Unstuck: From Chasing to Choosing
We help professionals and organizations break the patterns keeping them stuck using neuroscience, design thinking, and clinical expertise. We are a group of professionals who provide workshops, seminars, and training to help teams and leaders break entrenched patterns, adapt to change, and build sustainable ways of working.
Break limiting patterns. Navigate transitions. Thrive through change.
Book a Curiosity Call
Services for Organizations
Helping teams and leaders break entrenched patterns, adapt to change, and build sustainable ways of working.
Mission-driven organizations face constant disruption and workforce transitions, burnout, evolving roles, pressure to adapt. Traditional training teaches skills but misses the underlying patterns driving behavior.
Design to Grow addresses what training misses: the limiting beliefs, stress responses, and unconscious patterns keeping teams stuck despite access to resources. Using neuroscience, design thinking, and clinical expertise, we help organizations create sustained behavior change—not just insight.
Organizational Workshops
Interactive team workshops that address the psychological barriers traditional training misses.
Popular topics:
  • UNSTUCK: Breaking Neural Patterns
  • Building Adaptability in Uncertain Times
  • Navigating Transitions with Design Thinking
  • Defining Problems & "How Might We?" Questions
  • Prototyping: Test Before You Build
  • Ideation: Generating Breakthrough Ideas
Who we serve: Nonprofits, workforce agencies, government, higher education
UNSTUCK: Breaking Neural Patterns
Participants leave with:
  • One identified limiting belief (and why it persists)
  • Reframed empowering belief (co-created with peers)
  • Body-based regulation tools
  • 30-day rewiring plan + accountability partner
Services for Individuals
An intensive experience designed to create clarity, regulation, and follow-through
90-Minute Breakthrough Session
Leave with:
  • Clear identification of the pattern sabotaging progress
  • Relief from looping, self-blame, or paralysis
  • A concrete, testable path forward (not vague goals)
  • Design thinking mindset to increase confidence in decision-making
  • Tools and strategies to stay regulated and act differently under stress
  • Momentum that actually sticks
  • Leave with a concrete 30-day action plan
  • 14-day and 30-day follow-up support

This is for you if:
  • You've been stuck for months (or years) despite having skills and resources
  • You know what to do but can't seem to make yourself do it
  • You're navigating a major transition (career, leadership, retirement)
  • You want concrete tools, not just insight
This isn't for you if:
  • You need ongoing therapy for mental health concerns
  • You're looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do
  • You're not ready to take action within 30 days

Includes session + 14-day and 30-day follow-up
What Clients Say
"My session with Lena was exceptional—I was able to release key internal blocks and gain the clarity and wisdom to move forward with a focused 30-day action plan."
"Her neuroscience-based approach delivered profound insight and meaningful transformation. I highly recommend Lena!"
— Tiffany Jeffers
Executive & Celebrity Coach

"Lena brings a nice demeanor and a thoughtfulness to the conversation that really helps keep people open—not defensive, and not backed into a corner. It was helpful for me, because I'm very difficult to coach... having the somatic components was helpful for me. I'm not a big fan of talk therapy for the sake of talk therapy, because my brain moves too fast."
After 8 months of unemployment following federal early separation, Rabiah worked with Lena and received multiple job offers within 30 days.
— Rabiah M.
Organizational Psychologist

"I have been feeling stuck in my career journey for 9 years… During my consultation, Lena taught me how to do breathing work and physical postures to strengthen my affirmations. At the time of my session, I had been laid off. Within 30 days I was hired at a new position and I registered for certification training that is increasing my workplace value and expertise. I have continued the tools that address my anxiety and fear and am moving forward with confidence and excitement about what's next."
"I left feeling rejuvenated and empowered to face my career journey with joy and excitement. I highly recommend services with Lena for those wanting sustaining change and breakthrough!"
— Seun Blose
Client Health Specialist
Results-Focused
Clients consistently report concrete breakthroughs within the first session, with lasting impact that extends far beyond our work together.
Evidence-Based
Every tool and framework is grounded in neuroscience research, design thinking methodology, and clinical best practices.
Deeply Personal
While the approach is structured, the application is completely customized to your unique situation, challenges, and goals.
About Lena Jackson, MS, NCC, LGPC
I'm an adjunct faculty member at a distinguished university, neuroplasticity researcher, and licensed counselor who helps professionals and organizations navigate transitions using an integrated approach that combines brain science, design thinking, and clinical expertise.
My work exists at the intersection of multiple disciplines because I believe that's where the most powerful transformation happens. Traditional coaching often lacks the depth to address unconscious patterns. Therapy can get stuck exploring the past without building the future. Design thinking provides innovation tools but sometimes misses the psychological complexity of human behavior.
Education
  • MS, Clinical Counseling — Johns Hopkins University
  • Design Thinking for Innovation — Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
  • Stanford Life Design Certified
Certifications
  • Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC)
  • Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC), Maryland
  • ICF-Trained Coach
Professional Experience
  • Adjunct Faculty, Johns Hopkins University
  • Neuroplasticity Researcher
  • Clinical Counselor
  • Design Thinking Subject Matter Expert
Before founding Design to Grow, I worked with hundreds of clients navigating career transitions, leadership challenges, and personal transformation. I've seen firsthand how traditional approaches often fall short—not because they're wrong, but because they're incomplete.
The integration of neuroplasticity, design thinking, and clinical counseling creates something more powerful than any single discipline alone. It's this integration that allows clients to create breakthroughs in a single session and sustain that change over time.
Why This Approach Works
Most coaching focuses on what you should do differently. But knowing what to do doesn't create change—if it did, you'd have already done it.
Lasting transformation requires understanding why you're stuck and how to rewire the patterns keeping you there.
Neuroplasticity: Your brain creates efficient patterns—neural pathways that automate behavior. This works great for walking or driving, but becomes problematic when you've automated limiting patterns like self-doubt or avoidance. Neuroplasticity is your brain's ability to create new pathways through deliberate practice.
Design Thinking: Instead of planning the perfect solution, you prototype small experiments and iterate based on what you learn. This reduces the risk and fear that keeps people stuck—you're not committing to massive change, just testing possibilities.
Clinical Counseling: Clinical training provides tools for working with unconscious beliefs and patterns that drive behavior. Many limiting patterns have roots in early experiences that require clinical expertise to address effectively.
The integration is the innovation. Neuroscience explains the mechanism. Design thinking provides the methodology. Clinical counseling addresses the deeper patterns. Together, they create sustainable transformation—not just insight or motivation, but actual rewiring.
Ready to get unstuck?
Interested in exploring a workshop, leadership program, or custom engagement?
Schedule a consultation to discuss your organization’s needs and potential next steps.needs.
Contact Information
Design to Grow
Coaching & Consulting
Based in Maryland
Serving clients nationally via video sessions
The Neural Space Model is a proprietary framework created by Lena Jackson and owned by Design to Grow, LLC.
It may not be copied, taught, reproduced, or adapted in whole or in part without formal written authorization.
What to Expect
During our initial conversation, there's no pressure or sales pitch. I'm genuinely interested in understanding your situation and determining if this work is right for you.
If it's not a fit, I'll tell you. If it is, we'll discuss next steps. Either way, you'll leave with clarity about your path forward.

Not sure which service is right for you? That's completely normal. The curiosity call is designed to help you get clear on what type of support would be most valuable for your specific situation. Book a call and we'll figure it out together.