SPEAKING
On identity, expression, purpose, and the impact we leave behind.
Erika Brechtel is a brand designer, strategist, creative director, and speaker with more than 20 years of experience helping leaders clarify what they stand for, express it distinctly, and create work that makes a meaningful impact.
With a B.A. in Art History from UCLA, magna cum laude, Erika brings together strategic thinking, visual intelligence, and a deep understanding of how identity is shaped, expressed, and remembered. Her talks explore brand personality, purpose, representation, authorship, influence, and legacy, with a particular focus on helping women own their voice, value, and contribution.
She is also the founder of Élanoura, a global social enterprise for women, and has guided 250+ leaders and brands across her career. Erika has spoken for organizations including UCLA Anderson School of Management, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, UCLA Alumni, and Junior League, and has been featured in Forbes, SELF, HuffPost, Thrive Global, and POPSUGAR.
"Thank you Erika for joining us, we have had
nothing but incredible feedback on your session."
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
signature talks
Your Archetype Palette™
Brand Personality · Influence · Leadership
What makes a brand feel unmistakably like you? Erika introduces her proprietary Archetype Palette™ brand personality framework, exploring the 12 different ways people naturally inform, inspire, connect, and move others. The framework helps leaders identify the unique combination of personality, voice, perspective, and influence that can transform their work into a compelling, memorable, and impactful expression of who they are.
Make Your Mark, Make It Matter
Brand Strategy · Purpose · Positioning · Legacy
A strong brand begins long before the logo. Drawing from more than two decades of brand strategy and design, Erika shares her Lasting Mark Method and the 4 P’s that help leaders build from clarity with confidence: People, Purpose, Positioning, and Personality. The session moves from vision to expression to impact, helping participants define what they want to be known for, understand what makes their perspective distinct, and build a brand and body of work that can grow with them.
From Muse to Author: Women, Image, Identity, and the Power to Be Seen
Art History · Representation · Brand Identity · Women’s Authorship
For centuries, women appeared everywhere in art, without control over how they were represented. Drawing from Art History, visual culture, and more than 20 years designing brands, Erika explores what changes when women move from being represented by others to becoming owners of how they are seen and remembered. From museum walls to modern brand platforms, the talk examines how images construct identity, how visual language shapes perception, and why owning our expression matters for influence and legacy.
Beyond Brand Purpose: Putting Purpose Into Action
Purpose · Social Impact · Entrepreneurship · Leadership
Purpose is easy to write into a mission statement. It is harder, and far more meaningful, to build it into what you actually do. Using Élanoura as a real-world case study, Erika shares how an idea rooted in one volunteer experience evolved into a global social enterprise connecting women’s personal growth with hands-on service and investment in local nonprofit partners. The talk explores the gap between saying what you value and designing structures, experiences, and decisions that make those values visible.
LEADERSHIP + CREATIVE CONFERENCES
Event Speaking
Keynotes, conference talks, breakout sessions, and interactive presentations exploring brand identity, creative expression, purpose, women’s leadership, authorship, influence, and legacy.
WORKSHOP SESSION LEADER
Team & Group Facilitator
Interactive workshops designed to move audiences from insight into action, including brand personality, purpose, positioning, vision, leadership styles, unique value, influence, and personal expression.
WOMEN'S EVENTS + INDUSTRY PANELS
Panel Speaking
Thoughtful, engaging conversations on brand building, design, entrepreneurship, women’s leadership, social impact, identity, representation, purpose, and the work we choose to leave behind.
speaker cv
Erika Brechtel, Speaker
2026
University of Hawaii | Leeward Community College
ʻĀina to Makeke "Bring Your Product to Market"
Guest Lecturer
2025
UCLA Bruin Women in Business
"Branding for Future Business Leaders"
Guest Lecturer
University of Hawaii | Leeward Community College
ʻĀina to Makeke "Bring Your Product to Market"
Guest Lecturer
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
LIMITLESS Leadership Conference
Main Stage Three-Hour Session Leader
2024
Startup UCLA
Social Entrepreneurship Summer Program
Featured Guest Speaker
UCLA Alumni Association
Brilliance Conference
Panel Speaker
Visible Panty Lines
“Erika Brechtel: Transforming Brands from L.A. to London”
Podcast Featured Guest
2022
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Speaker Series: Women in Entrepreneurship
Featured Guest Speaker
Startup Life Live!
“Why Women are the Way Forward for the Future of Business”
Podcast Featured Guest
2021
Bermuda Economic Development Corporation
PerSHEverance Conference
Virtual Panel Speaker
State of Women Institute
Amplifying Her Voice Conference
Virtual Panel Leader
2020
The Positivity Charge
The Positivity Charge Conference
Virtual Presenter
Junior League of Orange County, CA
“She is Empowered" Conference
Main Stage Speaker
The Hills Penthouse
Women Building Brands Event
Panel Speaker
2019
Branding Masterclass Tour with Erika Brechtel
Alexandria/DC, Seattle, Sonoma, Los Angeles, Austin, NYC, Burbank, Miami
Three-Hour Workshop Leader
2018
Bumble Bizz
Bizz Buzz Female Entrepreneurs Social
Panel Speaker
Fabletics
Sunday Funday Series: "Be the Best You" Personal Branding
Featured Guest Speaker
kind words
FROM WOMEN FOUNDERS
Dr. Andrea Matsumura, Sleep Physician
“Working with Erika is unlike any branding experience I’ve had before - she doesn’t just design a beautiful brand, she uncovers who you actually are and builds everything from there. Through her method, I clarified my long-term vision, identified my ideal audience, and finally felt like my brand tells the true story of my work. After more than thirty years of knowing her, I can say without hesitation: she has a rare gift for helping women discover what they didn’t even know they had in them.”
Dr. Nancy Yen Shipley, Form & Function Orthopedics
"Erika took my dream and helped me turn in into reality! I could not have launched my brand without her. Everything from logo, brand voice, fonts, website design were all done in a collaborative, patient and supporting way. Erika knew how much presenting my brand to the world meant to me and it showed. I am forever grateful for having been introduced to her!"
Andrea Tello, Founder, mi|tu corazón
"Erika has an amazing ability to see the truth of who you are and reflect it back with clarity and real purpose. She helped me articulate and bring to life not just my business, but my values, philosophy, and the WHY behind the work. I couldn’t be more grateful for her guidance and presence in this process. What a gift, she is absolutely the best!"
Dr. Masi Reynolds, Masi Clinic
"As a one-person marketing team in a start-up, Erika is not only a sophisticated brand, graphic, and UX designer, but she’s also my sidekick marketing strategist, brainstorm partner, and social media adviser. She brings creativity, insight, and a positive outlook to every project, and her ability to translate ideas into compelling visuals is unmatched. On top of all that, she’s such a thoughtful, lovely person to work with. I'm so lucky to have her on my side!"
Leah Morgan, Head of Marketing, Qvin
"I was recommended to Erika by a friend who had consulted with her and said she was 'simply the best', without a doubt no truer words have ever been spoken. Erika invests far more time into the why, who and how of what makes YOU you than anyone else in her business sector. There were so many moments over our 6 months working together that I was moved beyond words at her ability to see me and my vision and bring it to life through design. Without a doubt, Erika is the asset of a lifetime to build a company, a brand and a business to span lifetimes."
Jessica Gylsen, The Dazzling Concierge
"Choosing to work with Erika was the best business decision I could have made. She was able to bring my vision to life. Her eye for detail is nothing but impeccable. Thank you, Erika for feeling like my business partner throughout the entire process of my project. I HIGHLY recommend Erika Brechtel for all your branding needs."
Liz Hall, Eeze Natural Health & Travel-eeze
"From day one, Erika demonstrated professional unparalleled dedication and creativity in crafting a unique brand identity for my business. She truly understood my vision and goals, leveraging her 20+ years of expertise to develop a brand guide that resonates with my target audience. I couldn't be happier with the results and highly recommend her services to anyone looking to establish a strong and memorable brand presence from your website to social media to business cards and more… Erika, thank you for making SMK & Co’s brand exactly what envisioned."
Sheena Keo, SMK & Co.
"I’ve admired Erika and her work for YEARS and am now lucky enough to know her personally and work with her professionally. She is one of the most talented, creative, inspiring, and hard-working women."
Kat Tanita, With Love From Kat
"I’ve worked with Erika for over 10 years with three different companies and across 9 brands. She has an amazing intuitive understanding of how to design for different customer segments and across different industries that is really hard to find in other designers and brand consultants. She’s a joy to work with."
Tiffany Wong, Million Dollar Baby
"Erika helped me determine my WHY, worked with me to develop a cohesive plan, got me to focus on my ideal customer; my vision grew from there and she created a design that was perfect for me and aligned with my goals."
Monica Shulman, Artist
"Erika works truly like a partner in the process of strategically thinking about a brand and its vision. When I work with her I feel like I am in the presence of a caring professor in marketing walking me through every step. I am always blown away by her wisdom, expertise, and genuine care for me to succeed as a woman business leader which is why I do sincerely see her as a partner. She is also so professional and reliable, which goes a long way for me! Erika is my go-to person for every project or idea I have had since 2009, there's no one like her!"
Jennet Chow, Jellypop Shoes & Evolution Design Lab
"Erika’s extremely organized and meticulous approach to learning about us and our brand on a small to large scale has been a wonderful and organic experience. She really took the time to understand who we are on a personal and brand level. She never rushed the process but provided guidance, support and clarity when we needed it the most. We couldn’t be happier!"
Seda Bilginer & Amanda Sichon, Esas Beauty
"Working with Erika was an absolutely transformative experience, both personally and professionally. She took me through everything from getting clear on my brand mission, to identifying my brand personality and legacy. I learned a wide wealth of knowledge that has completely transformed how I view my business and has invigorated my passion and commitment to my greater WHY. Thank you Erika from the bottom of my heart!"
Alessandra Salituri, Citizen Atelier
“If you own a brand or are in charge of branding for a particular company, run don’t walk to Erika Brechtel. Nobody translates the look and feel of a brand digitally, better or more beautifully than she can."
Marisa Perry, Marisa Perry Atelier NYC