This is your community to GROW with! paradiGM aims to provide diverse opportunities for our members to grow and develop professionally and personally. We have a number of different programs already available but are always keen to learn new things so if you have an idea or suggestion for an opportunity or program please do not hesitate to get in touch with us – message Audrey Lustgarten on LinkedIn if you are a member or send us an email if not.
At paradiGM we view growth holistically. We encourage people to be open, honest and authentic and to show up with their whole selves, rather than trying to divide neatly into the professional versus real self. To this end, we offer programming aimed at helping people to grow holistically and to form genuine connections with one another to build a community that can support them in their growth (and that they can give back to by supporting others).
You can view our upcoming GROW events on the Events tab above. Recordings of some previous GROW events are available below.
Professional Development: GROWing in 2023
(held 15 February 2023)
A roundtable discussion on both the state of professional development in the global mobility industry and their own experiences, focusing on what has worked for them in their careers, what has not, and how they are continuing to develop themselves and their teams and colleagues.
• Definitions: What is professional development anyway?
• Perspectives: How is what we do limited or enhanced by the size and nature of the company?
• Practical tips for success: What works to grow your knowledge and your network?
• Failures and pitfalls: Learning from what did not work
• We’re all in this together: Supporting your teams and colleagues
Growing a Truly Sustainable Business: Why and How You Should Elevate Human Potential at Work
(held 28 September 2021)
An interactive discussion on growing a truly sustainable business that gives back to society by elevating the human potential of its people. Learn more about measuring your growth and success holistically using Doughnut Economics (no it’s not about food!) and building a win-win framework for elevating human potential that benefits businesses and workers alike. We will also hear stories from those who have implemented innovative (and often fun) programs to elevate human potential in their work.
paradiGM Academy
Academy is a six-month program that explores the global mobility industry in innovative ways. We look not just at how our industry functions today, but also at how incorporating concepts from other fields (psychology, medicine, linguistics, etc.) can help us to grow. The Academy class is limited in size to allow for interaction and is geared towards those who are in their first few years of work in the global mobility industry. The Academy is led by paradiGM’s GROW team and runs each year from October through April (no session in December). If you are interested in participating please get in touch for further information!
paradiGM MasterMind groups
Have you ever wished you had a network of fellow leaders in the global mobility industry who you could call on for advice on your biggest professional challenges? Or that you just had a group of professionals you could discuss ideas with – should you hire that new employee? go after that potential new client? plan to transition out of your business so you can retire? If so, MasterMind is the place to be. This small group setting will give our more seasoned members a space to connect with one another to explore common challenges in an informal but moderated setting over the course of the year. No presentations, no PowerPoints, just peer to peer discussions. MasterMind groups typically form each year in late summer/early fall, but if you are interested in participating at any point please get in touch with us.
Grow Team
Audrey
Audrey Lustgarten, GROW Advocate and paradiGM Co-Founder, is a dual US/Canadian citizen who lives in the tiny lakeside town of Harbor Springs, Michigan with her husband, two kids, a pet bunny and a tortoise. Her passions include traveling, cooking (mostly vegetarian), cross country skiing (slowly), dancing (not well), drinking good scotch and finding ways to support the empowerment of vulnerable immigrants, minorities and women.
Full Bio is available on the Founders Page
Lisa
Lisa Atkins is an Associate in the San Francisco office of Tafapolsky and Smith LLP. She represents clients in both U.S. and global mobility related immigration law matters and provides strategic advice related to global immigration policies and best practices and facilitates the mobility of executives, managers, specialized knowledge and professional workers across the globe and inbound into the United States. Lisa represents multinational companies and businesses of all sizes in employment based immigration matters before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Department of State and Labor. She also trains corporate human resource departments regarding immigration laws and regulations to manage foreign national personnel, including providing I-9 compliance guidance.
Julia
Julia Macri, Chair of paradiGM Academy, received her Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from the University of Ottawa and her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the University of Toronto. She is a licensed member of the California State Bar and the Law Society of Upper Canada (Province of Ontario, Canada). Julia’s expertise is in a variety of US immigration areas including EB-1, NIW, O-1, L-1, TN and EB-5 and she has a varied practice in managing global immigration matters. She has lived and worked in the UK, Canada, and the US.
Rhea
Rhea Narula received an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from University College London and since has worked as an Associate Psychologist at a leading hospital in India before transitioning into the field of Global Mobility with Formula Group, India. As a part of her role in the People Development Team, Rhea introduces concepts of empathy, emotional intelligence, and cross-cultural integration into the relocation process at Formula Group. With a holistic approach that puts human interaction at the forefront, she works towards building global talent mobility programs that encourage a meaningful transition across locations. Recently, she adapted and applied a unique communication model to enhance Formula’s Needs Assessment Process and push it to be more sensitive towards the changing needs of their clients, specifically during a pandemic. This was submitted to The European Relocation Association (EURA) as part of her MIM+ Fellowship.
Marcel
Although his plan A for life was to be a bassist in a rockband, Marcel Reurs was happy to settle for plan B, go to law school and become an attorney. He is a partner with Everaert Advocaten, a law firm established in 1982, exclusively dedicated to immigration and nationality law, and has been practicing Dutch and EU immigration law for over 25 years. Marcel is chair of the paradiGM MasterMind program. Living in Monnickendam, a small town in Holland, with his partner, three kids and a doodle, Marcel remains passionate about music and playing in bands.
Lynn
Lynn-Samantha Severe [Lynn] was born and raised in Haiti. She currently works as a Senior Attorney at Erickson Immigration Group where she focuses on non-US corporate immigration, including advising businesses on visa/work permit options and providing right-to-work & immigration compliance guidance. Amongst other things, Lynn enjoys spending time with her family, curling up with a good book, and learning about other cultures. Lynn is excited to be a part of paradiGM because of the genuine way it seeks to promote inclusivity, collaboration, and creativity within its community. She is excited to participate in supporting the growth of future generations of professionals in the global mobility industry.
Rene
René Stegmann (MBA; Strategic Marketing, GMS, MIM and Sustainable Development: The Post-Capitalist Order) started Relocation Africa in Johannesburg in 1993 along with her mother and she has a passion in dealing with International Assignees on the continent of Africa. She has developed and delivered many programs and services ranging from standard destination services through to immigration services, cultural training, expense management, international payroll and temporary accommodation on the continent of Africa. The businesses are diverse and quality driven to ensure the long-term sustainability of the business. When René is not at work, she is hard at play, mountain biking and hiking, trail running, scuba diving, swimming, surfing, Stand Up Paddle boarding, golfing, water-skiing and Alpine skiing. In the time she does sit down she loves reading, red wine, photography, travel and good food. René is married with two children, and is also owner of MyResidence.Africa.
Jennifer
Jennifer Stevens is Managing Partner at Laura Devine Attorneys in New York. She is a UK qualified solicitor with extensive experience advising on a range of UK immigration applications including representatives of an overseas business, Skilled Worker and Intra Company, sponsorship licences and compliance, Global Talent and Investor. Jennifer also advises on family-based applications as well as British nationality, naturalisation and registration. Jennifer advises individuals and small businesses, as well as multinational corporate clients across a range of industry sectors, including media, entertainment and finance.
