These sessions give everyone opportunities to learn about the rest of their cohort, share stories, and collaborate on challenges.
For Michael, engaging with around 23 fellow participants from across the country and around the world was the most enjoyable aspect of the program.
“It’s nice to be part of a cohort of people who are experiencing the same type of life changes and addressing similar questions,” he said.
Those connections continue through the end of the program, with many alumni choosing to stay in touch and meet up in person.
“What a great group of people,” Beth said. “They may be different ages, but they’re addressing the same situations and really have a strong interest in supporting each other.”
The first Crafting Your Next Chapter Reunion further solidified this sense of community. During the event, organized by instructors and a planning committee that Beth sat on, the members of two cohorts visited campus for a weekend. The alumni looked back on their progress so far and recommitted to their objectives.
Reunion attendees were able to interact with their former classmates and expand their networks of support by meeting another cohort. They also explored the City of Chicago together, enjoying meals and optional activities like live music and a tour of murals in the Pilsen neighborhood.
“The reunion was an unexpected gift,” Beth said.
Interested in learning more about the next cohort?
Building a Community
The instructors who created and teach Crafting Your Next Chapter, Dr. Stephanie Eisenstat and Russ Eisenstat, were deeply involved in organizing the reunion as part of their efforts to instill a sense of community. Drawing on their research and experience as coaches, educators and clinicians, they designed the program to optimize the opportunities for alumni to form meaningful connections and make positive change.
Stephanie is a practicing internist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Russ is a clinical psychologist who has served on the Harvard Business School faculty in the leadership and organizational behavior area, and has coached a wide range of senior leaders in the business and social sectors.
While supporting physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie and Russ saw an urgent need for a new perspective on the second half of life, one that prioritizes “rewirement” rather than retirement. They partnered with Dean Seth Green to bring the frameworks they developed to the Graham School.
“MGH was our research lab, where we piloted the program and learned a lot, so when we connected with Dean Green, we had already identified not only gaps in knowledge but a pathway to solutions,” Stephanie said.
She added, “It was a road to empowerment. Next year, we’re going into the fourth class, not only being able to fill a need with participants out there about crafting their life appropriately, but now we’re also learning the power of group and the power of community.”
Stephanie and Russ believe it’s vital for participants to engage with one another across multiple cohorts and to share what they’ve learned with others in their lives, such as a spouse or partner. By passing along lessons and insights, cohort members can make an impact in their own communities and address bigger problems in society.
“A lot of the power of this program is in the structure, but that structure is scalable,” Russ explained. “If people are learning from each other, the opportunities for insight and personal growth multiply.”
Crafting Your Next Chapter Program Experience
The Crafting Your Next Chapter curriculum presents a structure to:
- Reframe how we think about the stages of life, embracing opportunities for ongoing learning, exploration, and experimentation.
- Revitalize our approach to the present by focusing on the pursuits that truly matter to us as we commit to sustainable goals and habits.
- Reinvent a vision for the future by planning our next steps while making crucial choices about how to make the most of our personal and professional contributions to the world around us.
Through readings, discussions, activities, and individual coaching sessions, cohort members move from insight to action. Every participant finishes the program with an individualized plan for their next chapter.
Visit the Crafting Your Next Chapter program page for more information.
