Who Is Nella Yerkes
Nella Yerkes is a nationally recognized speaker, resilience expert, team building and corporate burnout specialist who is a transformative voice for mental health and trauma healing. With lived experience as a former foster youth, Nella turned her pain into purpose.
Nella now speaks across the country to empower youth, educators, and leaders with tools to overcome adversity and rewrite their narratives.
Nella’s work is rooted in the belief that our stories carry power and not shame. Having grown up in a home impacted by addiction, neglect, and generational trauma, she once believed that staying silent was the only way to survive. Now, she uses her voice to light the way for others. Her keynotes and workshops blend real-life experience with actionable tools, helping audiences of all ages move from stuck to self-aware, from discouraged to determined.
With deep warmth, dynamic presence, and undeniable credibility, Nella has become a sought-after speaker for schools, organizations, and events seeking raw, relevant, and restorative messaging.
Rewriting Her Story Is Her Power
​Nella is passionate about helping others break free from the cycles of trauma, silence, and self-doubt. She believes that no one should feel invisible in their own story. Her heart beats for youth, especially those who’ve been overlooked, underestimated, or labeled “too broken.”
​
Whether she’s speaking on stages or mentoring youth one-on-one, Nella equips others to reclaim their identity, elevate their mindset, and speak life over their future.
Her Greatest Motivation: Her Family
Family is the heartbeat of Nella Yerkes’ life and the foundation of her purpose. Living in San Diego, California with her husband and two children, Nella doesn’t just speak about breaking generational cycles, she lives it every single day.
​
For Nella, family is where healing becomes legacy. Proof that the pain of the past can be transformed into a future filled with light, love, and wholeness!
