“I knew I couldn’t be who they wanted me to be. I had to be me.”

CoolSpeaker, Author, Empowerment Coach

Erika Allison is an inspirational speaker, author, and coach with a powerful message of self-acceptance. When Erika came out as a gay teenager, her parents and church put her through Conversion Therapy, the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, She believed the messages they told her: that something was wrong with her, that she was hurting those she loved by being herself, and that even God couldn’t love who she was.

She then spent years of her life trying to be who everyone else wanted her to be – a mechanical engineer at a Fortune 100 company, a high school math teacher, even an ordained minister! – before discovering that the only real path to health, life, and happiness is being yourself. The journey to that place of authentic living required big lessons in self-acceptance and accepting the reality that some people may not like you for who you are, and that’s okay. It took her almost 20 years to learn these lessons and finally love and embrace herself.

Erika wrote an award-winning book about her journey and now works with youth around the country in hopes of helping them find their own self-love and self-acceptance sooner than she did. Erika speaks from the heart, infuses humor and dynamic storytelling, and radiates non-judgement and good vibes wherever she speaks.

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