The Transition Decade: Coaching Young Adults in their 20s
In this Signature Author session, award-winning Harvard educator and developmental psychologist Alexis Redding draws on 25 years of research and practice with young adults, grounded in her books The End of Adolescence: The Lost Art of Delaying Adulthood and Mental Health in College: What Research Tells Us about Supporting Students.
What actually happens in the 20s? The context has changed—economic strain, constant comparison, later milestones—but the core work of this decade has not. Across generations, young adults must resolve identity questions, build meaningful relationships, take ownership of decisions, and refine their sense of purpose. This session provides coaches and business leaders with a practical, research-based framework for supporting clients in their 20s without relying on generational clichés.
Participants will learn how to: • Recognize the predictable turning points of the 20s • Distinguish normal transition stress from patterns that require intervention • Help clients move from short-term comparison to long-term purpose • Coach for sound judgment and durable decision-making • Navigate generational misunderstandings within families and organizations
Redding distills more than two decades of research and practice into a clear developmental map of the 20s. Attendees will leave with language, structure, and evidence-based strategies they can apply in their work with young professionals in transition.
