Reimagine Conference 2025

About the Session:In high-pressure environments like public health, education, and social services, the grind is often glorified and exhaustion becomes the expectation. But chronic overextension isn’t just unsustainable; it’s harmful. When we define leadership by how much we can carry, we normalize burnout as a badge of honor and silence the inner voice calling for rest, reflection, and renewal. In this powerful session, mindset and performance coach Chazz Scott will challenge the deep-rooted cultural narratives that equate nonstop productivity with purpose. Through a trauma-informed and neuroscience-backed lens, Chazz will offer a new way forward, one that invites professionals and community leaders to step out of survival mode and into alignment with their own well-being. Participants will leave with: • Practical tools to interrupt burnout cycles without stepping away from their mission • Language to reframe rest and boundaries as leadership tools—not personal failures • Strategies to build capacity while protecting energy and mental clarity This session is for anyone who’s tired of performing strength and ready to redefine what thriving looks like. 

Chazz Scott is a burnout and resilience strategist, author, and upcoming TEDx speaker dedicated to helping ambitious professionals escape hustle culture and create success that feels as good as it looks. As the founder of the Rise & Reclaim Blueprint™, he guides high-achievers to reclaim their energy, clarity, and confidence, without feeling guilty for rest, so they can thrive in both life and work. Drawing on his own journey overcoming burnout, Chazz blends mindset work, emotional resilience, and practical systems to help clients sustain success without sacrificing well-being. He works with clients such as the Maryland Association of Election Officials, D.C. Hospital Association, and the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce. His work has been featured in Forbes, CBS News, Black Enterprise, and Baltimore Magazine. Beyond coaching, Chazz is the author of Success Starts Within and founder of the nonprofit Positively Caviar, Inc., equipping youth with mental resilience tools rooted in optimism.

About this session: School avoidance is a growing challenge at the intersection of mental health, education, and family systems. This session will explore how professionals across sectors can better identify the functions and drivers of school avoidance and implement strategies that support student re-engagement. Participants will learn how to apply trauma-informed, research-based practices across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supports. The session also highlights the impact of systemic barriers, the role of protective factors, and the importance of culturally responsive, family-centered approaches. Designed for those working in education, mental health, human services, and community-based roles, this session invites attendees to rethink how schools and systems can respond proactively and compassionately to school avoidance.

Alyssa Andre is a coach, consultant, and psychotherapist who helps individuals and organizations unlock their potential through transformational conversations, practical strategies, and courageous leadership. Drawing on her background in education, clinical counseling, and executive coaching, Alyssa has trained and spoken to audiences across the country on mental health, leadership, and organizational culture. She is known for her ability to create safe, engaging spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered to grow—both personally and professionally. Whether in the sacred space of therapy, at the front of a dynamic training room, or in a high school auditorium Alyssa blends warmth, insight, and action-oriented guidance to help people move from intention to impact.

About the Session: This empowering session gives participants an invaluable take on Multi-Tiered System Supports (MTSS) through a trauma-informed lens, pairing the restorative power of sensory regulation with a systemic approach that drives positive outcomes in academics and social-emotional domains through healthy coping.The training includes steps for assessing the varied needs at your school with practical steps to meet those needs and prevent further adverse experiences within the school setting. The restorative power of sensory supports not only mitigates the impact of childhood trauma, but fosters a safe learning environment for students from all backgrounds.

Jamie Matthews is an advocate at heart, armed with five years of experience teaching and counseling at-risk youth in high-risk schools, she seeks to dismantle childhood trauma through awareness and tools that are rooted in research. Encouraged by the hope of resilience, she created Overcoming Adversity, LLC to provide empowering learning opportunities and resources to schools.
As an active member of the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice, she has advocated for trauma-informed legislation at the Senate level. She has presented to the Joint-Legislative Committee of South Carolina.
Her prior speaking engagements include the South Carolina Montessori Alliance virtual conference (2020) and virtually at the ReImagine Conference (2022).
You can follow along on her podcast, The G.R.I.T. Podcast – Growing Resilience – Informed on Trauma to join the trauma-informed movement.

About the Session: In a world where change, uncertainty, and challenge are constant, how can professionals cultivate true resilience—for themselves and those they serve? This engaging, interactive workshop will empower participants to “reimagine” their approach to stress, self-talk, and leadership using practical, brain-based tools. Discover how the latest neuroscience can help you recognize and reframe limiting beliefs, respond to challenges with intention, and foster psychological safety in your teams and communities. Using 3 science-backed models, you’ll learn to identify reptilian brain triggers, disrupt negative self-talk, and create space for conscious, values-driven action. The session also highlights the critical role of extreme self-care in sustaining energy, preventing burnout, and modeling positive, centered leadership. Expect hands-on exercises, real-world scenarios, and peer dialogue—all designed to help you build resilience, support trauma-informed care, and mobilize “Hope in Action” within your organization and beyond. You’ll leave with actionable strategies and a renewed sense of collective strength.

Elene Cafasso is an Executive Advisor, a leadership development expert, a Master Certified Coach (MCC) and President of Enerpace, Inc. She creates business growth through leadership excellence.

Elene helps rapidly growing organizations elevate their leaders at all levels, producing measurable improvements in business performance. Enerpace offers solutions for individuals, teams and organizations as a whole.

She holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago Booth and is one of only ~2000 coaches worldwide to have earned the prestigious Master Certified Coach (MCC) designation from the International Coach Federation.

Before founding Enerpace in 2002, Elene had a successful corporate career, holding VP-level marketing and sales channel strategy positions in the banking and telecommunications industries.

About his Session: Come learn more in depth about the practice of self-care, including the critical steps of identifying specific self-care needs and developing realistic strategies to meet them. Although self-care and coping skills are hot topics in contemporary society and pop psychology, less attention is given towards determining what our specific needs are. Beyond this, we must recognize limitations in our ability to meet all of our needs optimally and often must strategically select which of our needs may receive attention versus which may be temporarily unmet. This session will include frank discussion of the limits of self-care, and how to best approach stress management given limited time and resources that all people are faced with. 

Dr. Robert Beedle, Ph.D., HSPP graduated from the APA Accredited Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Institute of Technology in 2022 and received his HSPP clinical psychology license in 2024. Dr. Beedle completed the rehabilitation psychology track as part of his PhD program, providing him with specialized training in serving individuals with co-morbid physical and mental health conditions, as well as those who are adjusting to disability. Dr. Beedle’s pre-doctoral training was predominantly in community mental health settings including Thrive Counseling Center and Advocate Illinois Masonic. He completed his internship at Regional Health Systems in 2021-2022, followed by accepting a staff position as a therapist. He accepted a supervising psychologist position in 2024 following receiving licensure.

Dr. Beedle’s current professional responsibilities include conducting individual and group therapy treatment, psychological assessments, and internal consulting for the agency in the form of quality improvement projects. Dr. Beedle’s areas of interest include: systems theory, treatment of serious mental illness, adjustment to disability, dialectical behavioral therapy, and healthcare systems and management.

Dementia Discussions: Navigating Cultural Differences in Dementia Care
Presented by Jenna E. Turner, BSW, QMCP
Dementia Outreach Specialist at CoAction

Transform Your Approach to Dementia Care Through Cultural Understanding
Join us for an essential presentation that moves beyond cultural awareness to actionable cultural competence in dementia care. With over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia—a number expected to nearly triple by 2050—understanding cultural differences in care is more critical than ever.

What You’ll Learn:
*Identify Cultural Influences: Understand how cultural factors shape dementia perception, diagnosis, and care across diverse communities
*Recognize Healthcare Disparities: Learn about specific barriers affecting African American, Latino, Native American, Asian American, and White American communities
*Apply Culturally Appropriate Strategies: Master assessment and communication techniques tailored to diverse populations
*Integrate Traditional Practices: Discover how to respectfully blend cultural healing practices with modern dementia care

Key Topics Covered:
*Cultural variations in dementia perception and stigma across communities
*Healthcare disparities and access challenges by cultural group
*Caregiver burden and family dynamics across cultures
*Strategies for culturally competent assessment and care planning
*Success stories from global dementia care initiatives

Perfect For:
*Healthcare professionals, social workers, caregivers, family members, and anyone working with diverse populations affected by dementia.