The workplace has fundamentally changed, and leadership practices must evolve with it. Employee expectations have shifted beyond compensation alone. For the first time in 22 years, work–life balance outranked pay as the top motivator for workers globally (Randstad, 2025). Employees increasingly expect autonomy, flexibility, respect, and supportive leadership—not simply higher wages.
Employee well-being has also become a critical workplace issue. More than 76% of U.S. workers report at least one mental health condition, and 84% attribute at least one symptom to workplace factors (U.S. Surgeon General, 2022). Today, 81% of employees actively seek employers that offer mental health support (APA, 2022). Managers also play a critical role: Gallup estimates leaders influence up to 70% of the variance in employee engagement.
Despite this evidence, many organizations still rely on leadership models that treat people as resources rather than relational human beings within complex systems.
This session introduces a Human-Centered Leadership approach that prioritizes relationships, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and well-being as strategic drivers of performance. Participants will explore a Workplace Health Continuum—from toxic to thriving cultures—and learn practical tools to assess organizational climate, identify early warning signs, and build environments that strengthen trust, engagement, and retention.
Learning Objectives:
Explore the continuum of organizational health and indicators of toxic to thriving workplaces.
Assess where their organization currently falls on the Healthy Workplace Continuum—from toxic to thriving—and identify early indicators of workplace distress or flourishing.
Identify practical, relational strategies to build Human-Centered Cultures, resulting in increased leadership effectiveness, trust, psychological safety, employee well-being, engagement, and retention.
About our speaker:
Lacy brings over 20 years of government and organizational consulting and 10 years of leadership development experience across industries, offering an insightful combination of tried and true, research-based leadership development practices and innovative approaches to transformational and healing-centered leadership. Lacy has three master's degrees, is a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator, an ICF Trained Coach, SHRM-SCP, and is currently finishing her dissertation in Leadership and Human Resource Development at LSU.
As a member of executive teams in startup businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies, Lacy brings with her lived experience of running organizations as well as coaching other executives to improve performance of leaders, teams, and organizations.
In her current role as the Executive Director of the Leadership Development Institute at LSU, Lacy leads the direction and implementation of strategies; including operations, business development, strategic partnerships, and client delivery.
ATDBR strives to align our programming with the ATD Capability Model. This workshop supports the "Impacting Organizational" Capability.
ATDBR is a pre-approved provider and is authorized to provide continuing education programs that qualify for initial eligibility and recertification of the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials. ATDBR provides high-quality programming that has been developed and delivered by subject matter experts.
As soon as you complete the registration process, you will be guaranteed a seat at this event. The completed registration process initiates an invoice from ATDBR to you that may be paid online, by mail, or on the day of the event. Be sure to register using a valid and accessible email address to receive automated event confirmations, invoices, and Zoom links for virtual events. ATDBR is not responsible for undeliverable communication due to registration errors.
Event cancellations received at least 48 hours prior to the event may be eligible to receive a refund for the event registration. Eligible cancellations will be accepted via email to treasurer@atdbatonrouge.org. All refund requests must be made by the member or credit card holder. Requests for cancellations after the stated deadline will not be eligible for transfer or refund.
Contact president@atdbatonrouge.org if you have any questions.
Pre-registration required. No walk-ins.
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming the talent development landscape, yet many HR and L&D professionals feel uncertain about how to navigate this change responsibly and effectively. This interactive webinar demystifies AI literacy and provides practical guidance for enabling AI productivity while maintaining critical safety and governance standards.
Learning objectives:
Define AI literacy and explain its strategic importance for talent development professionals in navigating digital transformation within their organizations.
Identify and evaluate practical AI applications for HR and L&D workflows using a structured framework that balances productivity gains with governance and safety considerations.
Develop an actionable plan for building AI literacy capability within their teams, incorporating best practices for responsible AI implementation and risk management.
John teaches these subjects at Michigan State University and the University of Chicago, sharing his expertise with the next generation of leaders. As a Certified AI Systems Auditor (ISO 42001 Lead Auditor), John has conducted AI audit, governance, and training projects for a diverse range of organizations, from Global 50 corporations to innovative startups.
ATD CI Preapproved Education Provider
ATDBR is a pre-approved provider and is authorized to provide continuing education programs that qualify for initial eligibility and recertification of the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials. ATDBR provides high- quality programming that has been developed and delivered by subject matter experts.
ATD Talent Development Capability Model
ATDBR aligns programming with the ATD Talent Development Capability Model. This month's programming aligns with all 3 areas of the model.
Cancellation Policy
As soon as you complete the registration process, you will be guaranteed a seat at this event. The completed registration process initiates an invoice from ATD Baton Rouge to you that may be paid online or by mail. Be sure to register using a valid and accessible email address to receive automated event confirmations, invoices, and Zoom links for virtual events. ATDBR is not responsible for undeliverable communication due to registration errors.
The moment change is announced inside an organization, the default reaction is almost predictable: “This is going to be hard.” That assumption alone begins to erode performance before implementation even starts.
70% of change initiatives fail in corporations — not because of flawed strategy, but because leadership mindset determines whether change gains momentum or collapses under resistance.
In this high-impact session, Wani Iris Manly, Esq., TEDx and keynote speaker and former Fortune 500 in-house counsel, introduces the Changing Changes Everything® C.H.A.N.G.E. Blueprint, a leadership framework designed to equip leaders to lead through change differently to increase the probability of successful transformation.
Grounded in real-world corporate experience advising executive teams during mergers, acquisitions, and large-scale disruption, this session equips L&D and HR leaders with:
A clear understanding of why change efforts stall at the leadership level
The leadership behaviors that unintentionally reinforce resistance
Practical strategies to build emotional resilience without sacrificing performance
Tools to guide teams through uncertainty with clarity and authority
Participants will leave with a defined leadership framework and actionable strategies they can immediately apply to drive sustainable and successful change inside their organizations.
Wani Iris Manly, Esq. is a TEDx and international keynote speaker on change, executive advisor, and former Fortune 500 in-house counsel based in Paris, France, with more than two decades of experience advising leadership teams through mergers, acquisitions, and complex organizational transformation.
She has held legal leadership roles within global corporations including Mastercard, Visa, and Office Depot, as well as other publicly traded companies, where she counseled executives navigating high-stakes growth, risk, and disruption.
Today, she speaks globally on change and leadership, equipping organizations with the mindset and strategic frameworks required to lead through uncertainty with resilience, clarity, and measurable impact — enabling them not just to navigate change, but to thrive through it.
She is the founder of the Paris-based speaking and consulting firm House of Inspirational Business, EURL; the founder of W. Manly, P.A., a boutique intellectual property law firm; and the founder of Where Inspiration Meets Law, LLC, an online legal platform providing legal templates, resources, and education to entrepreneurs and online businesses seeking to protect their brands and intellectual property, and the bestselling author of Get Out of Survival Mode and Live the Life You Really Want.
Her core message is simple: Changing changes everything,® and, the sky is not even the limit but the viewpoint.
Format: Virtual only
Register to join ATDBR Krewes of Practice where you will be able to connect with other learning and development professionals in a virtual setting. Krewes of Practice offer a safe space where members can upskill capabilities, solve problems of practice, and network with peers.
Krewe members can expect to experience small breakout discussions facilitated by local industry leaders and based on the ATD Talent Development Capability Model. Take the free ATD Talent Development Capability model self-assessment to know which breakout room is best for you!
During Krewes of Practice meetings, members are encouraged to share their scores/learning purpose to help grow our community and to help develop more targeted discussions, resources, and social media content. Resources curated during Krewe meetings will be made available through ATDBR.org member's portal.
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