We are a team who initially came together through our interest in Life Design, and our partnership has flourished through our shared values, deep friendship and respect for each other.
Our collaboration is founded on our love of service to community, creative, holistic, embodied approaches to navigating change, and inclusive leadership and social justice. We continue to evolve our work to meet the ever-changing challenges of our world.
Heather Shaughnessy-Cato
- Co-founder & Partner
- Designing Your Life Facilitator and Coach
- Mindfulness & Compassion Programming Lead
- Experience: Facilitator, teacher, coach; Previous experience as a therapist and in Development/Fundraising in Higher Education and Arts & Culture.
- Design Focus: Navigate life with awareness, curiosity and courage!
- Today: Provides teaching and coaching for life design, compassion, and well-being.
- Purpose: Empowerment and emotional wellbeing
Heather’s coaching integrating Life Design, self-compassion, and well-being may be found at heathershaughnessy.com.
Joan Cheverie
- Co-founder & Partner
- Designing Your Life Facilitator and Coach
- Higher Education Programming Lead
- Experience: 30+ years in higher education, librarian & information professional, leadership development for higher education association
- Design Focus: Emotional intelligence, conversational intelligence, using design thinking for sustainable change
- Today: Business co-owner, leadership coach, & potter
- Purpose: Empowering people to recognize, embrace, & use their talents & skills
Michael Cato
- Designing Your Life Facilitator
- Inclusion and Belonging Programming Lead
- Experience: 20+ years in Information Technology (IT) with a Higher Education focus; 15+ years in IT Leadership; 6 years as a Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Design Focus: Inclusive Leadership
- Today: IT Executive in Higher Education; Leadership Development Facilitator; Mentor; pseudo/kinda/almost CrossFit athlete
- Purpose: Empower people to foster innovation through inclusive leadership.
Catherine Dalipe
- Community Relations
- Designing Your Life Facilitator and Coach
- Experience: 30+ years in international education management; leadership coach and mentoring group facilitator
- Design Focus: Passionate advocate for design thinking as a methodology to empower people to design a life and career with more joy, clarity and engagement
- Today: US higher education partner engagement & business development; Designing Your Life for Women Workshops; Toastmasters International; surfing aficionada, pickleball enthusiast
- Purpose: To accompany and inspire people to live with deeper authenticity, meaning and agency
Fritz Hjardemaal
- Technical Operations
- Designing Your Life Facilitator and Coach
- Experience: Diverse range of experience in Information Technology (IT) over 17 years in Higher Education, Global Publicly Traded Corporation & Global Non-Profit.
- Design Focus: A thriving life with a sense of hope & purpose.
- Today: IT Senior staff leading digital transformation at a global non-profit. Father, community member, mentor, youth advocate.
- Purpose: Seek Life’s common ground.