How Emerson College is Equipping the Next Generation of Creatives for Sustainable Success
A strategic partnership giving students access to Onward's wellness-first productivity platform and an exclusive community of like-minded freelancers, entrepreneurs, and professionals.
The Challenge: Combating Burnout Before It Starts
Creative schools like Emerson College are breeding grounds for ambition and talent. Students juggle coursework, internships, passion projects, and networking—all while trying to break into competitive industries like film, media, and entertainment.
But this drive often comes at a cost. Toxic productivity and hustle culture have become normalized, with students sacrificing sleep, wellness, and mental health in pursuit of their dreams. The statistics are alarming:
64.3%
of freelancers have experienced burnout from a lack of work-life balance
70%
feel they don't have adequate mental health support
For Emerson students preparing to enter the freelance workforce, the question became: How can we help them build sustainable success habits before they graduate?
The Solution: Platform + Community + Education
A comprehensive partnership: free platform access, community membership, and custom educational workshops
Onward co-founders Conor Biddle and Jordan Cipolla—both 2018 Emerson graduates who experienced burnout firsthand in Hollywood production jobs and in building their own agency—returned to their alma mater with a mission: to help students see wellness and work as inseparable.
What Emerson Students Received:
Through this partnership, Emerson students gained complimentary access to everything they need to build sustainable careers as freelancers and creatives.
Free Platform Access
Complete productivity suite with time tracking, project management, wellness routines, and team capacity—with morning routines, mindfulness breaks, and reflection journals built in.
Community Membership
Private network of freelancers and entrepreneurs sharing strategies, accountability, and support. Monthly workshops, peer mentorship, and a judgment-free space to navigate the ups and downs of independent work and chasing your dreams.
Educational Workshops
On-campus session led by Onward co-founders, teaching frameworks for building careers without burnout. Tailored to creative professionals entering the freelance workforce.
The Emerson Workshop: Structure for Sustainable Success
In these on-campus educational sessions, students were introduced to the “Structure for Sustainable Success” framework—a research-backed approach to building careers without sacrificing wellbeing.
The Framework in Action:
- 1Dream Big: Students identified their career goals and aspirations for 2035, creating a clear vision for their future.
- 2Identify Hurdles: They mapped out tangible challenges they might face along the way to their goals.
- 3Build the Foundation: They established daily wellness habits—morning routines, mindfulness, journaling—to sustain them through the journey.
By combining practical tools (the platform), ongoing support (the community), and foundational education (the workshops), the partnership demonstrated that prioritizing wellness isn't a luxury—it's a competitive advantage backed by data and real-world success stories.
“We think that work and wellbeing are inseparable. To forget your wellbeing is leaving a huge part of all of us behind when we go into the workplace.”
The Science Behind the Strategy:
- •A 2016 RAND study found that lack of sleep costs the U.S. economy up to $411 billion annually.
- •Research by DeskTime shows that the most productive employees take more frequent breaks than lower performers.
Why Organizations Partner with Onward
Onward is the only work management platform purpose-built for professionals that combines productivity and financial tools with wellness features and community support. Your students, members, or team get everything they need to build sustainable careers—not just software, but a support system. From goal tracking to peer accountability, we're reimagining what business tools should look like in 2025 and beyond.
The Impact: Building Healthy Habits Early
“The 'Structure for Sustainable Success' framework gave students a tangible way to approach their goals without sacrificing their wellbeing. The two alumni really broke down the steps in a way that was a lot more digestible than typical mantras. Everyone I know at Emerson is working towards some crazy goal, and they need support along the way to keep themselves healthy and sane.”
Sophie Rasmussen
Junior, Communications Studies Major, Emerson College
Students gained lifetime access to professional-grade productivity & wellness tools and a supportive community they'll lean on long after graduation
Equipped with frameworks and habits to build sustainable careers before entering the workforce, not after experiencing burnout so they can focus on their dreams instead of just surviving them
Give your students or members something tangible—not another wellness webinar, but actual tools and community they can use daily to build healthier careers
Want to Bring This to Your Organization?
Whether you're a university, bootcamp, accelerator, or professional community—we'd love to explore how Onward's platform and/or community can support your students or members in building sustainable, fulfilling careers. Let's talk about a custom partnership.