elita layà

Whether delivering keynotes or supporting long-term transformation, I help communities, organizations, and teams reconnect with why they do the work—and how to do it better, together.

Hi, I’m dr. elita layà (they/them)—a healing-centered speaker, strategist, and practitioner-activist committed to helping individuals, educators, organizers, and mission-driven professionals realign daily practices with core values and purpose.

With more than a decade of leadership experience across K–12 education, higher education, and nonprofit organizations—and advanced degrees including a Ph.D. in Urban Education Leadership, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology, and an M.A. in Cultural Studies—I offer communities customized keynotes, fireside chats, retreats, team-building activities, strategic planning sessions, professional development workshops, and long-term consulting partnerships that address burnout, mission-drift, imposter syndrome, and systemic inequity with care-centered, actionable strategies.

If you're navigating burnout, mission-drift, systemic friction, or the need for deeper realignment, I facilitate spaces that support individuals and institutions in rebuilding what matters most: care, clarity, and collective belonging.

Areas of Expertise

I bring healing-centered expertise to co-cultivate environments where care, critical reflection, accountability, and purpose are at the center of your heart-work.

• Organizational and personal realignment during burnout, transition, or growth
• Trauma-informed and somatic practices rooted in community care and professional thriving
• Relational strategies to support collaboration, trust, and emotional depth
• Custom-designed sessions that speak to your real-time needs
• Practical frameworks for moving from reflection to action

Signature Topics

1. (Re)Centering Hope in "Turbulent" Times / Navigating Change with Clarity and Courage
2. Preventing Burnout and Healing-Centered Care
3. (Re)Connecting to Your Organization’s Mission
4. Student Activism, Leadership, and Intergenerational Collaboration
5. Unpacking and Addressing Imposter Syndrome
6. Community Poem + Poetry Performance (Joy/Freedom Dreamin')
7. Bespoke Anti-Oppression Topic — previous topics include:
   • Micro-Affirmations and Everyday Belonging • Understanding Intersectionality • Adultism in Youth Work • Introduction to Anti-Oppression • Centering Equity in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) • Misgendering 101 • Trans Inclusive Practices •

I work with communities, educators, and organizers who are ready to reflect, connect, and co-create pathways toward restoring trust and (re)building practices rooted in dignity, connection, and sustainable care.