2021 Tour dates are live!
check tour dates

Eli Walker
‍


Speaker & Social Wellness Expert - Showing You The New Rules for Belonging in the Modern World

Book eli to speakQuote sign

Hi! I’m Eli - keynote speaker, emcee & social wellness entrepreneur who playfully provokes the unexpected to help you get over yourself, engage community & spark radical belonging.

Eli Walker

Eli walker


Challenge Convention:
Everything you know about belonging is wrong.

from executive boardrooms all the way to rural ghana, Eli curates interactive talks, social wellness workshops and one-woman shows that empower you to get out of your head, into your bodies and discovering deeper connection.

When you work with Eli, expect barrier-breaking play, world-class storytelling, and laughter-inducing engagement to ignite outside-the-box mindset shifts, cultivate belonging and inspire lasting engagement.



Let's rewrite the rulebook to connect us to what matters: each other. 

Belonging Keynote Speaker

Inspiring audiences to rethink their notion of belonging and feel empowered to create agency.

Master
Host &
Emcee

seamlessly weaving connection and belonging into every moment of your event

Solo-Performance Artist

demonstrating storytelling mastery by weaving vulnerability, humor, and wisdom into moments that move audiences to action

Social
Wellness Founder

Creator of the internationally-acclaimed Drunk Yoga® brand, now The Uplift Center
Book Eli to help you build belonging
Eli on ipad ini a roof yoga class

Why book Eli as a Speaker?
...Because, honestly? She's a delight.

Her talks engage communities for the long haul. A joy to partner with from start to finish and a reliable rockstar on stage, she captivates her audiences with epic (+ hilarious) stories, profound insight and artfully gamified mindful movement from an approach that's both playful and accessible.

Audiences walk away with renewed appreciation for their purpose and their people, feeling connected to something bigger than themselves.

Break barriers

Learn to dissolve the invisible walls that keep us polite but distant, turning awkward encounters into authentic relationships.

Build Bonds

Move beyond surface-level small talk to create the kind of genuine connections that make people excited to work together.

Have more fun

Discover how play becomes the secret ingredient for engagement, retention, and results.

Eli in Action

Play button
Play button
Play button
Play button
Play button
Play button
Play button

“

“Eli is an absolute light on stage — effortlessly captivating the audience with warmth, energy, and authenticity. She has the ability to make every moment feel engaging, down-to-earth, and connected. ''

- Yif Chen

BRAND STRATEGY, TIKTOK SHOP






Book Eli to Speak
- & discover why she's the leading
expert in social wellness

Cultivating belonging means setting up the conditions to get off autopilot and into the present moment. Enter: Interactive Play and Provoking the Unexpected. 

Eli's keynotes include: 

1. audience engagement, humorous stories, and practical takeaways
‍
2. Essential insights into why play is the most economical way to build belonging
‍
3. An interactive guided meditation, curated icebreaker or immersive yoga session to help your audience relax, re-energize, and re-focus

Click here to view speaker reel.



What to
Expect

01

The Art of Getting Over YourselfHow to Build Belonging in the Modern World

Eli demystifies "belonging" and what it means today, inspiring audiences to get out of their heads and into community. The result? Better collaboration, higher retention and more engaged & purposeful workplaces.

02

Work Hard, P.L.A.Y. HarderA work-life balance strategy that actually works

Hint: The secret is "play." Eli reveals her proven strategy for achieving optimal work-life balance, enhancing productivity and personal fulfillment through authentic expression, and having [a lot] more fun in the process.

03

Beyond the IcebreakerFrom Conflict to Connection

Learn the counterintuitive techniques that help teams move past surface-level politeness to build trust through healthy conflict.

“

Eli was a major highlight of our event. Attendees raved about how fun and engaging she was. She even tailored her material to be crucially relevant to our specific audience. Eli was also super easy to work with — flexible, communicative and kind.

- Stacy Heit

National Association of Workforce Boards
Eli Walker

Why book
Eli as a speaker?

Eli doesn't just talk about belonging—she creates it in real time. As an emcee, she transforms events into living examples of her connection philosophy, skillfully reading the room and weaving moments of authentic interaction throughout. From corporate conferences to awards ceremonies, her hosting style demonstrates how to break down invisible barriers and foster genuine community. Attendees don't just witness belonging theory—they experience it firsthand, leaving with both inspiration and practical proof that deeper connection is possible in any setting. Her emceeing is her methodology in action, creating the kind of inclusive, energized atmosphere that makes events truly memorable.
Book Eli to emcee
Yoga class in front of an industrial background

Make it Fun

Pink yoga mattress

Social Wellness Experiences

From Drunk Yoga® to The Uplift Center

As the founder of the internationally-acclaimed Drunk Yoga® - the world's first 'yoga drinking game' - Eli is the leading expert in facilitating highly curated, playful yoga and networking experiences designed to engage your people through feel-good movement and cultivate camaraderie through laughter-inducing games, icebreakers and throwback music.

Past clients include Porsche, Intel, Wayfair, YouTube, Ebay, Squarespace, Pinterest, Virgin Hotels, Deloitte, H&M and more.
‍
Learn more  

“

Experience Manager, porsche
Eli’s approach is nothing short of remarkable. Her ability to infuse each moment with energy and engagement ensured that every attendee felt valued and involved, exceeding all expectations. I wholeheartedly recommend Eli to anyone looking to elevate their event to new heights.

- Jake Pereira

Workplace Belonging Workshops

Eli's workshops transform belonging theory into practiced skills through hands-on activities and real-time coaching. Participants don't just learn about psychological safety, conflict resolution and authentic connection—they experience it, practice it, and build the muscle memory to implement it back at work.

Her facilitation style breaks the fourth wall, creating safe spaces for vulnerability and play. Teams leave with tools and the confidence to transform their workplace culture one conversation at a time.
Contact to learn more
Eli Walker with a tabletEli Walker on Macbook screen

“

Thank you, Eli, for a fantastic talk! It was an engaging and inspiring session for our team. As soon as it was over, we immediately heard great feedback about how helpful and energizing it was.

- Ashley Fernandez

HR GENERALIST, SODALI

Eli Walker


Meet Eli

hi! I'm Eli, and I'm so glad you're here.

I love helping people from different backgrounds get on the same page. Bonus if I can achieve this while inspiring them to live joyfully, empower them with new perspectives and make them laugh at the same time.

After earning a BFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where I trained in solo-performance art and community-based theater, plus a decade of experience teaching yoga worldwide, I developed a knack—a super power, if you will—for leveraging the power of play, mindfulness and storytelling to spark belonging in real time. So, it was no surprise (to some more than others) that in 2017, I founded the famously subversive wellness brand, Drunk Yoga®—breaking the rules of yogic convention by infusing it with the social ritual of a happy hour.

Since then, I've continued to evolve my belonging-building work to facilitate large-scale social wellness events and trainings, as well as write, produce and perform my one-woman shows.

Eli walker

In the Press

“It is precisely this dogmatic tendency that Eli would like to challenge: ‘We are creating a safe space here for lots of fun. Here the yogis can let go completely, not take themselves and others too seriously. And above all: not to take yoga too seriously.’”
“Eli Walker, founder of the sessions, told Popsugar, ‘Drunk Yoga, which involves adding wine to a beginner yoga sequence in class that takes place in a bar, was just another idea I had to make yoga more accessible and less intimidating to a certain population who might not otherwise try yoga at all.’”
“‘It’s OK if you spill,’ says Drunk Yoga creator Eli Walker, 29, an actress and yogi who created the trademarked yoga brand in 2017.”
“Eli Walker, the yoga instructor who one day realized that the disinhibition of the bar was what it took to make people feel comfortable in yoga class”.
“Walker’s final rule for Drunk Yoga is that ‘you have to have fun and be happy by the time you leave.’”
“Walker’s manifesto is unlike any other how-to-yoga guidebook on the shelf, because not only does it pair the Ayurvedic practice with alcohol, it’s also layered with jokes and stories to really hone in on her overall message: that life on its own is hard enough, but yoga doesn’t have to be.”
“She wanted to create a safe atmosphere for newbies and veterans alike to make new friends over a glass of wine and just lighten the f*ck up about yoga.”
“Eli Walker founded Drunk Yoga because it meshed with her love for the practice and served as a reminder to never stop playing.”
“…it's actually more about the experience than it is about losing weight and as Walker says, 'Happiness is health.’”
“Drunk Yoga? The term itself feels like an oxymoron. But ever since Eli Walker founded her casual, pretense-free, wine-fueled yoga classes back in 2017, Drunk Yoga has become a full-on movement.”
“This roving series aims to lift your spirits and create community around the potent union of yoga and social ritual…”
“…yoga instructor Eli Walker decided to open up a “Drunk Yoga” series to help beginning yogis relax with the idea that your body will become more flexible with some liquid courage…”
“Eli said it best: ‘When you’re playing with your body in time and space in a new way, surrounded by friends in a bar with a glass of wine, it’s hard not to enjoy yourself.’”
“In addition to yoga, she [Walker] teaches storytelling workshops for kids and adults that combine movement and theater.”
“Still, while you'll probably get more out of yoga's focus on mindfulness with a clear head, Walker says whatever gets you to your mat is good enough for her.”
“Walker, 28, said she believed a jolt of liquid courage could help to make yoga more enjoyable for those too nervous to tackle it. “
‘‘That said, every yogi who has tried the class, and/or knows me personally, understands my mission has integrity, and my class is safe, effective and fun for the population of people I’m targeting,’ Walker says.”
“‘I've been a yoga teacher and a performer for a long time, and an entrepreneur at heart,’ Eli Walker – the woman behind the trend – told me when I approached her for this story.”

"Play open the door to a deeper sense of belonging."
- Eli Walker

The Power
of Play

Organizations that embrace play and belonging don't just create happier workplaces—they drive measurable results. When employees feel genuinely connected and psychologically safe, turnover drops, innovation increases, and productivity soars. Eli understands that sustainable culture change happens through consistent, gentle shifts rather than dramatic overhauls. Her approach combines evidence-based strategies with warmth and humor, creating environments where teams naturally open up and engage. She meets organizations exactly where they are, offering practical tools delivered with kindness and zero judgment.

The result? Teams that collaborate more effectively, communicate more honestly, and actually enjoy working together—all while achieving their business goals.
‍
Book eli to speak
Eli Walker

“

Eli was a pleasure to work with—professional, kind, and creative in terms of customizing our sessions to suit our unique needs as an international team across multiple time zones.

- Ahmed Sawan

BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER, INTEL
Drunk Yoga book
1/4
2/4
3/4
4/4
of my projects

P.L.A.Y. BOOK

This comprehensive guide combines proven belonging strategies with practical "belonging hacks" and modern toolkit essentials that work for both individuals seeking deeper relationships and leaders building stronger teams. Drawing from years of social wellness expertise, Eli's P.L.A.Y. Method breaks down the art and science of using play to dissolve barriers, foster psychological safety, and create the kind of genuine community we're all craving.
BUY THE p.l.a.y. BOOK

Social Impact

Eli continues to partner with non-profits to facilitate community-based theater experiences that promote awareness of gender inequality, as well as offer young women the opportunity to find their voice through performative storytelling. 
contact eli about getting involved with your organization


Buy Eli's best-selling Drunk Yoga® book: "50 Wine & Yoga Poses to Lift Your Spirit(s).

As featured in the New York Post, the International Business times, Refinery29, Glamour, ELLE, POPSUGAR, INSIDER Fitness, the Gothamist, and more...

Indulge in fun and laughter with the official Drunk Yoga® book by Eli Walker, the rebel behind the viral Drunk Yoga phenomenon.

Buy it now

One-Woman Shows

Eli writes and performs solo-shows that challenge our notion of belonging to overcome invisible power structures that hold us back.

Eli has been an avid monologuist since age 8, when she wrote her first one-woman show--a feminist adaptation of the classic "Little Red Riding Hood." At 16, she uncovered a copy of Lily Tomlin's "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," memorized it and performed it for anyone who would listen. Eli's previous original one-woman shows performed in NYC include "STEPS," produced at Wings Theatre in 2010, "COUNTING," at NYU's Experimental Theatre Wing in 2011 and "The Quarter-Life Crisis Monologues," at the PIT in 2017. Stay tuned for her next one-woman show entitled, "Kill the Buddha," premiering in Beacon, NY in 2025.
Follow eli on instagram for updates

YOGA, BUT MAKE IT FUN.™

At-home yoga videos for everyone, everywhere. Connect to yourself, your body and to others in a whole new way through non-traditional yoga experiences.

buy or rent your next yoga party now.

"Community engagement arises when
belonging is felt."
‍
- Eli Walker

Contact is currency.
Let's connect.

Eli on iphone

Sitemap

HomeAbout meServicesPressContact

Follow me