Our Founder

Leah, MSSA, LISW-S, is passionate about helping young people learn, grow, and build strong social, mental, and physical well-being.

After earning her B.A. in Exercise Science and Entrepreneurship from John Carroll University, Leah founded Empowered & Poised in 2017. Driven by her passion for helping youth, she went on to earn her Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University in 2021, with a focus on children, youth, families, and school social work.

Through Empowered & Poised, Leah has partnered with over 40 schools and community organizations, reaching more than 1,500 students. Leah is passionate about helping young people learn, grow, and build strong social, mental, and physical well-being.

After earning her B.A. in Exercise Science and Entrepreneurship from John Carroll University, she founded Empowered & Poised in 2017. Her love for supporting youth led her to earn her Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University in 2021, focusing on children, youth, families, and school social work.

Through Empowered & Poised, Leah has partnered with over 40 schools and community organizations, reaching more than 1,500 students. She is also the author of Conscious Empowerment: A Guide to Helping Girls Build Self-Esteem & Confidence (2021) and delivered a TEDx talk on empowering youth in 2022. In 2023, she launched the Empowered & Poised Life Skills Curriculum to further expand her impact.

Leah currently serves as both a School Social Worker and Clinical Therapist, supporting students through counseling, helping them build coping and life skills, connecting families to resources, responding to crises, and partnering with schools and communities to meet student needs. She is also focused on refining the curriculum used in Empowered & Poised’s summer programs alongside her research partners.

She served five years on the Ohio School Social Work Board and continues to stay involved, and she is a member of the National Association of Social Workers. Her work has been featured in over 50 media outlets, helping her reach even more young people and families.

Above all, Leah cherishes her most important roles—being a mom to her daughter, Vanessa, born in January 2026, and a loving wife to her husband, Michael.