Member since May 2026
Elissa Denton, LCSW, is a consultant, coach, and speaker specializing in well-being and performance for high-impact professions. Elissa has provided training, professional development, and leadership coaching to hundreds of professionals across industries. Through her business, Alchemy Consulting, she helps organizations and leaders translate insight into sustainable, people-centered change. She is known for engaging, pragmatic presentations and thrives on connection and collaboration.
Speaking topics include:
- You are not a Brand: Reclaiming the heart of networking
- Confidence is a Verb: Taking action at your growth edge
- Retiring Well: Beyond the money
- Be a Communication Ninja: The art of high-impact influence
Whether it's networking, building connections, leading people, or crafting a life...
When we know better, we can't help but do better. And that moment when the light goes on, when someone understands something or someone in a new way- that moment where change starts and new possibilities emerge? I love that; I live for that!
Did I tell you about that time I walked into a vague meeting thinking I might be getting fired from a project, only to find out I was getting an AWARD!? Yeah, true story, and such a great (embarrassing!) example of how we can undervalue and underestimate ourselves.
A college professor once said to me that life makes more sense looking back than it does while you're living it, and that certainly feels true in my case. When I was in 2nd grade, my "what do you want to do when you grow up" worksheet didn't have a single profession like most kids- it had a long list of all the things I wanted to do! Since then, I've been in bush planes in the Arctic working for the National Park Service, in schools leading restorative justice programs, within fire departments training on resilience, working one-on-one with executives transforming teams, in front of audiences facilitating connection between hundreds of participants... just to name a few stops along my journey!
“Network!” is a common directive, but rarely are we given the tools, structure, and support to do it well.
Elissa Denton, LCSW brings a fresh, research-informed approach that transforms networking from an awkward obligation into a high-value, human-centered experience - one that reflects positively on your event long after it ends.
In an age of disconnection and increasing reliance on the artificial, we’ll tap into the original AI: humans’ Ancient Intelligence - the deeply wired and time-tested capacity to connect, collaborate, and co-create for the common good.
Because people don’t have brands. They have experience, insight, stories, and gifts—and your conference is the perfect place to activate them.
Through an engaging and interactive format, participants will:
Learn the neurobiology of connection and how to leverage Ancient Intelligence
Identify and overcome common networking barriers that keep people on the sidelines
Practice a new networking paradigm rooted in authenticity, creativity, and mutuality—without feeling forced or transactional
Use the practical Plant. Root. Grow. framework to establish, deepen, and expand professional relationships
Leave with connections already formed, not just intentions
In short, this session helps your conference deliver on one of its most important promises: connection that matters.
Did I tell you about that time I walked into a vague meeting thinking I might be getting fired from a project, only to find out I was getting an AWARD!? Yeah, true story, and such a great (embarrassing!) example of how we can undervalue and underestimate ourselves.
A college professor once said to me that life makes more sense looking back than it does while you're living it, and that certainly feels true in my case. When I was in 2nd grade, my "what do you want to do when you grow up" worksheet didn't have a single profession like most kids- it had a long list of all the things I wanted to do! Since then, I've been in bush planes in the Arctic working for the National Park Service, in schools leading restorative justice programs, within fire departments training on resilience, working one-on-one with executives transforming teams, in front of audiences facilitating connection between hundreds of participants... just to name a few stops along my journey!
“Network!” is a common directive, but rarely are we given the tools, structure, and support to do it well.
Elissa Denton, LCSW brings a fresh, research-informed approach that transforms networking from an awkward obligation into a high-value, human-centered experience - one that reflects positively on your event long after it ends.
In an age of disconnection and increasing reliance on the artificial, we’ll tap into the original AI: humans’ Ancient Intelligence - the deeply wired and time-tested capacity to connect, collaborate, and co-create for the common good.
Because people don’t have brands. They have experience, insight, stories, and gifts—and your conference is the perfect place to activate them.
Through an engaging and interactive format, participants will:
Learn the neurobiology of connection and how to leverage Ancient Intelligence
Identify and overcome common networking barriers that keep people on the sidelines
Practice a new networking paradigm rooted in authenticity, creativity, and mutuality—without feeling forced or transactional
Use the practical Plant. Root. Grow. framework to establish, deepen, and expand professional relationships
Leave with connections already formed, not just intentions
In short, this session helps your conference deliver on one of its most important promises: connection that matters.