Brad Baldwin
Founder & CEO
Aperture, LLC

ABOUT APERTURE
Aperture was founded with the goal of making work life more easeful by building great leaders through the foundations of mindfulness. Aperture helps chart a clear path for putting the attitudinal foundations of mindfulness into action for individuals and organizations. We nurture a mindful approach to daily living to cultivate clarity about self, style, and approach. A life lived through mindfulness enhances authenticity and resilience and opens the door to more easeful living.

KEYNOTE CONTENT OVERVIEW
We are broken. Individually and societally. The turbulence of the last three years has not created the difficulties that show up so meaningfully in our lives, it has exposed and amplified them. A careful analysis of the current landscape for the well-being of our constituents is critical to understanding how we can support people moving forward.

The ubiquitous nature of mindfulness has ushered in misconceptions about what it means to practice and how individuals and organizations can benefit. Brad will directly address the misconceptions of mindfulness, providing a stable base of knowledge from which you can discover the power and benefits of infusing mindfulness into your individual habits and organizational culture. Brad uses engaging stories and plenty of humor, but leaves participants with practical ideas on how to begin a journey with mindfulness or strengthen work that is already underway.

Offered in conjunction with the presentation is an opportunity to directly engage with the practice of mindfulness meditation. Brad offers a brief introductory guided mindfulness meditation practice, allowing participants to safely engage with a practice to discover both process and benefits of mindful practice.

KEYNOTE CONTENT OUTLINE
• Current state of individuals and workers
• What is mindfulness?
• The practice of mindfulness
• Mindfulness in organizations
• Meeting you where you are

• Distress and dis-ease
• Languishing
• Thriving

• Mindfulness meditation practice opportunity

Jamie Haberl
Executive Director
Iowa Healthiest State Initiative

Start a Movement to Make It OK!  

In 2021, 76% of U.S. workers reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition, an increase of 17 percentage points in just two years. 81% of workers reported that they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future. Mental illnesses are common yet many Iowans wait years to seek treatment due to stigma. For most of us, we weren’t taught about mental health so it’s understandable that we don’t have the tools to support those living with a mental health illness. Join me to learn more about mental illnesses, the stigma that creates barriers and how to talk more openly and compassionately about mental illness. Together, we can Make It OK.   

Patti Seda
Executive Coach and Talent Consultant
Seda Consulting

Job Joy Workbook

We spend our whole lives trying to determine "WHAT I want to be when we grow up". However, to have real joy in our work, we need to be just as diligent in understanding "HOW I have to be". WHAT + HOW = Joy. And let’s face it, we’re all still recovering from the three-year mental boxing match and could use an extra dose of “joy”! During this interactive session, you'll gain greater clarity on your unique talents, strengths, and weaknesses to discover and maintain your job joy, and help others on your team. Spoiler alert - you'll also understand the people in your personal relationships, as well! 

Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller, MD, FACOG, ABoIM
Integrative Medicine Physician
Integrative Initiative

An emerging body of evidence links time spent in nature to mental and physical health. Engage your senses in a guided virtual nature and forest therapy experience (take it outdoors during the session or participate indoors on your device) and then hear about the science and wisdom behind this practice. From a physician who prescribes time outdoors, explore organizations and resources that currently exist and learn about ways to incorporate nature into personal and employee wellness programs.

Our world continues to show us VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) to the extreme - and it can be disheartening. Acts of violence are on the rise, human rights are being diminished, mental health is declining, and division and disconnection are growing. At the same time, there is a growing demand for courageous, more HUMAN workplaces. So what can we do to honor hurting humanity and find a path forward? 

We start by recognizing what is at the core of many of our challenges - our innate human instinct to self-protect and cling tightly to what is familiar when the world around us feels too chaotic or unsettling. Then we apply some simple, yet powerful practices to move us from self protection and disconnection to curiosity, courage, connection and inclusivity that are key to us maximizing our impact and rehumanizing the workplace. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the common aspects of being human that contribute to the current state of our world and the demand for more human workplaces. 
2. Recognize that our responses to current situations are typically not driven by us in the present day. 
3. Apply simple practices to help you maximize your impact, improve wellbeing and nurture a thriving, human workplace culture. 

Barry Schreier
Professor of Counseling Psychology
University of Iowa

In our work, we are called upon to be thoughtful and caring of others especially when others struggle.  In our ever-changing work world, the struggles others are managing can often be the same struggles we are managing.  In this ongoing time of significant world and workplace change, we can find ourselves caring for others while also having to care for ourselves.  This interactive program shares practical ideas and tools to have and use to help with managing the changing world we all now inhabit.  While the changing world has provided opportunities for positive change, there are also losses and significant ongoing challenges.  This program focuses on capitalizing on our positives, so we can best care for ourselves while also caring for others.  This program takes an identities-based, mental health and wellbeing focus.  Being staff, faculty, or anyone who works in higher education and is called upon to help others can be challenging on a good day.  This program provides navigation for the stormier days as we navigate the current academic year and beyond.  

Jackie Pelland
Leadership Coaching
Slingshot25

Session Materials - Mindset Self-Assessment

When we're up against challenges of any kind, there's science behind why we react the way we do. Mindset Matters focuses on how we view challenges (opportunity or threat), how we respond when we get stuck and how to thrive in any situation.    

Roxanne Erdahl
Professional Life and Leadership Coach
Erdahl Coaching

Living into our values – Creating a culture that cares 

Every day we show up in our lives from a belief that our values are what guide us, both professionally and personally.  We assume we are clear about those beliefs. We understand that our values through our words, thoughts, and behaviors must be in alignment in all areas of our life. Or do we?  

Brené Brown in her book Dare to Lead says “Living into our values means that we do more than profess our values, we practice them. We walk our talk—we are clear about what we believe and hold important, and we take care that our intentions, words, thoughts, and behaviors align with those beliefs.”  

Often the values we know and believed in can change over time. As we grow and move into new stages of our lives, it is beneficial to check in with ourselves to identify what is important to us now. What motivates and gives us the behaviors needed to create the results we desire both personally and professionally.  

This breakout is for individuals who are wanting to re-examine the questions:   

• What are my core values? 
• Are my values personally the same that I show up with in my professional life?  
• Are my values and behaviors in alignment? 
• How do my core values become my superpowers? 

We will discuss how to: 

• Create your own personal work/life vision 
• Identify Armored Leadership vs. Daring Leadership 

• Bring this learning back to your teams to create a culture that cares 

Eli Hotchkin, Director
Threat Assessment Program
University of Iowa

The University of Iowa Threat Assessment Team (TAT) monitors and assesses the potential for individual and targeted acts of violence measured against a risk continuum and the pathway to violence. During this presentation, attendees will be provided an overview of the Threat Assessment Team, their process and how human resource and business professionals can utilize theses services within the workplace.  

Learning Objectives: 

• Attendees will be able to understand the UI Threat Assessment Team role, structure, process, and how to contact for assistance.  
• Attendees will be able to identify behaviors of concerns to report to the Threat Assessment Team. 
• Attendees will be able to identify how the UI Threat Assessment Team can assist with employee safe termination/transition meetings in the workplace. 
• Attendees will be able to identify how the UI Threat Assessment Team can assist with domestic violent situations involving employees.  

Kate Moreland
Founder & CEO
Moreland Consulting

Acknowledging the importance of well-being in the workplace is more important than ever. The reality of burnout, the great resignation, and quiet quitting are directly related to well-being and whether people are languishing or flourishing. Leaders must be a champion for well-being within their organization to help support a positive culture for a thriving workforce as we navigate our new world. It requires listening, vulnerability, courage, and empathy on the part of leaders. Certain professions are especially at risk of compassion fatigue and secondary trauma, so they must model the way and ensure they are addressing their own well-being. Whether it is remote or hybrid work, reintegration or dealing with the collective trauma of the past two years, people need new skills and support to thrive.   In this session, participants will learn mindfulness tools to address burnout, compassion fatigue and anxiety.  

Courtney Smock
Leadership Coaching and Change
Slingshot25

If you are working with team members who are feeling frustrated, blocked and stressed - coaching skills are the secret weapon in helping them move forward! This session teaches simple and effective coaching skills to help individuals address challenges, overcome barriers and unleash energy.