Be More Human

THAT’S THE INVITATION.

WHERE STORY MEETS STRATEGY.
WHERE EMPATHY BECOMES POWER.

In a world racing toward optimization and constant output, Leilani Garrett offers something rarer: a pause. A perspective. A return to what actually makes us effective—our humanity.

Leilani spent more than two decades in corporate sales and leadership, navigating high-stakes environments, leading teams, and closing multi-million-dollar deals. But behind every win, she saw what most companies were missing: connection. In rooms focused on performance metrics, she paid attention to what moved people, what shut them down, and what made them feel seen.

She knows the systems because she’s worked in them. But she didn’t stay there.

Instead, she rewrote the script.

Armed with a journalism degree, master’s level courses in fiction and a lifelong belief in the transformative power of language, Leilani began telling stories, first through fiction, then on stages and in rooms where change needed to happen. Her novel, After the Burn, is a portrait of ambition, friendship, identity, and the quiet rebellions women stage every day in spaces not built for them. It’s fiction, yes, but like all of Leilani’s work, it’s grounded in truth.

Today, Leilani speaks, teaches, and writes at the intersection of story, empathy, and leadership. Whether she’s guiding professionals in a keynote or crafting narratives that help organizations reconnect with their people, her work offers more than insight, it creates transformation. She believes in the boldness of empathy to shift culture. In the power of personal narrative to bridge divides. In creativity as an act of leadership.

But this work isn’t about her.

It’s about you. Your team. Your story.

IF YOU’RE HERE, YOU PROBABLY SENSE IT TOO:

that leadership isn’t just about KPIs and culture decks.

That your people matter—but you're not always sure how to translate that value into action. You want to connect better, lead more honestly, and build something that actually feels meaningful.

That’s where Leilani comes in.

Not with a script, but with the right questions. And the space to ask them.

Because the most powerful shifts don’t come from strategy alone. They come from truth. From listening deeply. From daring to be seen.

This is what Leilani helps people do. And it changes everything.

WHAT SHE BELIEVES

  • Whether we’re navigating a difficult team dynamic or launching a new initiative, personal narrative grounds us in truth, perspective, and connection.

  • It’s a strategic one. Leilani believes empathy can be taught, scaled, and measured—when it's centered as a cultural value, not a checkbox.

  • Unapologetic creativity isn’t indulgent—it’s essential. It’s how innovation is born, and how identity finds its voice.

  • Leilani champions leadership that includes, reflects, and celebrates the full spectrum of human experience. True belonging isn’t accidental—it’s built.

The Power of Fiction

After the Burn isn’t just a novel. It’s an extension of Leilani’s body of work—a fictional lens into real-world questions about voice, power, and what it means to belong in spaces not built for you.

The book follows three women navigating ambition, relationships, and identity in a corporate world that often asks them to shrink. It’s a mirror, a provocation, and a story that invites reflection. Book clubs, teams, and women’s groups have used After the Burn as a springboard for conversation around leadership, equity, and self-trust.

If you're looking for a speaker, storyteller, or facilitator who goes beyond surface-level solutions, you're in the right place. Leilani partners with teams, leaders, and organizations ready to trade performance for presence, and buzzwords for real, lasting change.

Explore how you can work together to spark connection, grow empathy, and lead with more heart.

Ready to Work Differently?

Ready to Work Differently?