Leila’s experiences as a young female professional in a corporate setting has inspired her to create the Social Impact Initiative, Lift & Be Uplifted: Increasing Women’s Influence in the Professional World. The Lift & Be Uplifted mission is to help equip women with the mindset and skills they need to not just earn a seat at the decision-making table, but to prepare them beyond; where a woman’s perspective will become part of executive culture, in addition to changing cultural habits that prevent women from succeeding. Leila believes it is now left to her generation and the next to utilize leadership muscles and confidence in their abilities to transform corporate and political culture by challenging bias and stereotypes that impact women in the workplace.
Visibility on women in positions of influence is key. We need to see others making it, understand the reality of their stories, and hear about the hard days to help us normalize our struggle and build resilience to power through. The Lift & Be Uplifted Inspiring Women Blog not only reveals these stories, but also provides a form of virtual mentorship to hundreds of readers in times of social distancing. Lift & Be Uplifted has recently expanded beyond EqualiTEA workshops to reach younger audiences by developing Women in Management Career Education, which inspires all 6 Girls, Inc. chapter participants in the state to dream bigger and put their leadership skills into practice. Read more about Leila's EqualiTEA workshops below!
Visibility on women in positions of influence is key. We need to see others making it, understand the reality of their stories, and hear about the hard days to help us normalize our struggle and build resilience to power through. The Lift & Be Uplifted Inspiring Women Blog not only reveals these stories, but also provides a form of virtual mentorship to hundreds of readers in times of social distancing. Lift & Be Uplifted has recently expanded beyond EqualiTEA workshops to reach younger audiences by developing Women in Management Career Education, which inspires all 6 Girls, Inc. chapter participants in the state to dream bigger and put their leadership skills into practice. Read more about Leila's EqualiTEA workshops below!
Follow @liftandbeuplifted on Instagram to keep up & be inspired!
EqualiTEA Workshops
EqualiTEA is a vibrant Lift & Be Uplifted initiative that will have real impact on the lives of women and communities far into the future. Inspired by the Persian tradition of engaging in powerful dialogue over a cup of hot tea, EqualiTEA workshops are intended to advance the professional status of women through education and advocacy. Participants, in person or virtually, grab their favorite teacup and spill the TEA about the need to embrace our feminTEA in our quest for equaliTEA. EqualiTEA workshops have reached 3,050+ young women and our impact surveys reveal that 91% of participants felt empowered to lead, 100% considered the program valuable, 98% learned relevant skills, and 92% believed they could overcome barriers to advance in their careers.
Leila's EqualiTEA workshops are dedicated to empowering women to think, work, and live with more purpose by bringing women together to:
For more information on scheduling an empowering EqualiTEA workshop for your company, organization, school, or club, please fill out the Contact Me form HERE! Snippets from an EqualiTEA partnership with Girl Up - Orlando Chapter below!
Leila's EqualiTEA workshops are dedicated to empowering women to think, work, and live with more purpose by bringing women together to:
- Inspire young women and girls to expand their view of what they are capable of
- Take ownership of what makes them truly remarkable
- Recognize that the qualities that they naturally possess make them effective and valuable leaders
- Enhance visibility on our individual contributions to capitalize on opportunities for growth and advancement
- Encourage women to run toward challenges, instead of remaining in their comfort zone
- Contribute our voices to conversations that impact our communities
- Gain a deeper sense of meaning through our work by uplifting those around us
- Embrace our authentic selves as the leaders the world needs
For more information on scheduling an empowering EqualiTEA workshop for your company, organization, school, or club, please fill out the Contact Me form HERE! Snippets from an EqualiTEA partnership with Girl Up - Orlando Chapter below!
EqualiTEA Participant Testimonials:
“Leila could not have been more inspiring. She was somehow able to transfer her confidence to all of us around her, with a relatable and relaxed comradery that we all instantly connected with. The EqualiTEA workshop content definitely helped me develop my approach to presenting my ideas in a very professional and purposeful way.” - Sarah J.
“The workshop was thought-provoking and helped the room think more intentionally about the interactions and conversations we engage in with upper management. I thought her presentation was well-planned with key takeaways for everyone to work on afterwards, which I appreciated! I’d highly recommend an EqualiTEA presentation for any female-dominant group and will look for an opportunity to work with Leila in the future!” - Amanda A.
“Leila facilitated an opening address for an Inaugural event for Girl Up Orlando with many attendees preparing to enter STEM fields and other male-dominated careers. She put together a brilliant, engaging talk that she created especially for the disconnected era of Zoom webinars and added a more personal element to the webinar by sharing many of her vulnerable experiences. We had overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, who each left with practical tools for success.” - Reya S.
“The workshop was thought-provoking and helped the room think more intentionally about the interactions and conversations we engage in with upper management. I thought her presentation was well-planned with key takeaways for everyone to work on afterwards, which I appreciated! I’d highly recommend an EqualiTEA presentation for any female-dominant group and will look for an opportunity to work with Leila in the future!” - Amanda A.
“Leila facilitated an opening address for an Inaugural event for Girl Up Orlando with many attendees preparing to enter STEM fields and other male-dominated careers. She put together a brilliant, engaging talk that she created especially for the disconnected era of Zoom webinars and added a more personal element to the webinar by sharing many of her vulnerable experiences. We had overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, who each left with practical tools for success.” - Reya S.
Annual Lift & Be Uplifted Scholarship Award
Leila is proud to have established the annual Lift & Be Uplifted Scholarship Award in 2019 at her alma mater, Ponte Vedra High School. The Miss Ponte Vedra High School (Miss PVHS) Pageant is meaningful to Leila, as she was crowned Miss Ponte Vedra High School 2013. The opportunity to represent her school at a young age was a pivotal to a deeper commitment to serving her community and making a meaningful impact.
Lift & Be Uplifted is presented to the Miss PVHS Pageant contestants, with personalized Lift & Be Uplifted journals for candidates. The scholarship is awarded to the candidate submitting the journal entry that embodies the the values of courage and resilience, and upholds the Lift & Be Uplifted mission to challenge bias that holds women back and to stand up for ourselves and others. The first annual Lift & Be Uplifted Scholarship Award was presented at the Miss PVHS 2020 Pageant.
Read about the young trailblazer who earned this recognition in SPOTLIGHT #6 on Leila's Inspiring Women Blog - click on the button below!
Lift & Be Uplifted is presented to the Miss PVHS Pageant contestants, with personalized Lift & Be Uplifted journals for candidates. The scholarship is awarded to the candidate submitting the journal entry that embodies the the values of courage and resilience, and upholds the Lift & Be Uplifted mission to challenge bias that holds women back and to stand up for ourselves and others. The first annual Lift & Be Uplifted Scholarship Award was presented at the Miss PVHS 2020 Pageant.
Read about the young trailblazer who earned this recognition in SPOTLIGHT #6 on Leila's Inspiring Women Blog - click on the button below!
Leila conducting an EqualiTEA workshop with over 60 women at a Women Supporting Women Florida event in February 2021.
Leila conducting a Women in Management Career education workshop with elementary school girls at Girls Inc. of Pinellas.
Leila speaking on authenticity in leadership and uplifting others, as the Keynote Speaker for the Garnet & Gold Key Leadership Honorary at Florida State University in February 2021.
Check out a few of Leila's recommended TED Talks below!
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Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection | Reshma Saujani
We're raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program — two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population, she says. "I need each of you to tell every young woman you know to be comfortable with imperfection." |
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Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders | Sheryl Sandberg
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg addresses why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite. |
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We Should All Be Feminists | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often-masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists. |
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