Toronto Met ENTREPRENEUR INSTITUTE

Academy of Entrepreneurial Career and Life Design

About Us

We are a collaborative network of life design educators, practitioners, and scholars (“Life Designers”) who share best practices, data, and methods to advance the art and science of building an entrepreneurial mindset, empowering more sustainable career decisions, and professionalizing the life design field. 

We organize regular international networking and sharing events, host a community information-sharing platform, and disseminate best practices.

The Community of Practice is addressing professionals from universities and industry who practice a secular, humanistic, and holistic approach to entrepreneurial mindset, career development, and life design that includes tools, methods, and theories from design thinking, entrepreneurship education, positive psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy, goal-setting, mindfulness, self-leadership, growth mindset, career placement, and vocational counselling. 

We strive to tackle the big questions and challenges associated with living in the future of work, preparing individuals for sustainable transformation, finding flow, achieving a meaningful career, discovering your Ikigai, and building your internal resources to overcome adversity and flourish in an uncertain, chaotic and wickedly complex world.

We share best practices in the research and practical application of life design such as:

  • Life Design Teaching Resources: Access course outlines, presentation slides, videos, interactive tools, quizzes, learning objectives, in-class activities, canvases, assignments, and student feedback for teaching life design programs. 
  • Impact Measurement Tools for Life Design Programs: Discover validated scales to assess the impact of life design programs on entrepreneurial mindset, happiness, and well-being, including self-efficacy, self-esteem, internal locus of control, empathy, resilience, curiosity, proactivity, anti-fragility, perceived behavioural control, agency, and self-leadership.
  • Educator Video Case Studies: Explore video talks where educators share practical insights, classroom experiences, and lessons learned from implementing life design interventions.
  • Academic Opportunities and Events: Stay informed about conferences, calls for papers, grant deadlines, funding opportunities, and publication platforms in the field of life design and entrepreneurship education.
  • Collaborative Research and Method Sharing: Join a network of researchers sharing data, methodologies, and best practices for advancing life design and entrepreneurial studies.
  • Transformative Tools and Methods: Access practical strategies and content to inspire change and transformation for diverse audiences in life design and entrepreneurial contexts.
  • Entrepreneurial Mindset and Mental Health: Learn how to better manage anxiety and depression by cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset, which includes authentic self-esteem, self-efficacy, optimism, hope, internal locus of control, resilience, curiosity, proactivity, self-leadership and growth mindset.


The Academy of Entrepreneurial Career and Life Design (ECLD) leverages resources from its founding partners, TMEI and SCE, to provide the above-mentioned services free of charge. 


Over 50 educators, practitioners, and scholars from across the world have joined the Academy. If you would like to Join the Academy of Life Designers, please send an email to [email protected]


Current Activities Include:

TALKS

Participate in regular zoom talks and webinar sessions held every 4–6 weeks, featuring expert-led presentations, seminars, lectures, and workshops on diverse topics within the Life Design context. These events provide actionable insights, innovative approaches, and opportunities to engage with a global community of educators and researchers.

RESEARCH

Access a curated collection of publications, including journal articles, books, white papers, and case studies focused on Life Design, entrepreneurship education, and related fields. Stay up to date on the latest research, methodologies, and success stories that are shaping the future of Life Design programs,

 

CONFERENCES

 Discover upcoming conferences and hands-on workshops dedicated to Life Design and entrepreneurship education. These events offer opportunities to learn from industry leaders, network with peers, and collaborate on innovative projects. Explore calls for participation, keynote sessions, and interactive learning experiences to deepen your knowledge and expand your professional impact.

Talks

In our regular zoom calls (every 4-6 weeks) we host presentations and discussions about relevant topics in the Life Design context. With this activity, we want to

  • Provide an opportunity for knowledge
  • Foster future collaboration of community members
  • Further develop the research topic of Entrepreneurial Career and Life Design
  • Demonstrate the power of entrepreneurship education as a critical success skill

To receive the calendar invites to the upcoming calls or if you would be open to give a talk to our community, please contact: [email protected]

TALKS IN 2024

  • 2024-12-02 Max Senges “Run your life” (Unternimm dein Leben)
  • 2024-11-18 Long Qu & Stephan Pfob “Use Eastern + Western Thinking to resolve your toughest leadership challenges and Dilemmas” 
  • 2024-11-06 Dr. Charles Krusekopf  “Using a ‘Design Your Life’ Curriculum with Mid-Career Canadian MBA Students” 
  • 2024-07-16 Sara Ilić “A Teaching Award for Lerning for Life: Integrating Life Looping into Business Education” 
  • 2024-06-18 Prof. Catarina Lelis “Impact Plan in Life Design” 
  • 2024-04-23 Prof. Lora Louise Broady “Life Design for Entrepreneurs” 
  • 2024-03-11 Dr. Ingo Rauth “Finding Direction In Life – How to Build Your Life Compass” 
  • 2024-02-19  Dr. Neeraj Sonalka  “Human capital formation” 
  • 2024-01  Prof. Ralph Buchner “Inner Development Goals“ https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org

TALKS IN 2023

  •  2023-12-12 Anna Katharina Meyer ”Sustainable Life Design for Change Gestalters” 
  • 2023-11-20 Dr. Gisa Todt “Resilience”
  • 2023-11-13 Radek Oros “To Design or not Design?” 
  • 2023-08-28 Michael Kurz “Yippie Life Design” 
  • 2023-05.22 Prof. Dr. Steven Gedeon “Building an Entrepreneurial Mindset“ 
  • 2024-04-24 Dr. Barbara Wolf “Introduction to Life Looping” 
  • 2023-03-06 Prof. Dr. Stefan Schulte-Holthaus “Leidenschaft und Performanz im Unternehmertum von Kreativschaffenden” 
  • 2023-01 Alexander Tittel “IKIGAI”
 

TALKS IN 2022

  • 2022-09-14 and 10-19 Georg Dieter Herbst “PSI and Zurich Resource Model”
  • 2022-07-26  Dr. Steven Gedeon “Entrepreneurial Career and Life Design” (this is available at  https://youtu.be/igYo0QaMnlo)

Research

We actively foster research within our community on Entrepreneurial Career & Life Design. Several research groups have already been formed to explore specific subtopics. If you are interested in joining an existing group, please reach out to the respective research group lead. For proposing new research topics, feel free to contact [email protected].

 

Conferences

EURAM

Join the vibrant Career and Life Design track at the European Academy of Management (EURAM) conference, part of the SIG03 Entrepreneurship track, where researchers come together to explore cutting-edge insights into career development, life design, and work-life integration. We invite you to submit your latest research and share innovative perspectives with an engaged international community. This track offers a platform to exchange ideas, foster collaborations, and shape the future of career and life management research. Be part of the conversation—submit your work and contribute to this growing field!

More information https://conferences.euram.academy/2025conference/

 

Team

Prof. Dr. Bettina Maisch

Munich University of Applied Sciences and Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship

Contact: [email protected]

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

Prof. Dr. Bettina Maisch is an academic and researcher with a strong background in human-centered design, entrepreneurship education, health entrepreneurship, and innovation management. She holds the position of Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Munich University of Applied Sciences within the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Mechatronics. Additionally, she serves as the head of Digital Education at the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE). In these roles, she integrates her extensive expertise in entrepreneurship education and innovation management, focusing on the emerging fields of entrepreneurial life design and well-being.

In her research she focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship and health, specifically examining how entrepreneurial life design can enhance the well-being of entrepreneurs in an increasingly complex and fast-paced business environment. Prof. Maisch is dedicated to developing frameworks that empower individuals to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship while prioritizing their mental and emotional health. Her work enriches academic discourse and has practical implications for creating support systems for entrepreneurs.

Dr. Barbara Wolf

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich & Panormawolf

Contact: [email protected] 

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

Dr. Barbara Wolf is a researcher at the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich and the founder of “Panoramawolf.” With over 10 years of experience as a strategy and communications consultant in the international corporate and startup sectors, she specializes in crafting communication strategies that drive innovation and transformation processes. Her work is centered on empowering leaders with the tools, skills, and mindset necessary to navigate and shape a sustainable, future-ready world. 

Dr. Wolf’s research focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship education, life design, and the development of future skills, particularly in fostering impact-driven entrepreneurial mindsets. As a scholar and practitioner, she bridges the gap between academic insights and real-world application, providing a unique perspective on creating systemic change.

Holding a degree in business administration, Dr. Wolf earned her PhD in communication science and media research from LMU Munich. Throughout her academic journey, she built an international network, engaging with leading institutions such as Tec de Monterrey, RMIT Melbourne, Harvard, and Stanford University.

Prof. Dr. Steven Gedeon

Chair, TorontoMet Entrepreneur Institute, Entrepreneurship & Strategy Dept, Toronto Metropolitan University

Contact: [email protected]

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

University website: https://www.torontomu.ca/tedrogersschool/business-management/majors/entrepreneurship/faculty/steven-gedeon/ 

Prof. Dr. Steven Gedeon is an entrepreneurship educator, angel investor and technology commercialization expert who has founded or led 15+ private, public, venture capital and non-profit organizations including the DMZ – named the World’s #1 University-Based Incubator. He has delivered over 200 public speaking engagements and videos on life design, motivation, self-leadership, happiness and best practices in entrepreneurship education. He has published over 100 articles, reports, patents and books including: “A Practical Guide to Angel Investing”, “Entrepreneurial Career and Life Design” and “Building an Entrepreneurial Mindset”.

Steve teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University (Canada), University of Bologna (Italy), University of Applied Science Munich (Germany), University of Applied Science Ostfalia (Germany) and in the EntreTime Teach-The-Teacher program for university entrepreneurship professors. He teaches one of the largest entrepreneurship courses in the world with over 2,000 TMU university students per year.