Dr. Portia Preston Helps ‘Strong’ Black Women Legislators and Leaders Manage the Hustle

Portia Jackson Preston, PHD, is the founder and CEO of Empowered to Exhale, where she works with individuals and organizations to create a culture of sustainable wellness and performance. As an associate professor of public health at California State University, Fullerton, she focuses on inclusive approaches to wellness and creates innovative programming to support students, faculty, and staff. Portia holds a BA in cultural and social anthropology from Stanford University, a master’s of public health from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate of public health from UCLA. She lives in Long Beach, California.

Preston, a certified executive coach is also a 2x TEDx Speaker and one of her most recent achievements is author of Hustle, Flow, or Let it Go?  Her overall goal is to help individuals and organizations thrive by developing sustainable wellness based on insights from her research and personal and professional experiences, including living with AuDHD and chronic illness, and working for organizations such as Procter & Gamble, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Deloitte Consulting, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

As a leading keynote speaker and wellness consultant, Portia has worked with individuals and organizations in almost every sector, including government, higher education, healthcare, nonprofit, entrepreneurship, and more. As an Associate Professor of Public Health, Portia teaches courses on stress management and promoting health in diverse populations. Portia holds a BA in cultural and social anthropology from Stanford University, a master’s of public health from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate of public health from UCLA. Dr Preston’s work has been featured on FOX 11 Los Angeles, Orange County Register, Authority Magazine, Mind Over Matter Podcast, and more.

Recently, Preston announced was the featured speaker at the 2025 Annual Legislative Conference and 40th Anniversary at the  National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women in Atlanta, Georgia. At the prestigious NOBEL conference she lead an engaging discussion at NOBEL about Black women’s mental health in sync with September’s National Suicide Prevention Month.

As a keynote speaker, Preston regularly does talks for corporate and academic audiences about sustainable wellness based on her research on stress and burnout, along with her personal journey.

During the NOBEL address she:

• Encouraged Black female legislators stabilize their own foundations that in order to sustain their impact in the political sphere.
• Acknowledge the mental and physical cost of being a Strong Black Superwoman.
• Create a SANE Cycle Blueprint for sustainable wellness that that honors your identity, lived experiences, and current reality.

Preston’s new book “Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go?: A Guide to Shame-Free Wellness That Honors Your Reality and Gives You Life” (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing House, Aug 5, 2025) is already an Amazon Bestseller and top Stress Management Self-Help Book that has received high praise from well-known authors and industry leaders. “My aim is to help individuals navigate the hustle culture and its endless to-do lists with intention, protect their flow with sustainable wellness practices, and know when to let go, set boundaries, or walk away,” Preston said.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Dr. Preston will be a featured speaker at Bruins Being Bold, a TEDx-style event held as part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (FSPH) Orientation in Los Angeles, California. As a UCLA FSPH alumni, Dr. Preston’s topic will be “Leading from Within: Individual Wellness as the Foundation for Collective Transformation.”

During this engaging conversation, Dr. Preston will discuss leadership tips for Public Health professionals drawing upon insights from her research on stress and burnout, along with personal experiences navigating chronic illness and AuDHD.