dr. elita laya

Healing-Centered Motivational Speaker | Strategist for Anti-Oppression, Burnout Recovery & Belonging at Twalo

Diversity/Women Issues

Education: PhD in Education Leadership | MA in Cultural Studies | MA in Counseling Psychology
San Francisco, CA, USA
INVITE TO SPEAK

Biography

dr. elita layà (they/them) is a healing-centered motivational speaker and strategist who helps individuals and organizations reconnect with purpose, navigate burnout, disrupt imposter syndrome, and build workplace cultures where everyone can thrive.

A Black, queer, trans nonbinary, neurodivergent, and first-generation scholar-practitioner, dr. layà brings over a decade of leadership experience in K–12, higher education, and nonprofit settings. Their work supports teams in moving from disconnection and overwhelm to clarity, collaboration, and care-driven leadership.

They currently serve as Principal Consultant and Healing, Liberation, and Belonging Strategist at Twalo and, with Rhyzara, specialize in team alignment, values-based leadership development, and sustainable culture change.

Past leadership roles include Head Counselor (Dean of Students), DEI Coordinator, and Senior Director of Culture and Social Justice. They’ve also taught graduate and undergraduate-level courses in trauma-informed counseling, personal development, gender studies, and culturally responsive education.

dr. layà is known for creating space that blends warmth and strategy—inviting organizations into dialogue, reflection, and renewed direction. Whether delivering keynotes or supporting long-term transformation, they help teams reconnect with why they do the work, and how to do it better—together.

Passion

My passion lies in helping people and organizations build cultures where humanity, purpose, and collaboration are at the center of everything. I design and deliver workshops, keynotes, and learning experiences that spark deep reflection and real change—whether it’s helping a team move through burnout, reconnect with their shared mission, or create more inclusive and connected spaces for staff and students alike.

Over the years, I’ve led initiatives across college campuses, designed growth-focused retreats for nonprofit leaders, and delivered keynotes to educators, organizers, and mission-driven professionals across the country. Whether standing on a stage or sitting in a circle, I create space where people feel invited to show up more fully, think more expansively, and lead more courageously.

Topics I Speak On Include:
Purposeful Leadership & Organizational Alignment
Burnout & Emotional Numbing Recovery & Wellness
Navigating Change & Mission Drift
Supporting LGBTQ+ Staff and Students
Healing-Centered Approaches to Workplace Culture
Anti-Oppressive Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Pedagogical Practices
Dismantling Imposter Syndrome and Reclaiming Self-Worth
Unpacking Adultism, Youth Leadership & Student Activism

If you're looking for a speaker who can meet your people where they are, speak truth with compassion, and guide you forward with clarity—I’d love to be in conversation.

Best Story

The most powerful moments in my career haven’t happened on big stages—they’ve happened when someone pulls me aside after a session and says, “thank you for naming what I've been feeling”.

Over the years, I’ve taken on roles where I was asked to lead culture shifts, build systems from the ground up, or guide people through hard conversations—and I’ve done so through restorative dialogue and communal care. Much of my professional journey has been shaped by transition: stepping in when organizations were overwhelmed, misaligned, or unsure how to move forward. My work is rooted in the belief that honest storytelling can interrupt fear, rebuild trust, and reawaken purpose.

That’s why I don’t just present. I co-create. I don’t just give talks—I hold space for people to pause, reflect, and remember that it’s not too late to do things differently. And every time I witness a room breathe a little deeper together, I know we’re on the right path.

Origin Story

I come from a long lineage of community educators, cultural workers, and freedom dreamers. That lineage has shaped me. It taught me that real change doesn’t just happen through policy shifts—it happens when we dare to lead differently, love deeper, and imagine what’s possible beyond "business as usual".

That’s what fuels me today. I speak, teach, and lead because I believe we all deserve more humane, honest, and life-affirming ways of being in community together. Spaces where purpose and well-being aren’t afterthoughts—they’re central to how we educate, lead, and collaborate. And I’m here to help co-create them.

I am willing to travel

More than 100 miles

When it comes to payments

I sometimes get paid for speaking

Topics

diversity and inclusion diversity in the workplace black women and activism black students lgbtq lgbtqia gender equity sex and gender transgender nonbinary queer and trans wellness mental health youth development youth advocacy youth culture youth empowerment social change social justice social justice mental and emotional health social justice frameworks black feminism feminism intersectional feminism intersectionality student engagement college students high school students multicultural cultivating resilience diversity equity and inclusion dei jedi social emotional learning trauma informed counseling race and ethnicity systemic racism antiracism race and racism racism implicit bias white supremacy gender liberation gender abolition pedagogies of policing transgender identities african american woman african american racial equity racial trauma racial healing education teaching liberation storytelling gay sexual health sexuality womens sexual pleasure sexual empowerment

Best Story

The most powerful moments in my career haven’t happened on big stages—they’ve happened when someone pulls me aside after a session and says, “thank you for naming what I've been feeling”.

Over the years, I’ve taken on roles where I was asked to lead culture shifts, build systems from the ground up, or guide people through hard conversations—and I’ve done so through restorative dialogue and communal care. Much of my professional journey has been shaped by transition: stepping in when organizations were overwhelmed, misaligned, or unsure how to move forward. My work is rooted in the belief that honest storytelling can interrupt fear, rebuild trust, and reawaken purpose.

That’s why I don’t just present. I co-create. I don’t just give talks—I hold space for people to pause, reflect, and remember that it’s not too late to do things differently. And every time I witness a room breathe a little deeper together, I know we’re on the right path.

Origin Story

I come from a long lineage of community educators, cultural workers, and freedom dreamers. That lineage has shaped me. It taught me that real change doesn’t just happen through policy shifts—it happens when we dare to lead differently, love deeper, and imagine what’s possible beyond "business as usual".

That’s what fuels me today. I speak, teach, and lead because I believe we all deserve more humane, honest, and life-affirming ways of being in community together. Spaces where purpose and well-being aren’t afterthoughts—they’re central to how we educate, lead, and collaborate. And I’m here to help co-create them.