Ellie Shefi is a prolific author, speaker, entrepreneur, and attorney who is dedicated to helping women shed external labels and expectations, find their voice, stand in their power, and define for themselves who they are, what they stand for, and what they want their life to be. Having herself overcome a lifetime of adversity, including abuse, rape, domestic violence, homelessness, and cancer, Ellie uses the resiliency, resourcefulness, and mindset skills she’s developed to help women become the architects of their life and legacy.
With a rich career history and undeniable success, Ellie shares her wisdom and life lessons with women around the world through speaking, hosting retreats, facilitating workshops and masterminds, and other projects.
Ellie’s Struggle:
Ellie, though very successful and inspirational at present, has faced tremendous adversity. She’s experienced poverty and lived in her car, eating the food restaurants were throwing away at the end of the night. She’s an abuse survivor, rape survivor, and domestic violence survivor who has lived in hiding under an assumed name. She’s a cancer survivor and medical miracle who has survived 13 major surgeries in the past 13 years and who has been defying doctors’ death deadlines for over two decades.
And yet, Ellie has not only survived each adversity, she has thrived! Through it all, she has developed the ability to find empowering meanings in everything that happens, to be grateful for everything she has and everything she’s experienced, and to remember that no matter what she’s going through, someone, somewhere is going through something much worse. Besides creating an impervious mindset and living in gratitude, maintaining perspective, and assigning empowering meanings to all events and circumstances, Ellie’s secret to thriving is in her embracing a “life happens for me” mentality, which allows her to find the good, the lesson, and the blessing in everything.
Ellie’s career:
Ellie’s passion for service isn’t new. A life-long change-maker, she has been an educator for over 30 years, an entrepreneur for over 30 years, and a speaker, strategist, coach, and consultant for over 20 years. Additionally, for almost 20 years, Ellie has served as an attorney with the United States Judiciary, focusing primarily on cases involving civil rights, discrimination, and constitutional rights. She is also currently the Dean of the School of Law at California Southern University.Ellie has written and published 3 books in 2023 alone, setting a milestone very few can achieve. She has already submitted her first 2 manuscripts of 2023 and plans to continue to write and publish books that cover various subjects relating to business and life.
Ellie is a sought-after international speaker and frequent guest on podcasts, radio, television, summits, and more. She has recently been featured on iHeart radio, CBS, ABC, and NBC, and in publications such as the New York Times, Thrive Global, Authority Magazine, and more.
Beyond her multi-faceted career, Ellie is a dedicated philanthropist and engaged community servant. She is the creator of You Are Not Your Scars™, a movement dedicated to helping women step into their power and become the architect of their life and legacy. She is also the founder and president of the Made 2 Change the World™ Foundation, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to helping today’s underserved youth become tomorrow’s leaders.
What Ellie wants:
Ellie is on a mission to impact at least 10 million lives. She’s committed to igniting impact, empowering transformation, and facilitating change on a global scale. Ellie’s website (ellieshefi.com) offers a variety of programs and services that provide practical, easy-to-implement, results-driven tools and strategies that allow her clients to progress from where they are to where they want to be with clarity and ease.
Ellie is passionate about helping women shed external labels and expectations, find their voice, stand in their power, and define for themselves who they are, what they stand for, and what they want their life and legacy to be. Ellie’s programs empower women to break free from the past, create the life they desire, share their story, amplify their message, and scale their impact.
Ellie is also committed to empowering the next generation. Through her nonprofit, The Made 2 Change the World™ Foundation (made2change.org), Ellie is dedicated to equipping the next generation with the tools, resources, mentorship, and support they need to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Ellie’s courses, workshops, retreats, masterminds, coaching programs, and consulting services provide comprehensive solutions that meet her clients where they are on their journey and allow her clients to create the results they desire.
Why work with Ellie?
But what’s so unique about Ellie’s programs and services? First, she walks the walk. She’s actually lived through everything she teaches. Yes, Ellie has the formal education and the teaching experience, but more importantly, she’s been in the trenches—she has the real-world experience, the passion, and the drive. Ellie has crawled, clawed, and scratched her way through fire after fire and is an unstoppable force. Her clients know that, when working with Ellie, they are seen, heard, and supported—they know that Ellie is there to take their hand and journey alongside them. Sharing her experience with her clients allows them to avoid costly mistakes and to go further, faster, with greater efficiency.
As an implementation strategist, consultant, and coach, Ellie helps her clients gain clarity—clarity of their voice, clarity of their superpowers, clarity of their objectives, clarity of their vision, and clarity of their path forward. Once her clients have clarity, she equips them with the practical, easy-to-implement tools and strategies they need to get from where they are to where they want to be—tools and strategies that get results!
Ellie’s brilliant writing career (continuing):
Having ghostwritten and published thousands of pieces over the last 20+ years, Ellie has had a brilliant writing career—one that still continues to this day. Perhaps the highlight of her writing career has been releasing 3 books in the last 5 months of 2023. Impressively, Ellie has already submitted her first 2 manuscripts of 2023!
Ellie has developed a system for quickly and efficiently writing powerful books with clarity and ease—a system that she teaches to authors and aspiring authors. Her sheer commitment to her craft has enabled her to write books with multiple New York Times #1 best-selling authors including Les Brown, Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield, Marci Shimoff, and others.
Ellie’s signature system for book writing served her well during the pandemic! As she saw her friends losing their jobs and their businesses, Ellie knew that she needed to do something to help, so she sat down and began writing! While all of the books she wrote and released in 2023 were written in response to the pandemic, each of her books serves a different, but meaningful purpose. Here’s a quick look into each:
Unlocking Your Superpower: 8 Steps to Turn Your Existing Knowledge Into Income
Ellie’s first book of 2023 is a powerful step-by-step playbook that teaches readers how to generate income using the things they already know, do, and love. Full of practical tips, tricks, and strategies, this book helps readers launch, pivot, diversify, or scale a knowledge- or service-based business. It is clear, direct, and designed for readers to implement what they’re learning along the way.
The Authorities: Powerful Wisdom from Leaders in the Field
Pairing up with New York Times international #1 best-selling authors Les Brown, Bob Proctor, and Marci Shimoff, Ellie brings industry thought leaders together to discuss business, real estate, retirement, estate planning, mindset, and more. This, as the title implies, is a book of wisdom that allows readers to learn from the experiences of commanding people in each industry.
Sisters Rising: Stories of Remarkable Women Living Extraordinary Lives
Dedicated to celebrating, showcasing, and supporting women, Ellie created Sisters Rising as a book series that is written, edited, and published by women, for women, as a platform for women to tell their stories and promote their businesses. The inspirational first volume features a diverse group of nine female entrepreneurs whose businesses have weathered the pandemic.
Continuing her prolific writing, Ellie’s first book to be released in 2023 is SuccessONomics, which she co-wrote with the legendary Jack Canfield. In it, Ellie discusses her three main principles for success. SuccessONomics will be released in late summer or early fall 2023.
Ellie’s second book to be released in 2023 is Women Who Shine, which she co-wrote with #1 international best-selling author Kate Butler and a group of incredibly resilient and remarkable women. In it, Ellie discusses how to live life as a force for good. Women Who Shine is likewise anticipated to be released in late summer or early fall 2023.
A woman for all women:
After all she’s been through, Ellie remains committed to giving a voice to the voiceless; to fighting for justice, equality, and opportunity; and to creating a world where all are seen, heard, and valued—a world where people have access to clean water, clean food, shelter, medical care, education, and economic opportunity—a world where authenticity is welcome and differences are celebrated.
As discussed, Ellie is on a mission to impact over 10 million lives. She ignites impact, empowers transformation, and facilitates change on a global scale. Ellie exemplifies what it means to truly live life as a force for good!
“If you ask me what I came into this world to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud!” — Émile Zola