Staging environment

Define Who You Are Beyond Being Needed

Hosted by Stuart Chittenden

Tue, Oct 6, 2026

5:00 PM UTC (30 minutes)

Virtual (Zoom)

Free to join

Invite your network

What you'll learn

Analyze How Being Needed Shapes Your Identity

Examine how usefulness, responsibility, and being relied upon have become part of how you understand yourself.

Evaluate What Leadership Gives and Crowds Out

Assess what your role gives you in meaning and worth, and which other parts of yourself may have lost space.

Reframe How You Want to Contribute Next

Identify ways to remain useful and purposeful without asking your current leadership role to define all of you.

Why this topic matters

Leadership can make being useful, relied upon, and needed central to identity. That can bring purpose, but it can also narrow who you are and make change feel threatening. Examining "neededness" helps leaders separate role from self, recover crowded-out parts of identity, and consider how they want to contribute next without abandoning the value of service.

You'll learn from

Stuart Chittenden

Existential coach, Certified Humanist Professional, and radio show host

Stuart Chittenden is an existential coach and Certified Humanist Professional who helps thoughtful leaders and experienced professionals navigate transition, identity, purpose, and what could come next. A former London lawyer, brand strategist, and strategy and creativity consultant, Stuart brings curiosity, careful listening, and a knack for teasing out imagination. His work combines philosophical reflection with practical discernment, guiding people in thinking more honestly about what matters and how they want to live and lead. He also hosts Lives, a public radio show and podcast about the experiences and questions that shape a human life.

See all products from Stuart

Sign up to join this lesson

By continuing, you agree to Maven's Terms and Privacy Policy.