The Uplift Center
at IMEX
Featured in
Social Wellness for the Modern World
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Social Wellness for the Modern World /
Hi again —
It’s me, Eli Walker.
If you're reading this, we met at IMEX and I made you scan the QR code on my phone. (Thank you for indulging me!)
I'm Eli, a speaker, solo-performance artist, belonging expert and founder of The Uplift Center (formerly Drunk Yoga®).
Whether you're an event planner, a venue, an agency or a fellow speaker, I'm glad our paths crossed in Vegas.
My team and I specialize in creating immersive social wellness experiences that spark radical belonging at live events. I also teach people how to build belonging through my talks and workshops.
Here's how we can keep the conversation going:
To inquire about booking an experience for your event, fill out this form.
To bring me into speak on belonging at your next event, visit my speaking website.
To book a call with me directly, grab some time on my calendar.
To stay in the loop, follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn, or sign up for my newsletter.
Hope to sparking belonging with you again soon
-Eli
Spark belonging through wellness & play at your next event.
Exclusive IMEX Perks
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Exclusive IMEX Perks /
As promised, here is everything you need to start designing social wellness into your next gathering:
The 12 Belonging Hacks Cheat-Sheet: [Download the PDF]
The Full Belonging Keynote: Email belong@theuplift.center for recording.
Your $500 Experience Credit: Use promo code IMEX500 toward any corporate social wellness activation, workshop or keynote booking with us.
Bring Eli + her team in to spark belonging at your next event.
The Uplift Center is a belonging design studio for events, organizations and the people inside them.
We create social wellness experiences, trainings and engagement strategies that get your people off autopilot and into lasting connection.
Social Wellness Experiences
We work with event organizers to create world-class social wellness experiences that spark radical connection at team off-sites, corporate retreats, conferences, brand activations and more.
Workshops & Trainings
Eli’s social wellness workshops and leadership trainings break down proven techniques that make belonging [playfully] possible. Learn the P.L.A.Y. Method and turn belonging into a practice your team and leaders own.
Advisement
Curated culture diagnostics and belonging strategy for organizations, live events and social impact communities.
“I wholeheartedly recommend Eli and her team to anyone looking to elevate their event experience to new heights.”
- Jake Pereira
Experience Manager, Porsche
The Experiences Menu
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The Experiences Menu /
01:
[Social] Yoga & Movement
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The viral sensation that started it all. Our famous yoga drinking game with a beverage in hand — coffee, wine, juice, coconut water or whatever makes you feel like your cup is full.
These bespoke, beginner-friendly interactive yoga drinking games turn a solo practice into a social one with games and laughter built in, so wellness and community building become a one-stop solution.
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All the fun of Drunk Yoga® with none of the drinking. Gentle stretching and partner games loosen the body and your people at the same time. It is the easy yes for groups that want movement and connection without the wellness intimidation factor or logistics of beverages. People leave looser, warmer and noticeably more comfortable with each other.
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This uplifting yoga session is paired with story and themed music playlists to unlock a deeper sense of belonging to yourself, your body and the present moment. It is intelligently sequenced for all levels, so a room of total beginners and seasoned practitioners can move through it together and feel equally welcome. Think less “performance” and more “permission.” A grounding, restorative way to open or close a day before the bigger group moments begin.
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A playful, guided all-levels run through NYC with built-in stops for stretching, connection and optional power bursts, so every body moves at its own pace while the group stays together. Part workout, part walking conversation, part shared city adventure.
02:
[Non-cheesy] Play
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The classic game night, redesigned to build belonging. Think charades but better, plus a rotating lineup of fast, interactive, lightly competitive games that get a whole room shouting, laughing and accidentally (but like, totally on-purpose) bonding.
Teams form on the fly, the usual hierarchy goes out the window and people who would never chat at a mixer end up high-fiving over a ridiculous round. It is structured enough to never stall and loose enough to feel like recess for grown-ups. The kind of night people bring up for months.
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The cringe-free icebreaker. Playful, interactive and non-cheesy 30 to 45 minute sessions for facilitated networking at live events, designed to uplift, engage and spark radical belonging. No name tags read aloud and no forced fun that makes people reach for their phones. The perfect on-ramp before a keynote, a meal or a longer program.
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The intern and the executive spell the same impossible words, and the whole room is rooting for both. Competitive, hilarious and surprisingly humbling, this team spelling bee brings out everyone's inner overachiever and flattens the hierarchy in the most joyful way possible. Equal parts game show and bonding exercise, it is the kind of thing people are still quoting back at each other weeks later.
03:
[Chill] Connection
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Networking with soul. A facilitated gathering of storytelling, intentional small groups and structured conversation that gets you past "let's connect on LinkedIn" and into the architecture of belonging.
A host led story opens the room, breakout questions invite people in gently and a closing moment lets everyone offer one line back to the group. It is the antidote to the awkward mixer, designed so the introverts and the extroverts both leave having actually connected.
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Breath sparks belonging. Breath Connection is breathwork reimagined as a social, collective experience. An expert facilitator guides your group through pranayama that settles your system and connects you to the people breathing beside you. No experience required.
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A facilitated story “campfire-style” circle built around a bowl of prompts. People take turns drawing one and have seven minutes to share, or simply bond through listening.
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Dance Uplifted™ is where movement becomes belonging, a guided dance experience led by a wellness facilitator and epic DJ in one, designed to drop you out of your head and into the room. No wrong dance moves, no self-consciousness, just a shared beat and permission to let go.
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Guided meditation made ever-so-slightly social through light interactive moments, so stillness becomes something a group does together rather than alone in the same room.
Beginner-friendly and connection forward, it cultivates the safety and centeredness that connection requires.
Our Secret (+ Why It Works)
All of our experiences run on the same simple, science-backed belonging design principles, drawn from the P.L.A.Y. Method.
01: The arc of a story
Every experience is built like a narrative. A beginning that centers intention, a middle that broadens perspective and connection and an ending that grounds attendees in shared transformation.
02: Play dissolves hierarchy
Shared play is the great equalizer. When it’s facilitated well (which we do), play is the fastest route past titles, departments and outdated social norms that create barriers to connection.
03: Connection without the cringe factor
Our curated prompts spark meaningful conversation sans forced vulnerability (you’re welcome), like laughter-inducing icebreakers sans eye rolls.
04: Just enough introspection
A measured dose of stillness and introspection that offers a moment of personal safety before plugging into the collective.
05: The space between “me” & “we”
Through 30-90 minute experiences, we recharge the self while recharging through community and team support, so people leave restored on both counts.
Design belonging for your gatherings.
Team-building→ Turn coworkers into collaborators.
Conferences→ Networking and wellness that build belonging.
Brand activations→ Immersive pop-ups for your community.
Company retreats→ Go deeper than the usual agenda.
Hudson Valley→ Plan your next off-site in the Hudson Valley
Let’s connect.
If you're interested in working with us, complete the form with a few details about your project. We'll review your message and get back to you within 48 hours.