Lelia Gowland

Lelia Gowland

Author, speaker, & optimist about workplace dynamics and career fulfillment

• Named one of Gambit Weekly’s 40 Under 40, which salutes the “brightest innovators, artists, and professionals in New Orleans.”  
• Specializes in tailoring content to the audience– has addressed such diverse groups as women in roofing, Michiganders with felony convictions, Junior Leaguers, and politically engaged young professionals.
• Writes weekly for Forbes and has been published in Harper’s Bazaar, Fast Company, Family Circle in addition to many other outlets
• Profiled in Cosmopolitan and marie claire for her unique approach
• Dedicates an entire closet to costuming and freely uses the word “y’all” – necessities for any New Orleans native and enthusiast

Speech Descriptions

The Unexpected Advantage: Negotiation Strategies That Work for Women (and Everyone):

Too often women are told we’re bad at negotiation. Lelia thinks that’s garbage. Research shows that the way women are socialized often makes us uniquely equipped to be successful negotiators by using skills such as empathy, listening, collaboration.  

Rather than a cookie-cutter, one size fits all approach, participants will discover their own negotiation voices.

Participants will:

• Explore the current landscape for women in the workplace
• Develop a range of negotiation strategies that are effective for women, and help avoid gender bias
• Build confidence and negotiation skills in a way that feels authentic

Maintain Your Sanity and Avoid Burnout When the “Stuff” Hits the Fan:

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Your client wants something done yesterday, the colleague you relied on most just quit, or you spilled coffee on your favorite pants.  Maybe all of the above.

You can manage each aspect of your work and the “stuff” that will inevitably hit the fan, but how do you manage the stress that this causes in a sustainable way? Part strategy session, part group therapy, this session will help you develop strategies to bounce back quickly and avoid burnout.

Participants will:

• Define burnout in their lives, identifying personal triggers and symptoms
• Explore research on the psychology of happiness
• Self-reflect and personalize strategies to manage stress and avoid burnout

Professional Confidence through Self-Compassion:
How to Be Nicer to Yourself for Fun and Profit

Women who work get countless messages: “Be seen, but not strident,” “Lose the vocal fry,” “Don’t say ‘I’m sorry.’” It’s exhausting.

Instead of telling you how you’re getting executive presence all wrong, this session builds on the latest psychological research on self-compassion, which can help you become happier and less anxious. It turns out, being nicer to yourself can help you be more confident and successful.

The session concludes with actionable steps to improve executive presence in a nonjudgmental and entertaining format.

Participants will:

• Improve self-compassion – a key tool for professional success
• Develop strategies to bounce back more quickly after failure and to navigate challenging situations
• Learn tools for improving executive presence

Lelia’s Biography

Audiences delight in Lelia Gowland’s optimism and fresh strategies for navigating workplace dynamics and finding career fulfillment.

She works with organizations that want to create a sustainable workforce. Lelia specializes in partnering with organizations that want to support and promote female talent to increase both diversity in leadership and the bottom line. Fortune 500 companies such as GE and Expedia.com as well as professional associations from across the country hire Lelia to support their teams. 

Lelia (rhymes with “Amelia”) started her company because women she knew regularly sought her support in workplace negotiations and career decision-making.

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