Developing a Career, Not Just Climbing a Ladder with Monisha Saldanha (Executive Coach)

A 60-minute workshop with Monisha Saldanha

Careers are getting less linear. AI, longer working lives, shifting industries, and changing personal priorities mean "the next promotion" is no longer a reliable map. In this hands-on workshop, executive coach and product leader Monisha Saldanha makes the case that the most rewarding careers are built intentionally around your evolving interests, values, and strengths — not just the next rung.

You'll take inventory of your career assets (the skills, work, experiences, and relationships that set you apart), work through a simple four-question framework for career development, and design a low-risk 30–90 day experiment to test a direction before committing to it. You'll leave with one concrete commitment for the next 30 days — and a different way of thinking about what a successful career actually looks like.

Monisha Saldanha

Monisha Saldanha is an executive coach, product leader, and educator who helps professionals navigate career transitions, leadership challenges, and the decisions that shape fulfilling careers. Through her coaching practice, she helps individuals clarify what they want, recognize their strengths, and turn those insights into practical next steps. She brings more than 15 years of leadership experience across technology, healthcare, government, and startups, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from Georgetown University. Monisha is also the founder and host of Colorado Tech People and teaches Technology and the Future of Work at the University of Colorado Denver. Her workshop, “Developing a Career, Not Just Climbing a Ladder,” reflects her belief that the most rewarding careers are intentionally built around our evolving interests, values, strengths, and lives—not simply the next promotion.


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monishasaldanha/ 

Website: www.coloradotechpeople.com 

Email: [email protected] 


Agenda

  • Opening — What does a "successful career" really mean?

  • The Career Ladder Is Changing — Why careers are becoming less linear, and what that means for you

  • Exercise 1: Your Career Assets — Take stock of what you bring to the table

  • Four Questions for Career Development — A simple framework for thinking beyond the next promotion

  • Exercise 2: Design a Career Experiment — Find a low-risk way to test a new direction

  • Build Career Capital, Not Just a Résumé — How to grow skills, relationships, and options over time

  • Commitment + Discussion — One next step, plus open Q&A

    Excited to see you there!



Share on:

View meetup details

Developing a Career, Not Just Climbing a Ladder with Monisha Saldanha (Executive Coach)

Presentation with Q&A

Date
Time
–
IxDF Denver, CO
Free to Join

Attendance is free.

No IxDF membership required.

Why Join?

Meet people who love design as much as you do. Together we learn new skills, grow our networks, and discover new job opportunities.

Join us to make lifelong friendships over coffee and a shared love of design! ❤️

Meetup Conversation

by Ayka Williams

  • IxDF
 Local Leader
    IxDF Local Leader distinction: Local Leader of an IxDF Local Group
    IxDF Local Leader distinction: Local Leader of an IxDF Local Group
  • IxDF 
Community Leader
    IxDF Community Leader distinction: Awarded for serving as an influential IxDF community leader
    IxDF Community Leader distinction: Awarded for serving as an influential IxDF community leader
  • IxDF Connected Professional
    IxDF Connected Professional distinction: Attended 10 or more IxDF Meetups
    IxDF Connected Professional distinction: Attended 10 or more IxDF Meetups
  • IxDF Top 10%
 Course Taker
    IxDF Top 10% Course Taker distinction: Completed an IxDF course with a score of 90%
    IxDF Top 10% Course Taker distinction: Completed an IxDF course with a score of 90%
  • More distinctions
    +6
    and 6 more IxDF Distinctions

Hi everyone! I'm happy to invite you to Developing a Career, Not Just Climbing a Ladder with Monisha Saldanha (Executive Coach), happening on Dec 3, 2026.

Anyone is welcome to sign up for this meetup. Just click the “Attend This Meetup” button to see all the details and get important updates by email. Feel free to share this meetup page with others to sign up and use this thread to ask questions or connect with everyone joining. See you there!

5

Already a member? Log in

Local Leaders of IxDF Denver

  • IxDF
 Local Leader
    IxDF Local Leader distinction: Local Leader of an IxDF Local Group
  • IxDF 
Community Leader
    IxDF Community Leader distinction: Awarded for serving as an influential IxDF community leader
  • IxDF Connected Professional
    IxDF Connected Professional distinction: Attended 10 or more IxDF Meetups
  • IxDF Top 10%
 Course Taker
    IxDF Top 10% Course Taker distinction: Completed an IxDF course with a score of 90%
  • More distinctions
    +6

Denver, United States

Ayka Williams

CEO & Co-founder at Swurl LLC

  • IxDF
 Local Leader
    IxDF Local Leader distinction: Local Leader of an IxDF Local Group
  • IxDF 
Community Leader
    IxDF Community Leader distinction: Awarded for serving as an influential IxDF community leader
  • IxDF Connected Professional
    IxDF Connected Professional distinction: Attended 10 or more IxDF Meetups
  • IxDF 
Community Explorer
    IxDF Community Explorer distinction: Attended 3 IxDF Meetups
  • More distinctions
    +3

Denver, United States

Karson

UX Designer

Questions? We've Got Answers

What is an IxDF Local Group and why should I join one?

An IxDF Local Group connects you with people in your city who are building and applying design skills in their work. Together, you'll strengthen your craft, expand your network, and put theory into practice.

IxDF Local Groups meet regularly in person at cafés, company offices, or creative spaces to share ideas, give feedback, run workshops, and learn from each other. Many groups also organize IxDF Design Dinners, where the conversation goes deeper over a meal. These aren't just social events. Members find collaborators, clients, job leads, and future teammates through them.

You'll also have access to a private online forum where you can get career advice, honest feedback, and support from people who understand the work.

You don't need to have a "designer" title to join. If you care about how design shapes products, careers, and organizations, you belong here.

Join and you'll discover new skills, explore job opportunities, and build relationships with people who understand the power of great design.

What goes on in an IxDF Local Group?

Your IxDF Local Leader organizes meetups based on what members want most. Sessions range from hands-on and structured to relaxed and informal.

Some examples of what you'll find:

  • Presentations from local designers, followed by Q&A

  • Lightning talks where members share lessons learned from real projects

  • Workshops where you work through a real design challenge together

  • Portfolio reviews where you get honest, practical feedback

  • Coffee meetups and design dinners with open conversations about where the industry is heading

Any member can propose, organize and post a meetup. You don't have to wait for your Local Leader to take the initiative.

What stays consistent is the people. You'll find designers and professionals who ask good questions, share what they know, and show up for each other between meetups too.

I'm not even a designer. Should I still join an IxDF Local Group?

Yes, absolutely!

Design skills make you more effective in any role. Product managers, developers, marketers, researchers, and founders all work better when they understand how to think like a designer.

IxDF Local Groups reflect that. Members come from all kinds of professional backgrounds, not just design. What they share is an interest in how design shapes products, decisions, and careers.

You'll fit right in regardless of your background.

Get a Place To Belong.
Meet the Right People

In a world that's getting more artificial and competitive, IxDF brings the heart back, so you never have to face the job market alone.

Learn together, get mentored, find your next job, and build friendships that grow your career.

Privacy Settings

By using this site, you accept our Cookie Policy and Terms of Use.
Customize
Accept all