iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 20/07/2026

This will be the 7th cohort, and I’ve seen over and over that a practice of writing and noticing in community—bolstered by liberatory philosophies of abolition, feminism, and utopian thinking—is immensely powerful for training that imagination, and then showing the way forward, step by step by step.

This experience acted on me in subtle and surprising ways. Beyond providing practical tools and ways of thinking about my relationship to work and personal transformation, the work/shop created a container to practice self expression among curious, fellow travelers. I highly recommend this experience for anyone who has a hunch that they have more to give themselves and this world. —Andrew

My fellows seemed to bring their kindest, brightest, most thoughtful selves to the work/ shop. What I took away: a renewed sense of possibility for myself—in connection with others. As if a spark of something had been generated by and passed between the people who stepped out of the habitual to share, reflect, and grow from a wise deep place in themselves. This was by mandy's design, and it was a gift to be there. —Havi Hoffman

What a refreshing balm of a work/shop this was! Rather than rehashing the same old advice about networking and career exploration, mandy took us a step back and encouraged us to generate material from our own imaginations. It was a welcome reminder that job exploration doesn't have to feel like marching through a to-do list. Rather, it can be an invitation to be playful and exploratory and to imagine your way into something new. —Jenae Cohn

To say that this work/shop changed the way I approach life is not an exaggeration. mandy fosters a space and curates insights and tools to facilitate perspective-altering and mind-expanding work. I've turned to what I learned in this work/shop to grapple with big life questions, totally unrelated to work. If you're feeling called to this work/shop, I can't recommend it enough. (Ask my friends! I've already told so many people.) —Kaela

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mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 13/04/2026

The folks who joined previous cohorts of the work/shop have been so brilliant and generous and sharp—both in their analysis of what ails our work, and in their reaching for what will heal it. It remains an enormous privilege to lead a gathering like this, and I cannot wait to do it again.

"Mandy's sf work/shop broke open new ways to think about what I was experiencing in the world, and gave me a framework for examining it. Through the simple practice of writing and reading closely, Mandy guided us through a journey into what we were deeply longing for and the ways we might move toward it. If you are wondering about how your work life works, this work/shop will help you answer your own questions now and into the future."
ROSE
POLITICAL STRATEGIST

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mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 17/11/2025

This will be the fourth cohort of the work/shop, which has evolved with the practice, care, and attention of everyone who has joined so far. I am so, so grateful for their contributions and hope to honor them by paying it forward.

The sf work/shop is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to develop a new perspective on work in the company of a like-minded cohort of deep thinkers. The experience surprised me, delighted me, moved me, and certainly surpassed the high expectations I had for it.
Mandy taught us frameworks, tactics, and a reliable process for continuous learning. Our cohort plans to keep writing and reading together. —CLAIRE

The sf work/shop was transformative! It's beautifully organized and curated. It hits the sweet spot of asking participants to stretch in exactly the ways that are most generative for thinking and imagining. Mandy also has a wonderful knack for asking exactly the questions that reach into places/spaces one hasn't thought of before. I learned a lot! —BARBARA L

The speculative fiction work/shop was a fantastic, mind-expanding, and world-building experience. I'm still processing much of what we discussed—many weeks later— and feel deep down just a bit more hopeful about our collective future. —ANDY, HECK YEAH FAN CLUB

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mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 06/11/2025

Among the many privileges of the work that I do these days is being able to walk alongside people as they make big, terrifying transitions in their work and lives.

I felt unmoored, professionally, when I started working with Mandy. I wasn't sure that I could keep following the path I was on and I was even less sure of any alternates. Through patient, thoughtful discussion and careful listening, Mandy gently nudged me toward a new path that I'm wildly excited about and totally terrified of. But I also feel fully prepared to take it, with the grounding and tools I need to keep moving forward. I'm certain I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for Mandy's insights and guidance, both philosophical and tactical. I'm forever grateful that I was able to work through this with her. And I'm sure I'll be calling on her again.
SARA
WRITER, STRATEGIST, ART CONSULTANT

I'm so glad I decided to work with Mandy. With her, I went from vaguely feeling that I needed some change in my career, to confidently making big and exciting decisions at a critical turning point in my life. I don't know if I could have done it without her kind, actionable, and always effective advice. I'm nothing short of inspired by her listening skills and her ability to reframe questions to make the answer retrospectively obvious.
DAMIEN DESFONTAINES

$With her breadth of professional experiences, wisdom, and clarity, Mandy helped me recognize both that my personal values and goals had irreconcilably diverged from those naturalized by my industry-and that I was capable of translating my own deep experience and connections into new opportunities that center my strengths, joys, and ethical commitments. With Mandy by my side, I developed the strength to shed the golden handcuffs—and to create something new that models the conviviality and kindness that are threatened by, yet all the more essential in, our fracturing world. SHANNON PUBLIC SCHOLAR AND TEACHER$

I reached out to Mandy while recovering from a career transition and exploring options for my next act. Each session, Mandy and I created a cocoon. She walked with me as I reflected, played, planned, and turned toward the future.
Our conversations helped me remember what I know, and then, when I was ready, begin to rebuild. It took all of my attention to make this pivot, and I'm so glad Mandy was part of my support team. If you want to shape a container where you can practice trusting your own voice and designing what's next, Mandy is a skilled space-holder and a partner you can trust.
KM
AUTHOR AND ARTIST

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mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 25/07/2025

i, on the other hand, am not now and never will be a professional

screenshot of a commit message from github, with my head and the message "made an error trying to make an error lol"

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mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 24/04/2025

The work/shop will gather a small group of people eager to imagine what comes next, and all too aware that the usual tricks—the planning and projections, the goals and milestones and objectives—aren’t the right tools for this part of the work.

Mandy's work/shop was a playful container for exploring what work is and what it can be. It also framed fiction writing as a tool for mindfulness and self reflection which I was not expecting but found really useful. —Megan Zwiebel

Bringing the lens of speculation to the world of work opens up possibilities that you likely could not imagine while in the daily grind.
Mandy will help guide you and your co-conspirators in subverting the way you think about possibility and you will surprise yourself and each other throughout the project. It offers opportunity for your investment of vulnerability, and the experience is so worth your time. —Sasha Z

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mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 05/12/2024

I've got capacity to take on new clients in January and am especially eager to support folks practicing feminist, anti-patriarchal modes of leadership, or navigating challenges related to the wave of anti-trans and anti-abortion laws. (1/3)

Getting laid off sucked on a lot of levels— practical, emotional, existential. Mandy helped me navigate each of those levels with humor, warmth, and insight. She is the definition of no-bullshit. Everything she says is intentional, informed, and deep. She asks a lot of questions and listens close to your answers. That close reading grants her access to your needs-for both your capital-C Career and your day-to-day life. And she will remind you of those needs right as you're unknowingly losing touch with them. If you're navigating a layoff, or any other daunting career decision, Mandy will see you through it. You'll come out stronger, more honest, and more fulfilled on the other end. —Claire, Product Designer

Mandy coached me during a difficult period in my professional career. Working with her has changed the way I relate to my work and the role it plays in my life. I was very impressed with how quickly she was able to get to the core of what I wanted and needed to address, and I came away from every one of our conversations with a new idea or realization that helped me change and evolve. She gave me a new lens to look at not only my work, but my life. She's incredibly kind and very honest, and she put great care into our relationship. I am so grateful. —Megan Pearson, Engineering Manager

Mandy is a true reader at heart. She was able to read me-especially between the lines-and help me address my underlying needs from our very first session. If I ever felt overwhelmed or stuck, Mandy was patient with me and held space for us to tend to these uncomfortable feelings in a constructive way. She also has an uncanny ability to ask questions that will make you pause, change the way you view a problem, and empower your sense of what's possible. —Monica Lee

The more sessions I had with Mandy the richer that space became. It was like a little intimate lab where I could work on myself in relation to work and others. Her ability to listen deeply allowed me to open. If you are planning, or you find yourself, on an adventure, Mandy is a true gem of a side kick. The space she provides is the best investment you can make. —Patricio González Vivo, Creative Engineer

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mandy brown @aworkinglibrary.com · 23/09/2024

I have a small number of open positions for new clients this fall. I'm biased, but my clients are a bunch of badass motherfuckers making big changes in their lives and work—and in the world around them. If you need a hand as you practice your own future, let's talk: everythingchanges.us/contact/

I reached out to Mandy after lurking on her blog for a couple of years. I had built a successful consulting practice, but I knew I wasn’t doing my life’s work, bringing my whole self—my passion, potential, and deep dedication to community to bear. Mandy held space for me at the convergence of all of this, powwowing with me on the sacred ground of my intentions, gifts, grief, and rage. Through her insightful questions, she helped me discover a through line I could tread through the disparate realms of my work to launch a social enterprise I had dreamed about for years. Mandy helped me move earth in my life. Our work feels deeply organic. Investing in myself through working with her is one of my proudest decisions. —Swati Singh, Social Entrepreneur

With Mandy, I found renewed hope in the point of what I was doing at work. To believe that this narrative was still being written—and that it was up to me to do so—was scary! Mandy met my fear with acceptance. Each of our interactions gave me the quiet reassurance that whatever I decided for my career would be enough. Mandy helped me unearth the tools I already had to sustain myself and others, so that I can keep writing the story that I want to read. —Stephanie Minn

Despite my trappings of success—Ivy League degrees, professional accolades, awards, and leadership roles—I have always felt either a sense of imposter syndrome or a feeling that I still needed to be different to reach my potential. After working with Mandy, I feel for the first time at home in who I am, proud of my less conventional talents and no longer ashamed of the ways I may be a different type of leader. Mandy helped me to be a more inclusive leader of my own self, first and foremost, in ways that will hopefully reverberate and help transform the people and organizations that I lead. —Rachel, Family Medicine Physician, Educator & Leader

I came to Mandy after a bleak personal and professional patch left me questioning what I was doing. I have great gratitude for that instinct—working together has been so valuable. I’ve been able to dive into my process, my tendencies, my appetites while Mandy asked incredibly insightful questions and prompted some pretty essential rearrangement of the mental furniture. Our time together has returned a more solid stature to my wobbly creative process and a new energy to old routines. Feeling a little fleet-footed, even. Mandy is an active listener and skilled guide. I can’t recommend her work highly enough. —Elizabeth, Designer, Mom, Wanderer

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