Witnessing. Really seeing each other - changes everything. It’s one of the ways to stay afloat.
AS SEEN ON
You May Know Me As The Woman Who Wrote Over 10,000 Thank-you Notes
HERE’S WHAT I HAVEN’T SAID OUT LOUD:
I wasn’t trying to change the world. I was trying to stay upright.
When the ground shifted beneath me, thank-you notes were my way back. And what I found - one note at a time - was that paying attention is a radical act.
That’s what I bring to the stage.
More On My Philosophy
WHEN I STARTED SINKING, I NEEDED A LIFE PRESERVER.
The thank-you notes became that—one card at a time, pulling me back to what mattered. They shifted my attention. They restored meaning. They reminded me, again and again, that I could notice what was good, steady, and human in the world.
That first thank-you note wasn’t for someone else; it was really for me.
What began as survival became a practice.
What began as private became a whole new way of seeing.
And eventually, it became a way of living.
More than 10,000 notes later, I’m still at it. Not because I’m exceptionally generous, but because witnessing what matters kept me buoyant. They were lifelines I was grasping to keep my head above water.
For years, I worked as a coach, helping people navigate with more purpose and joy. That work taught me how to sit with emotion, hold complexity, and stay present. It was essential training, but something shifted in me. I discovered a new calling. It was time to show people how to witness their own lives and to figure out what matters. What lights up your heart?
Hi, I’m Ellen
I’M A SPEAKER AND WITNESS.
I show audiences how one simple ritual—noting and naming what’s good—can turn despair into buoyancy and reactivity into heart-led presence. I invited them to notice what sparks, what crackles in them - and how even a small shift can turn heaviness into buoyancy and reactivity into heart-led presence.
I bring warmth, humanity, and depth to keynotes and workshops. I don’t motivate through urgency—I invite people home to themselves through presence.
I’m a certified HeartMath trainer and Connection Practice facilitator, but I don’t teach those systems anymore. Instead, those teachings live quietly inside my work—shaping how I see, write, and respond to the world.
My story about thank-you notes caught the attention of the Today Show, Good Morning America, the Kelly Clarkson Show, NBC, USPS, and more. But they only told part of the story.
Speaking Info
WHAT MAKES THIS WORK SO POWERFUL?
Aging Buoyantly addresses what most organizations struggle to name: the quiet epidemic of disconnection and loneliness. When people feel invisible at work, performance suffers. When they feel essential, everything shifts.
I work with organizations and groups who want to:
-Give people a live experience of connection - not just a conversation about it
-Build cultures where people feel essential, not invisible
-Send attendees home with a real antidote to disconnection - simple enough to start today
What happens when people leave?
They don’t feel taught. They feel seen. They don’t think “that was inspiring.” They think, “I can do this.” They experience what it feels like when hearts align in a room.
Then they do it—because the practice is simple enough to start immediately and profound enough to change how they see themselves, their colleagues, and their community. They feel the shift that happens when we stop bracing for what’s wrong and start celebrating what’s right in front of us.
In the end, this isn’t about teaching gratitude. I offer something rarer: recognition. The kind that meets one of our most fundamental human needs—the need to matter.
And they leave believing, “I can do this.”
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“A wise friend once told me that by the time you ask a question, you already know the answer. I didn’t really understand what that meant until Ellen taught me practical tools to unlock my intuition and trust that the wisdom I needed was within my own grasp. I have used what she taught me again and again. I am deeply grateful to Ellen for changing my life! ”
BARB C, WASHINGTON, DC
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Ellen’s compassion and great skill helped me transform my thinking to vastly improve the most important relationships in my life. Working with Ellen made me stronger, more resilient and ready to navigate life’s challenges and transitions. Ellen is a wise guardian angel you want in your life!
BETH S., AUTHOR, FLORIDA
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When a relationship is off kilter, it hurts. That’s what I was facing when I asked Ellen to help me with a friendship of many years that sucked my energy. In our sessions I feel safe, heard, and never ever have to pretend that my problems (and joys) aren’t big enough to matter. What a concept! I’m a believer!
REV. MARTHA D. NEW YORK
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As a fellow coach, I can say that Ellen’s Age Buoyantly reflects her own desire for sanity in a confusing world, internal and external peace, and a quest to help clients find steady joy in their lives.
WENDY P, NEW YORK
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During one of life’s crossroads, Ellen helped me identify a relationship blind spot that led to much-needed change. As a fellow coach, I value her head knowledge but even more so her heart intelligence. Her work, as bold as it is gentle, might best be described as personal empowerment fueled by self-knowledge and love.
SHEILA S, ARIZONA
