At certain points in our lives, the question stops being, “What job do I want?” and becomes, “What kind of life do I want to build?” Alumni Career Services strives to help alumni answer that question at every career stage, not only through career coaching, but also through programming that encourages thoughtful reflection and meaningful action.
Our Darden Life Design Lab has helped hundreds of alumni design more meaningful, balanced and intentional lives. Career development isn’t only about job transitions; it’s about designing a life and career that evolve alongside your values, priorities and goals.
What is the Darden Life Design Lab?
The Darden Life Design Lab was introduced in 2020 as part of Alumni Career Services’ broader effort to support alumni beyond the traditional job search. Recognizing that many professionals face larger questions around fulfillment, purpose, reinvention, retirement and navigating change, ACS sought to create a space where alumni could reflect and explore these questions.
The first cohorts were facilitated by ACS Coach Marty Speight (MBA ’96). Drawing inspiration from the widely known Designing Your Life framework, the Life Design Lab adapts design thinking principles into a facilitated experience designed specifically for small groups of Darden alumni.
Recognizing that many career transitions are also broader life transitions, the program encourages participants to consider their lives in all their complexity, imagine new possibilities and take small, meaningful steps toward real change. Through guided exercises, reflection, discussion and experimentation, participants create three Odyssey Plans, potential paths for what’s next. As alumnus Rob Straker (MBA ’99) reflects, “The very act of thoughtful reflection combined with deliberate design uncovers insights, understanding and perspectives that might otherwise have been hidden.”
Darden Life Design Offerings
With a team of three experienced ACS coaches now facilitating the program, ACS offers several Life Design experiences throughout the year designed to support alumni at different stages of professional and personal transition.
Life Design Lab
Designed primarily for mid-career professionals, our flagship Life Design Lab helps participants evaluate what parts of their lives and careers are working well and identify what may be preventing greater fulfillment or balance.
The workshop also encourages experimentation and action rather than overthinking. As alumnus Jeremy Glazier (MBA ’12) shares, the experience “reinforced the importance of action over overthinking and pushed me to test ideas in the real world rather than get stuck in analysis paralysis.”
As Speight explains, “The exercises, frameworks and mindsets of life design give us the space to think through life’s complexity, imagine many beautiful futures and begin taking the small steps that empower real change in our lives.”
Retirement-Focused Life Design Lab
ACS recently introduced a retirement-focused workshop for alumni nearing or in retirement, helping participants reflect on purpose, priorities and what they want their next chapter to look like. Rather than focusing solely on financial readiness, the program encourages participants to think more intentionally about meaning, contribution and fulfillment.
Alumnus Bill Pearce (MBA ’85) explains the workshop “gave me a game plan, a tactical working map to guide me on how I should think and act on the next stage of my life when I retire.”
Odyssey Circle
Understanding that values, priorities and work-life balance continue to evolve over time, ACS also offers monthly Odyssey Circle meetings for Life Design alumni. These sessions provide opportunities for continued reflection, accountability and connection with fellow alumni navigating similar questions and transitions.
As participant Bahara Stapelberg (EMBA ’23) notes, “The Odyssey Plan isn’t meant to be done once and filed away.” Instead, Odyssey Circle encourages alumni to revisit and refine their plans as their lives evolve. Stapelberg also reflects that Odyssey Circle “gives you the discipline to keep using the tools,” helping participants move from simply learning about life design to actively practicing it.
Rethink What Alumni Career Services Can Do for You
Darden Alumni Career Services is about more than resumes, interviews and job searches. As careers become longer, more nonlinear and increasingly connected to broader questions of purpose, fulfillment and balance, ACS aims to support alumni through all stages of professional and personal growth.
Whether you are navigating a transition, exploring retirement or simply reflecting on what comes next, programs like the Darden Life Design Lab offer a space to think more intentionally about the life and career you want to build.
Interested in Learning More?
Explore our Darden Life Design webpage to learn more about the workshops, sign up for an upcoming cohort, or join our waitlist to receive advance notice when new cohorts become available. Of course, you are also welcome to direct any questions to Alumni Career Services.
