Meet The Human Development Collective: A New Path to Personal Growth

What do you do when the universe keeps dropping the same person in your path like a cosmic hint you’re too busy to notice? Well… eventually you take the hint and go into business together!

Life in a small northern Michigan town makes this sort of thing feel almost inevitable. You bump into the same people everywhere: at the beloved hole-in-the-wall restaurants, the live music spot where someone’s always tuning a guitar, during school events where you’re trying not to cry at the fifth-grade choir, at a friend’s bonfire, or simply crossing the street with a coffee in hand. After enough of these run-ins, something comfortable sets in. You learn each other’s kids’ names. You trade knowing looks about town gossip. You collaborate on a project or two. You even end up on the same dance floor - because of course you do.

That’s exactly how the founding members of the Human Development Collective (HDC) found each other: not in a boardroom, but in the everyday swirl of community life.

Eventually, kismet got tired of being subtle. While working on the third iteration of a women’s empowerment brunch, a handful of coffee dates and long, wandering conversations made something abundantly clear: when our strengths combined, something bigger wanted to happen. Shared purpose came bubbling to the surface: more learning, more connection, more meaning, more heart. And just like that, the Human Development Collective was born.

We started HDC with one simple belief: people deserve spaces where they can understand themselves more deeply, grow more boldly, and connect more genuinely, without being rushed, judged, or squeezed into a shape that doesn’t fit.

We built this thing because so many people are walking around with untapped potential, unspoken dreams, and big questions tucked quietly inside… and doing it mostly alone. We’re here to change that.

We walk alongside. We listen. We facilitate. We challenge (kindly). We create experiences that help people uncover what’s already there, waiting. Our work blends experiential learning, meaningful conversation, emotional intelligence, and community connection. It’s personal development with both heart and backbone.

Our mission is beautifully simple:

Awaken human potential. Strengthen communities. Build a kinder world.

And honestly? We’re thrilled you’re here at the start of it all. The plane is absolutely being built mid-air, but the view is incredible - and there’s already room for you onboard.

Join us on February 21, 2026 at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, MI, for our revived Women’s Empowerment Summit: a full-day, in-person experience designed to educate, connect, and inspire women from across northern Michigan. Tickets are limited, but they’re live now. And if you use promo code StockingStuffer15 through December 24, you’ll get $15 off your ticket.

Founding members of the Human Development Collective (Rachel, far left, Nicole to her right, and Jill, far right) engage in a panel discussion at the Women's Empowerment Brunch in downtown Grayling a the AuSable Artisan Village's Performing Arts Center.

Written by: Jillian Tremonti, HDC Co-Founder, Marketing & Community Engagement Director