Speaker series AND WORKSHOPS

THE DOING CIRCLE presents engaging speakers focusing on topics relevant to women in midlife. Speakers lead casual, discussion-based gatherings on weekday evenings. Each evening begins with a short presentation by a representative from one of our non-profit partners and time is reserved for building connection and community along with a service project. Below please find our fall speakers.

DECLUTTER YOUR HOUSE, DECLUTTER YOUR MIND

Tuesday, January 28th in Newtonville. Register here: https://thedoingcircle.org/event-5987717 

Kristi Perry will share strategies for preparing for significant life transitions, whether you're downsizing, moving yourself or aging parents, or simply decluttering and refreshing your living spaces. If you're feeling overwhelmed by storage areas filled with outgrown kids' clothing, toys, and family memories, or by the process of deciding what to do with excess furniture, dated antiques, and family heirlooms, Kristi will offer simple strategies on how to start, sort, save, sell, or rehome unwanted items. Additionally, she will provide expert tips on managing these important yet often daunting decisions and projects, from clearing crammed closets and piles of papers to refreshing your home furnishings and décor. Kristi's guidance will help you approach these tasks with confidence and clarity.

As the owner of Art of the Space since 2020, a former 30-year public relations and crisis management professional and mother of three grown children who has moved and downsized herself and many others several times in the last two decades, Kristi has seen firsthand how comforting it is to have guidance in triaging and tackling these major milestones. She looks forward to sharing how to tap into local resources and create a strategic action plan that will help you feel calm and in control.

A CONVERSATION ABOUT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: CURRENT RESEARCH AND LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS

Wednesday, March 5th in Newton Center. Register here: https://thedoingcircle.org/event-5994409 

Please join us for a presentation and discussion with Meg Smith, CEO of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.  Meg will provide highlights of current research supported by the Fund and speak about new diagnostics and therapeutics targeting Alzheimer’s pathology.  She will also discuss lifestyle factors scientifically proven to reduce risk and share potential interventions to help those around you.

Meg Smith was appointed Chief Executive Officer of CureAlz in October 2023. Meg joined the non-profit in 2015, successfully building and managing the research program resulting in important progress and new discoveries. Meg started her career with McKinsey & Company after clerking for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and serving as a Fellow at the Berkman (now Berkman Klein) Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. Meg holds a juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor of science degree from Duke University.

LIVING IN ALIGNMENT: TAPPING YOUR CORE VALUES 

Monday, March 31st in Newton. Register here: https://thedoingcircle.org/event-6104150

What truly matters to you? Are you spending your time and energy in ways that align with your core values—or are you feeling stuck, drained, or off track?

We make countless decisions every day—big and small—that shape our lives. But how often do we stop to ask, Are these choices truly aligned with what matters most to me?

In this interactive session, coach Sarah Birkeland will guide you through fun, thought-provoking exercises designed to uncover your core values. When we find ourselves overwhelmed or dissatisfied, it’s often because we’re spending time on things that don’t align with those values. But when we identify and embrace them, we can intentionally say “yes” to what lights us up—and “no” to what doesn’t. This session will get you thinking, writing, moving, and talking about what you most care about. You’ll leave with a concrete first step toward greater alignment in your personal and professional life.

Dr. Sarah Birkeland is a Newton-based life and leadership coach, who has spent her career asking powerful questions that help people grow.  With degrees from Stanford, the University of Colorado, and Harvard, she has been a teacher, researcher, and consultant, and now helps individuals and organizations find clarity and purpose. As the mother of two increasingly independent teenage daughters, Sarah is actively designing her next chapter—saying “yes” to opportunities that reflect her values (like this session!) and “no” to those that don’t. She looks forward to helping you do the same.