Working to Live and Loving to Work: Strategies for Work-Life Integration and a Life Well-Lived

Work is a part of life, so why not blend the two?

The idea of work-life balance has always created a false distinction between work and life… it’s all life!  Elissa redefines the concept of work-life integration to bring more joy, presence, creativity, and productivity to all aspects of life, both at work and beyond. 

This interactive session includes:

  • Strategies for transforming “Work Versus Life” conflicts into “Work for Your Life” opportunities

  • Identifying the “Compass Points” that help navigate competing demands through values clarification

  • Skills for wellness that go beyond traditional “self-care” and build resilience in the moment

Conscious Connection: Reclaiming the Heart of Networking

Trust, collaboration, innovation, and productivity are impossible without this essential human need: CONNECTION. 


Combining skill-building, networking, and team-building, Elissa guides participants through this engaging workshop that is challenging and fun! Too often, networking is seen as a way of getting things, when at its heart, networking is about building connections.  This session helps participants reclaim the core of networking as meaningful relationship-building, not transactional exchange.

  • In this workshop, participants:

    • Experience the power of connection

    • Practice Elissa’s “Initiate, Deepen, Expand” (“Plant, Root, Grow”?) method of networking

    • Learn strategies for leveraging connections to bring value to themselves and others

Confidence is a Verb: Taking Action at your Growth Edge

Confidence isn’t a trait that you have; it’s a muscle you build through action. 

So often we talk about confidence as a trait, but this talk will change your mind. Confidence is not just something we have or don’t have. In this engaging and interactive breakout session, Elissa will walk you through the ways that confidence is a verb and how you can move past your Growth Edge, whatever that means to you!  Through an engaging blend of neuroscience, practical skills, and personal examples, Elissa helps participants see Confidence Gap Moments as a part of growth and develop new skills for moving through them. 

Participants will come away from this session with:

  • A new understanding of confidence and what it takes to grow it

  • Key confidence skills for navigating Confidence Gap Moments

  • A Confidence Action Plan for putting skills into practice

Leading from the Integrated Self: Reclaiming Wholeness in Work and Leadership

The best leaders lead with their whole self; it’s time to bring more of yourself to the table. 

Elissa helps leaders reconnect to a solid sense of self/discover hidden strengths and sources of resilience. Through guided reflection and practical tools, participants will have the opportunity to develop essential skills for effective leadership.  Connect with what drives you and your unique skill sets while working to harness your inherent strength. In this session, the focus will be on integrating wellness practices into daily leadership – balance your personal and professional lives so that they are mutually reinforcing, not in competition. 

Participants will learn:

  • to show up as their whole self, energized, impassioned, and ready to lead.

  • Practical tools for managing a better balance in leadership and work

PREVIOUS SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • Elissa was a featured breakout session speaker at the 2025 Women’s Leadership Connection Conference that took place in Ashland, Oregon.

    The topic of her session? Confidence is a Verb: Taking action in Moments of Uncertainty.

  • In this podcast episode, Elissa discusses practical ways to support mental health, both for individuals and organizations. She focuses on simple, consistent habits that build resilience and reduce stigma around mental health. It’s a candid, actionable look at why mental wellness needs to be part of everyday life, not just addressed in a crisis.

  • Retirement is a major life transition that can bring unexpected emotional and psychological shifts. In this talk, Elissa explores how to prepare for the mental and emotional side of leaving the workforce. Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to support well-being and thrive in the next chapter of their life.