Frequently Asked Questions

Eli Walker leaders belonging-themed workshops for both personal and professional development, as well as virtual workshops, that are perfect for company off-sites, corporate retreats, conferences and beyond. Her practical, humorous, data-backed approached breaks down a variety of social wellness strategies, helping participants feel inspired and capable. Workshops include: Belonging Bootcamp: Building Social Wellness Through P.L.A.Y., The Art of Live Experience Design, Boundaries, Rituals & Routines: The Hidden Architecture of Belonging, Language as Action: Leveraging Kindness as a Currency, Play Is the Point: Rethinking Play as Your Team’s Superpower, The Commitment Code: Decision-Making & Belonging, Conflict for Connection: The New Rules of Resolution, Regulate to Relate: Nervous System Reset for Social Wellness, Get Over Yourself: Creative Thinking for Belonging & Innovation. Book a call to learn more.

Social wellness is both a state of being and a practice of building and maintaining meaningful, dynamic relationships that offer a sense of belonging and a desire to engage with community.

For most of human history, social wellness happened by default, as it was built into the fabric of society. For example, most people lived near extended family, worked in small groups and regularly gathered in communal spaces. Until recently, belonging wasn't something we had to consider. But now, due to modern technology, geographic mobility, and the rise of "toxic individualism," loneliness is at epidemic levels. And, paradoxically, while we're more "connected" than ever through screens and social media, we’re ridden with isolation. This is a problem, because loneliness is as detrimental to our wellbeing as smoking or obesity. Real connection (the kind that comes from authentic presence, shared vulnerability, and intentional community-building) is now a practice we must deliberately facilitate through intentional skill-building.

Think of our uplift experiences like a social wellness agency—you tell us about the event you’re planning (i.e. where it’s taking place, how many people will attend, event goals, etc.), and we’ll send you our best yoga teacher or social wellness facilitator who aligns with your vision, as well as design any icebreakers, stories, music and games that’ll help you bring it to life. For in person workshops with Eli, she’s local to New York and the tri-state area. For non-local engagements, she’s happy to travel to your event for an extra fee.

Great question! We’re an events-based school and consultancy, so we don’t have a physical studio or location. That said, on occasion, we’re about to recommend “preferred venues” in for clients in NYC and the Hudson Valley (Eli’s home base!) for our Drunk Yoga® experiences and in person workshops. Otherwise, we’ll come to you;)

Eli works with a small number of clients for 1:1 social wellness strategy sessions to help them build belonging and enhance community engagement for live events and culture growth.

Eli Walker is a sought-after speaker, performance artist and belonging consultant specializing in helping leaders and facilitators enhance audience engagement and retention through live experiences by leveraging the art of play.

Equipped with a BFA in Theater from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and as the founder and author of the internationally acclaimed wellness brand Drunk Yoga® (now The Uplift Center), Eli pioneered the wellness entertainment movement to bridge the gap between #selfcare and #communitycare through her social yoga events. Since then, she has used immersive storytelling and mindfulness practices to support tens of thousands of individuals and hundreds of institutions across the globe--including NYU & Columbia University, as well as Barclay's, Ebay, Intel, Google, Pinterest and Mastercard--in building meaningful belonging for themselves and their teams in our modern, remote world by leveraging the art of play in live experience design.

Eli has always loved helping people from different backgrounds get on the same page. Bonus points if she can achieve this while inspiring them to live joyfully, empower them with new perspectives, and make them laugh at the same time. When you work with Eli, you can expect to play, move, laugh, and walk away feeling empowered with tools to create a more connected world. Bring Eli to your stage.

Quick fun facts about Eli you didn’t ask for: She’s a Libra, loves Gilmore Girls, has been meaning to take up rock climbing and moved Upstate, NY (Beacon, specifically) a day before lockdown started in 2020.