I’m a 2x founder, former Invisible Children roadie turned creative technologist, mentor, and keynote speaker who’s spent the last decade exploring how tech, storytelling, and emotional wellness shape how we evolve as humans.

I co-founded one of the first digital schools for life (think Esalen meets early-2010s Vice), built an LMS before Teachable was a thing, created courses with bestselling authors and thought leaders, and developed award-winning technology and methodology around marketing chatbots. Oh and experienced virality working on KONY2012.

Everything I’ve built has been rooted in lean startup principles, intuition, and learned experience. My long-time collaborator, Mia Pokriefka, and I have been building together for 14 years — launching ideas that didn’t have a blueprint and figuring it out as we went.

I now advise the next wave of creatives, founders, and voices going from 0 to 1. My sweet spot is turning bold ideas into lean MVPs and guiding them toward repeatable revenue.

I also co-host MADWOMEN, a podcast where we talk to some of the most brilliant, unconventional minds in marketing, creativity, and business. The ones who trust their gut, take risks, and cut through the noise.

About Elissa

Past Speaking Events

NYU

UCLA

USC

Cassandra Report

AD World