Elise Photini Adams

Elise is available to speak on: Addiction & Recovery, Dealing with Struggles, Stress, Health and Inspiration.  Additional Information: Facebook Page

Biography

Elise Photini Adams connects with groups of all sizes where spiritual, professional or practical growth is the focus.

After experiencing homelessness and a complete spiritual renewal nearly 7 years ago Elise needed to rebuild her life from the bottom up. After an encounter with St. Herman while still homeless Elise knew she’d return to the church the moment she was freed from that life. Just a few months later both she and her young daughter’s, born while she was homeless, were baptized at St. Silouan Orthodox Church in Walla Walla WA and she was married to Photios Adams in 2009.

While building a new life of wholeness, Elise quickly discovered that while inspiration was everywhere, there was a voice lacking in today’s church and community circles…a voice of personal growth, salvation and nuts-and-bolts recovery from mental illness, spousal abuse, addictions and even poverty. There are lots of theories out there, she says, but a personal “been there done that, survived then thrived” message of personal experience is what is connecting deeply. “I’m not afraid to share the real journey, the struggle, that we all share. It’s the life of the church, not just the theory or theology that saves me. And that I can’t help but keep sharing.”

In early 2014 the Adams family, including Elise’s Bahamian husband Photios Adams and her “littles” Michaela, Nina and Simeon, relocated from the Pacific Northwest to Tucson Arizona. Elise considers writing her first language, public speaking a particular joy and sharing the “experience, strength and hope” she’s be blessed with through her personal journey her mission and message.

Here is what some have said about Elise Photini and her speaking…

“When Elise speaks compassion and wisdom resonate. I feel comforted knowing she can to relate to where I am and empowered to move forward. She meets where you are but doesn’t leave you there.” ~Lolita M.

“Elise has a gift for putting together solid truth in a way that brings hope and healing. She is able to take the word of God and the reality of peoples’ experiences and minister to them in a way that brings wholeness and healing to their lives in a deep, profound and lasting way.” ~Betty M.

“Elise is a gifted writer and speaker who shares transparently from her many experiences in an effort to bring hope and healing to others. Her unique ability to take life experiences (no matter who hard) and find gratitude and wisdom in the process of them is a beautiful gift. Elise inspires many, and I am blessed to be in her space!” ~Bess Blanco, Founder Fresh Start for Health at EatMoveThinkFRESH.com

You can read more about her “in-progress” journey at LeesyAdams.com where she also shares via Video and Audio posts from time to time.

Topics:

Addictions, mental health and relationships including marriage and parenting  

Elise specializes in practical guidance for families of all shapes and sizes, focusing on a hope filled perspective of recovery, combining the Ancient Medicines of the Orthodox Church with 12-step recovery principles and practical real-world examples.  Focusing on specific topics targeting each audience she is called to address, Elise can speak to general audiences from an inspirational perspective or, on the other hand, to women’s groups, parenting groups, clergy or professionals in more detail.

A personal journey through Traditional Orthodox Life in America today

Elise’s journey of conversion from Protestantism, ecumenicalism and secularism is a topic well expressed and inspirational to audiences of all types. From her homeless rescue after returning to Christ via a TV documentary on Saint Herman of Alaska, through joining the church, the instrumental experience of the Jesus Prayer and her personal healing from mental illness to the restoration of her marriage within the Orthodox church…Elise shares an experiential view of “Orthodoxy with shoes on” articulated in powerfully and accessibly.

Healthy living in practical and simple ways

Over the past five years Elise has broadened her personal research and professional education to include physical as well as spiritual health. She completed the Fresh Start for Health Leadership Academy training in 2014 and has worked alongside it’s founder in writing, speaking & lifestyle change coaching. Speaking on whole-family nutrition, healthy habits and particularly on the challenges of transforming a family from the “typical” American diet to treating lifestyle illnesses such as gluten sensitivity, behavioral difficulties, high blood pressure, depression and chronic pain with simple Fresh and Healthy habits, Elise shares her family’s journey to physical health after homelessness, addiction and health-destroying habits.

Simple and practical, Elise shares real-world solutions that have helped transform the Adams family from chaotic to peacefully journeying together today. Read more about her journey on the Adams family blog, LeesyAdams.com