Erica Austin is a Founder of UPLIFT Yoga Foundation at UPLIFT Yoga Foundation. She possess expertise in social networking, public relations, facebook, leadership, program management and 10 more skills. Colleagues describe her as "Through Uplift Teen Yoga, Erica Austin has created an extraordinary movement that is transforming the lives of teen girls through self-empowerment. In a world where young women are conditioned to believe they should strive for "likes" and value the external, Erica has flipped the switch using yoga, mindfulness and community to create space for girls to explore their true selves. Uplift is a sisterhood that encourages self reliance and heart-centered truth; a place where all girls feel a sense of belonging and trust amongst their peers, yielding a new generation of self-aware, compassionate humans that know they are capable, worthy and perfect in their imperfection. We will see the ripples of this movement in our community and beyond for generations to come and we will have Erica to thank for it. " and "Erica Upshaw is a Professional Speaker, yes, but Erica Upshaw is so much more. Erica is an expert in creativity. Erica is a model for inspiration. Erica saves lives. I first hired Erica to speak at Michigan State University as the featured speaker for the second step (an alcohol and drug awareness session) of an, at the time, pilot program – Greeks Stay Strong. Erica spoke to 2,000 members of the Michigan State University Greek Life Community. The members of the Greek community took to her presentation better than I could have imagined – it was hard to believe that, in essence, she was hosting an alcohol awareness session yet had a room full of college students mesmerized by her captivating story, familiar personality, and charismatic charm. Not only do I recommend that any college hosts Erica as a speaker, I think it should be required! Erica uses a realistic approach in her presentations to ensure students that it’s okay to have a good time, as long as you “party smart.” This realistic approach does not turn students away like many alcohol awareness programs can, rather it engages them in a thought provoking discussion which leads to better decision making. Erica pushes the limits by expressing humor and familiarity with the college party scene and uniquely juxtaposing that with a heartbreaking story of how her brother, Joey, passed away from the misuse of drugs and alcohol. After Erica spoke at Michigan State University my email was flooded with personal testimonials from students explaining how great her presentation was and how thankful they were to gain the knowledge she presented. Weeks after I received emails from several chapter leaders notifying me that they had saved a life because of what they learned from Erica. Even months later I received phone calls from students explaining the benefits of Erica’s presentation on the health and well being of their friends. Professionally, Erica is great at what she does. She takes an out-of-the-box approach to her work that yields enormous success. She displays diligence with the projects she agrees to undertake, creativity with the tasks she performs, and insight when creating solutions to the obstacles she faces. Erica is much more than a great speaker and I hope that every college student can eventually benefit from her message."