Breakout Session Speaker

High-potential professionals often find themselves tending to tasks rather than cultivating true growth. This workshop reimagines your professional journey through the lens of master gardening – not just maintaining what exists, but purposefully cultivating what could be. Research shows that 94% of employees stay longer at companies where they can apply their unique talents, yet only 33% report finding meaningful alignment between personal purpose and daily work (McKinsey & Company). This session bridges that gap. Using the HEART Model™ as our framework, participants discover how Honor, Empathy, Authenticity, Resilience, and Transformation create fertile ground for entrepreneurial thinking. Unlike traditional professional development, this approach integrates personal purpose with business performance creating what the Japanese call "ikigai," where passion and profession intersect. Through hands-on activities and reflective discussions, participants transition from merely occupying roles to becoming master gardeners of their professional landscape – individuals who take ownership of growth, nurture potential in themselves and others, and cultivate innovations that create lasting value.

Mildred Black is a management and organizational development consultant specializing in people and culture transformations and data-driven leadership development. As founder of People Optimum Consulting, she partners with Fortune 100 companies like Amazon and Mercedes-Benz to implement innovative solutions through the Organizational Performance Optimization System™. With over two decades of senior HR leadership experience, Mildred has significantly impacted thousands of leaders through coaching and facilitated learning experiences. Her work has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal and featured on ABC and Fox News. Mildred holds an Executive MBA from Georgia State University, a BS in Finance from The University of Alabama, completed business strategy studies at Harvard Extension School, and is a certified Senior Human Resources Professional driven by a mission to foster human greatness.