Hi, hi.

Tech Week in Grand Rapids has been a blur of caffeine, conversations, and too many hours in the wrong shoes. 🫠 If you were out there with us—you know the drill: ideas buzzing, calendars crammed, introverts maxed out.

Here’s what we got up to while surviving (and thriving) in the chaos:

✨ Coffee Circle: Monday kicked off with a packed room of powerhouse women in tech + allies, co-hosted with The Right Place and Array of Engineers. Sharon Gillenwater reminded us you can scale a $25M company without being an a**hole—take notes, Silicon Valley.

✨ Sharon Gillenwater Dinner: Tuesday night we had the pleasure of hosting an intimate night with Sharon Gillenwater and local women entrepreneurs. Equal parts wisdom-sharing and soul food (with Little Bird delivering a menu that was as sharp as the conversation).

✨ Wednesday Unlikely Bedfellows: Brilliant Breakthroughs: Shannon Cohen + Dean Hunt lit up LaFleur Marketing with real talk on collaboration, trust, and the kind of innovation that only happens when you leave silos behind. We capped the day at Demo Day, cheering Start Garden innovators 100 ideas that prove Michigan isn’t playing catch-up—we’re setting the pace.

✨ Thursday Giving Day + Future of Philanthropy: From Studio Park, leaders dug into the culture of giving back while pushing innovation forward. A reminder that the future of tech isn’t just code and capital—it’s generosity, too.

And today? We’re keeping the celebrations going because it’s Anna’s birthday! 🎂 If you’ve crossed paths with her, you’ve seen how deeply she invests in this community. She’s the one who keeps showing up, again and again, to build relationships that last. Wish her well today if you can. 💌

Now, back to the business of burnout (or rather, avoiding it):

👉 This week we published a blog called Most Likely to Burn Out (and other Leadership Superlatives)—and if you saw yourself in Tech Week’s mirror, you’ll want to read it.
​​
​Read the blog →​

Because here’s the truth: burnout isn’t inevitable. But it is predictable—especially if no one’s given you the tools to lead differently. That’s why our Fall cohorts are about to kick off:

• ​SHE (starts Oct 1): Leadership training for women that goes beyond “just be confident.” Boundaries, power, resilience—served with honesty and zero fluff.
• ​ManageSmart (starts Oct 14): Because “Congrats, you’re promoted!” shouldn’t mean “Good luck, figure it out.” Learn to manage people without losing your mind.

Both are six weeks, fully virtual, and designed around Tactical Emotional Intelligence™—the skills you actually need to thrive as a human AND a leader.

⏰ Enrollment closes soon, and seats are almost gone.

Because whether you’re networking at Tech Week or leading your team on a Tuesday morning, you deserve to show up with clarity, confidence, and energy that lasts longer than a latte.
​

👉 Save your spot in SHE​

👉 Save your spot in ManageSmart​

​
See you on the other side of Tech Week,
​Elise & The Human Solution Team

P.S. Forward THIS to the colleague who’s currently Most Likely to Cry in the Breakroom—Tech Week or not. 💌

🚨 Fall Enrollment Closing SOON 🚨

SHE 6 Weeks. Fully Virtual. Kick-Off: Wed, 10/01/25 ​Program Flyer​ Learn More

ManageSmart 6 Weeks. Fully Virtual. Kick-Off: Tues, 10/14/25 ​Program Flyer​ Learn More

---

The Human Solution is now recognized by SHRM to offer PDCs for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities, like SHE and ManageSmart.

SHE and MSmart are approved for 9 general HR credit hours toward aPHR®, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, and SPHRi™ recertification through HRCI.