Founder, The Great Exhale™ | Award-Winning Activist | Entrepreneur & Speaker | Top 10 LinkedIn Creator in Inclusion & Diversity | Judge, The Anthem Awards | Forbes Featured | #ActuallyAutistic | INFJ | 🇧🇧🇯🇲🇹🇹🇺🇸

Lisa Hurley is a five-time Anthem Award-winning author, activist, podcaster, second-generation Reiki Master, and rest advocate. Her work centers Black women, and converges at the nexus of self care, community care, joy, and rest. Through her writing, speaking, and community-building, Lisa champions soft living for Black women. 

Hurley is the author of Space To Exhale, a transformational book created to help people beat burnout, embrace rest, and curate a soft life. Part memoir, part manifesto, part meditation guide, Space To Exhale is a self-help book that inspires readers to practice the pause and take time to exhale.

As a champion of rest for Black women, Lisa is the founder of The Great Exhale, a global virtual community dedicated to sisterhood, serenity, and soft living. TGE offers curated rituals, inspiring affirmations, and healing conversations for those ready to say no to hustle culture and yes to a life of ease. It is a healing hub where Black women can relax, lay their burdens down—and exhale.

An Executive Member IADAS, Lisa is also a board member of Yuvoice, and a Juror for the Anthem Awards. A respected figure, she has been honored as one of the Top 20 Entrepreneurs to follow on LinkedIn, voted as one of LinkedIn’s Top 50 Black Creators, and recognized as one of the Top 10 Anti-Discrimination Activists in the world. In addition, Lisa has been honored by Hush Loudly as an Introvert to Watch, and as one of pocstock's Future of Black America Top 50 Leaders. As a result of her activism, her thought leadership has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Adweek, and more. 

With a passion for speaking out that belies her natural introversion, Lisa is a prolific podcaster. In addition to being the Host and Executive producer of Space To Exhale: The Podcast, a five star-rated show that focuses on self care for Black women, she is also the Co-Founder & Co-Host of The Introvert Sisters Podcast, and a former Co-Host of The Tea on Tap podcast. 

With a strong belief in good vibes, Lisa is known for her inspiring affirmations on TikTok. In her free time, she enjoys bonding with her family, reading a good book, and expressing her creativity through fashion.

Of Caribbean heritage (Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica), Lisa is a world traveler with an understandable preference for warmer climes. Her love languages are sunshine, laughter, and naps.

Ready to exhale?
📚 Learn more, and order Space To Exhale: www.spacetoexhalebook.com
🎙️ Listen to Space To Exhale: The Podcast: bit.ly/STEPodcastOnSpotify
🔗 Stay connected: https://linktr.ee/lisahurley

Lisa Hurley

Evan Birkhead LLC

Strategic marketing, global sales strategies, product marketing, product messaging, corporate communications and media relations for tech start-ups.  Current clients:

1 - Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (the AREA), since 2022: Membership ecosystem  providing the support organizations need to assess, plan, and manage enterprise Augmented Reality projects. (not-for-profit, TheAREA.org)

2 -  Digital Twin Consortium, since 2020: Global ecosystem of technologists influencing the direction of digital twin technology development consortium (not for profit, DigitalTwinConsortium.org)

3 - Industry IoT Consortium, since 2019: Global ecosystem of networking and IT professionals from Industry dedicated to accelerating the Internet of Things (not for profit, IIConsortium.org)

4 - Object Management Group Standards Development Organization (SDO), since 2019: Internationally recognized technology standards development (not-for-profit, OMG.org)

5 - Truiem, since 2018: Customer experience software for call centers (Truiem.io)

Selected clients / exits:

1 - Optanix, top-right "Leadership" position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Network Services (acq. by ATSG 2022)

2 - Trusted IoT Alliance, open software ecosystem for securing IoT with blockchain (joined forces with the Industry IoT Consortium, 2020)

3 - OpenFog Consortium, best practices for Industrial IoT (joined forces with the Industry IoT Consortium, 2019)

4 - OneOps, cloud-based workloads (acq. by Walmart Global eCommerce, 2013)

5 - Perspective Solutions, voice/data management (acq. by Carousel Industries, 2012) 

6 - Western Cape Direct / Helicor, medical devices (IP acq. by Philips, 2009) 

7 - WysDM Software, storage management (acq. by EMC, 2008)

8 - Fidelia, network management (acq. by Network General, 2006)

9 - Micromuse, service assurance (acq. by IBM, 2005)

10 - Quantiva, Internet monitoring (acq. by NetScout, 2005)

Strategic Marketing & Communications

Micromuse

$212 million developer of telco management software (revenue for 2000); Initial Public Offering in 1998; traded on Nasdaq; Acquired by IBM in 2005.

-  Directed global team of 16 strategic marketing and marketing communications professionals in 5 countries. Reported to CEO and COO.
-  Launched Netcool product line in U.S., Latin America and Asia.
-  Managed strategic product marketing and corporate communications for IPO, 3 acquisitions, quarterly earnings reports, annual reports. Issued between 1 and 4 press announcements per week.
-  Managed global media relations.  CEO interviewed on MSNBC, CNBC, CNN Financial Network.
-  Managed internal communications and corporate sales resource intranet for more than 1,000 employees.
-  Managed annual U.S. and European user group meetings.
-  Produced video tutorials and sales tools for more than a dozen software applications.

VP Corporate Communications

Cardinal Business Media

September 1994 - January 1997 
Editor-in-Chief, Internetwork Magazine  
Monthly news journal published by Cardinal Business Media, reached 120,000 IP network managers, primarily Fortune 500.  

September 1990 - September 1994 
Senior Editor, LAN Computing Magazine
Monthly news journal published by Professional Press, reached 80,000 LAN administrators.(Cardinal Media acquired Professional Press in 1994.) 

January 1988 - September 1990
East Coast Editor, The DEC Professional (Digital Equipment Corp.)
Monthly technology journal and industry commentary published by Professional Press (acquired by Cardinal Business Media), reached 70,000 administrators of DEC VAX computer organizations.

Editor-in-Chief, Internetwork Magazine

Evan Birkhead LLC, since 2002.

Areas of Focus: Global sales & marketing programs, market strategy, product marketing, marketing communications, message creation and evolution, sales presentations, online and print advertising, partner programs, customer reference-ability programs, analyst and media relations, web strategy, trade shows, video production.

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Lisa Hurley

Evan Birkhead

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