Dr. La’Toya Edwards, LCSW, BCD, SEP, RYT-500 is a global speaker, licensed clinical social worker, and transformational strategist. She is known for her integrative, Afrocentric approach to emotional mastery and trauma recovery—helping leaders, high achievers, and organizations shift from surviving to thriving. Through her Sankofa Method™ and EMERGE Method™, she equips audiences to break cycles of burnout, regulate the nervous system, and lead with wholeness.
About Dr. La’ Toya
My Journey
Dr. Edwards earned her Doctorate in Social Work from Simmons University, where her dissertation focused on inclusive leadership and the empowerment of African American women. Her academic path also includes a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Norfolk State University and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and African American & African Studies from Old Dominion University.
Dr. Edwards is living proof that trauma doesn’t have to define your story. Growing up between cultures, navigating systemic barriers, and breaking cycles of generational stress, she transformed her lived experiences into a mission: to guide others toward resilience and liberation. Her journey led her to be a speaker, consultant, trainer, licensed mental health therapist, board-certified diplomat, and somatic practitioner. She has spent more than 15 years blending evidence-based therapy with ancestral wisdom, holistic healing, and leadership training.
She developed the Sankofa Method™, an integrative framework weaving Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, EMDR, and Afrocentric practices into transformative intensives, retreats, and trainings. Alongside it, she created the EMERGE Method™, a leadership and strategy model that empowers individuals and organizations to Elevate, Master, Embody, Restore, Grow, and Expand.
Today, she speaks to audiences worldwide—whether delivering a keynote to 600 leaders, consulting with corporations on emotional wellness strategy, or guiding a small group through an immersive healing retreat.
Her message is clear: healing is possible, resilience is teachable, and thriving is your birthright.
She’s not here to impress crowds. She’s here to shift cultures.
My Mission
Dr. Edwards believes healing and leadership are not separate—they are intertwined. When we create spaces that honor the body, mind, spirit, and cultural identity, we don’t just manage stress; we build legacies. Her mission is to help people break cycles of burnout, embody their authentic power, and step into thriving with confidence and alignment.
Beyond the Stage & Office
When I’m not guiding leaders, training professionals, or facilitating intensives, I live what I teach—balance, alignment, and joy. You might find me…
Leading yoga flows or practicing Kemetic Reiki
Brewing herbal teas from my own garden
Writing books that merge holistic healing with leadership strategy
Enjoying time with my dachshunds, Nari & Nia
Celebrating my Jamaican and African American heritage