WELL 30 — Designing Your Life
Quarter: Fall
Instructor(s): John Armstrong
Date(s): Oct 7—Nov 18
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:30 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class on October 28
Tuition: $380
Refund Deadline: Oct 9
Unit(s): 0
Enrollment Limit: 45
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Fall
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 6 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Oct 7—Nov 18
Unit(s): 0
Tuition: $380
Refund Deadline: Oct 9
Instructor(s): John Armstrong
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 45
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Please Note: No class on October 28
When designers face a challenge, they stay curious, creative, and open to experimentation. What if you approached periods of transition, uncertainty, or feeling stuck the same way? Drawing on the acclaimed Stanford class and best-selling book Designing Your Life, this course applies design thinking to major life decisions, turning ideas such as reframing problems, testing small experiments, and exploring multiple paths forward into practical tools that students can use immediately. Participants examine the narratives that have shaped their experiences and develop three distinct five-year visions, each built around different priorities, to expand possibilities and imagine new directions. Along the way, they learn decision-making frameworks, identify what energizes and drains them, and rethink the relationship between work and the rest of life. Interactive and discussion-based, the course combines short lectures, reflection, and small-group dialogue to leave students with renewed momentum and an effective framework for designing what comes next.
JOHN ARMSTRONG
Founder and Principal, Leadership Labs
John Armstrong is the founder of Leadership Labs, a consultancy delivering programs in workplace learning, leadership, and collaboration. Previously, he taught in Stanford’s Design Program, including Stanford's “Designing Your Life” class and other courses using applied positive psychology and career strategy to catalyze personal and professional growth. He is featured as a meditation instructor on the Calm app, a mental health app for sleep and meditation, and has led learning and development programs across five continents. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.