ABOUT EMPOWERED TO EXHALE

 Empowered to Exhale’s vision is an inclusive culture that promotes wellbeing and sustainable performance.

 

Our Mission

We strive to create sustainable pathways to wellness that are rooted in authenticity, mindfulness, and purpose. Our clients will benefit from keynotes, wellness courses, and retreats designed to help them develop a sustainable approach to wellness that is customized to their needs. We appreciate our clients for joining us in our efforts to support organizations that advocate for and provide wellness resources to marginalized communities.

wellness retreats - our mission

OUR VALUES

 How our values help you

 

Authenticity

 

My authenticity (transparent, honest communication) makes others feel I am trustworthy and relatable, and they feel validated in their own experiences (that they are not alone)

 

Mindfulness

 

My discovery of the beliefs that shaped my approach to wellness helps them uncover their own, and become aware through mindfulness that they can care for themselves in ways that resonate with them and fulfill their needs.

 

Sustainability

 

A focus on sustainability encourage them to identify meaningful and effective wellness practices that resonate with them and are practical in their current reality.

 

Purpose

 

They are able to develop a path towards wellness and sustainable performance that is aligned with their overall purpose

Our core beliefs

 

Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go? A Guide to Shame-Free Wellness That Honors Your Reality and Gives You Life

*

Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go? A Guide to Shame-Free Wellness That Honors Your Reality and Gives You Life *

Portia Preston, DrPH

Hi, I'm Portia. I know what it's like to be outwardly successful yet feel trapped by impossible expectations—both from others and yourself. For years, I pushed myself relentlessly, using shame as a motivator, believing hustle was the only way. Through my experiences with chronic illness, autism, and ADHD, I learned what I now know in my heart: we weren't meant to burn ourselves out in pursuit of success. There's a gentler, more sustainable path forward.

Through Empowered to Exhale, I partner with organizations to create transformative spaces where individuals go beyond surface-level interactions to understand the inner resistance that makes it difficult to maintain healthy boundaries, ask for help, be compassionate with ourselves, and prioritize our wellbeing.

Whether facilitating executive retreats or delivering keynotes to large audiences, I bring both vulnerability and evidence-based strategies to the stage. By sharing how I've navigated challenges like burnout, depression, and grief, I help normalize these conversations in corporate settings and provide practical tools for sustainable performance.

As a Certified Executive Coach, I specialize in working with senior leaders and their teams who are ready to shift mindsets and move beyond burnout culture. Together, we develop customized strategies and systems to support a more expansive view of success that includes flourishing and fulfillment.

My unique approach combines extensive corporate experience with rigorous public health expertise. As an Associate Professor of Public Health at Cal State Fullerton, I research evidence-based strategies for sustainable wellness, factors that contribute to secondary traumatic stress and burnout, and work to amplify marginalized voices. My cross-sector experience at Procter & Gamble, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Deloitte Consulting, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure allows me to speak the language of diverse industries while bringing fresh insights to persistent challenges.

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University, Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, and Doctor of Public Health from UCLA. I'm also the author of the upcoming book, Hustle, Flow, or Let it Go? A Guide to Shame-Free Wellness that Honors Your Reality and Gives You Life (Revell Books, August 2025).

  Speaker, professor & storyteller. Helping you understand your own story, so you can serve others from a position of wholeness.

 

 Testimonials

 

My Research Agenda.

My research agenda focuses on prevention and management of secondary traumatic stress and burnout by promoting sustainable performance and well-being in workplace and higher education contexts. I am interested in advancing health equity by exploring the influence of culture, identity, and lived experience on well-being.

Relevant publications:

Jackson Preston, P (2022). We must practice what we preach: a framework to promote well-being and sustainable performance in the public health workforce in the United States. J Public Health Pol. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-021-00335-5

Access here



 
 
Empowered to Exhale research & publications
1/3

FAQs

 

  • Wellness can refer to any of the components of health that you believe are key for your overall well-being (physical, mental, etc.). Many of our clients define wellness in terms of having the capacity to pursue their personal and professional goals, while being able to engage in fulfilling activities and relationships. The goal of our work is to help you understand how your approach to wellness is shaped by your identity, lived experiences, and environment, and to empower you to create a practice that is informed by your needs, preferences, and resources.

  • I believe wellness is not as an ideal to attain, but a journey to developing a fulfilling life that meets you where you are. I seek to provide a holistic snapshot of factors that influence your personal and professional well-being. They are not meant to be exhaustive, and they often overlap (for example, meditation may be considered both an emotional and spiritual practice). The goal is not for you to address all areas at once, but rather, to identify those that are most supportive of your well-being.

  • Research has shown that in order to achieve sustainable change in a population, it is important to incorporate both individual and organization-level approaches. Also, employee wellbeing is foundational to achieving your organizational mission, retaining your workforce, and preventing and managing burnout and other adverse physical and mental health outcomes.

  • For individuals, our offerings include wellness strategy sessions and retreats. We offer keynotes, retreats, and executive coaching to organizations spanning corporate, government, academic and non-profit sectors.

  • We typically book events one to three quarters in advance. We have limited availability for the upcoming quarter, depending on the nature of the request. To inquire, please fill out our contact form.

  • You may view our most frequently requested keynote speaking services here. To request this or other services, please fill out our contact form contact form.