Join NYWIFT for our next virtual NYWIFT Masterclass with Carolyn Smith!
A transformative three-day virtual experience designed for creatives navigating reinvention, this immersive workshop guides participants through the powerful process of releasing outdated identities and embodying a more aligned, expansive creative self. Rooted in mindfulness and resilience practices, each session weaves together breathwork, Tai Chi–inspired movement, embodiment exercises, and affirmations to ground participants in both presence and possibility.
Over three dynamic sessions, creatives—particularly women over 40—are invited to honor the identities that shaped their journey, confront the realities of an evolving industry, and consciously redefine how they show up in their work and lives. Through reflective exercises, guided discussions, and future-self activation, participants move from survival-based narratives to empowered self-authorship.
The workshop ultimately offers a space not just to adapt to change—but to lead it, cultivating a creative life that reflects who they are now and who they are becoming.
Price: $25 for Members* / $45 for Non-Members
Price includes admission for all three sessions.
*Executive, Platinum, and Leadership Circle members attend for free. Contact membership@nywift.org to upgrade your membership.
NYWIFT Virtual Masterclass Series: Navigating Reinvention
The Creative Reset: Mindfulness and Resilience for the Evolving Creative
SESSION 1:Honoring Who You’ve Been
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Time: 6:30 – 8pm ET
Participants ground into the body and reflect on past identities, exploring how industry narratives and lived experiences have shaped their creative self.
SESSION 2: Releasing & Redefining
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Time: 6:30 – 8pm ET
Through embodied practices and guided inquiry, participants shed limiting roles and begin rewriting their creative identity in alignment with who they are now.
SESSION 3: Embodying What’s Next
Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Time: 6:30 – 8pm ET
Participants step into their future self, integrating resilience tools and claiming a new creative narrative rooted in clarity, agency, and purpose.
About the Instructor
Carolyn Michelle recently starred in the award-winning Venice Film Festival feature “Familiar Touch” by Sarah Friedland. The film was most recently nominated for a Gotham, and Indie Spirit Award with its U.S. Premiere at New Directors/New Films at Lincoln Center.
Best known for her work as “Deja” on THE CHI, additional Recurring TV credits include: “And Just Like That” (HBO), “Russian Doll” (Netflix), “Brilliant Minds” (NBC), “House of Cards” (Netflix), “Colony” (PrimeVideo), and “Cherish the Day” (OWN).
A Juilliard Grad, Carolyn was 2024-2025 Visiting Lecturer for Cornell University’s Performing and Media Arts Department. She’s also served as Co-Director of Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab in Los Angeles. In Hillman Grad’s inaugural year, she designed and led curriculum for emerging creatives, and co-produced their Industry Showcase. She now owns and operates AspireHigher Coaching leading workshops for college programs and organizations, helping creatives expand both their craft and sense of purpose.
Her year-long Sacred Artist Residency at Kripalu Yoga and Meditation Center deeply shaped her teaching philosophy, integrating mindfulness, embodiment, and resilience into her work with actors.
Upcoming performances include independent features: “Lowndes County” by award-winning director Kevin Jerome Everson, and “The Next Play” directed by Koula and Katina Sossiadis. Carolyn is based in NYC.
About the NYWIFT Masterclass Series
The NYWIFT Masterclass Series offers in-depth virtual multi-class workshops that explore various aspects of the film, television, and media industry. Led by award-winning experts, the classes will teach students about the craft, content, and business strategies involved in each creative pursuit, building a solid foundation for artistic fulfillment and commercial success.
(All images courtesy of the participants)
This program will take place virtually via Zoom. All registrants will receive a Zoom link to attend the virtual program closer to the day of the event.
We encourage you to download and create a Zoom account in advance.
programs@nywift.org
Join the conversation on social media:
#nywift | @nywift
NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
