It's been over a year since I taught one of my boutique cohort courses. While these programs were going very well, I was exhausted and desperately needed a break. I had no choice but to give myself time to reflect and renew. Honestly, this was bad for my business.
It was a huge risk to stop selling the thing that was, by far, the most significant source of my income—income that my family relies on to take care of our basic needs. This decision went against every single piece of business or founder's best practice guidance.
At a time when "the best thing" to do was to focus on scale and growth, every instinct within me was telling me the opposite. There is just no school of thought on how to do this right, so in this case, I had to listen to my spirit and body. It was right for me, our family, and our bigger picture.
I didn't sit still, but I did go inward. I was still running my business but reimagining this aspect of it.
Between 2019 and 2023, I sold all my cohort courses through Second Wave Dive, but I am more than just "design leader stuff," and I missed working with other people, too.
I spent all last summer collecting all the programming, instruction, coursework, operations, and marketing I had tailored for a personalized, premium-priced program. I converted it into an on-demand, affordable, largely hands-off product.Going against "best practice" advice once again, I decided to create a completely new brand instead of attempting to expand and develop the existing brand I was recognized for. This decision led to the creation of Chief Design Officer School.
CDO School was quietly launched on November 24th, 2023. Since then, over 150 design leaders have signed up, and many have told me that a self-paced, choose-your-own-adventure-style option to learn the leadership stuff was exactly what they were looking for. That's good for them, good for me, and good for business.
It's been over a year, though, and I'm ready to start leading cohorts again. This time, I have my sights set on the most overused, understood, and desired skills out there–Strategy.
There has been a great deal said and published on strategy. For a concept defined in a mind-boggling number of ways and for the countless frameworks out there, you should have a better idea of what strategy is and how to do it. But let's get real. ‘Strategy’ is a word wholly stripped of its meaning. It's become all fluff.
Today, I'm happy to announce my new program, The Strategy Studio. This course eliminates the fluff. The first cohort runs from August 8 - September 13.
Inside, you'll get something different: a clear, plain view of strategy and how it's practiced. You'll be able to see what matters and grow your career in that direction.
Oct 2024 Update: Strategy Studio materials are now a part of CDO School.
