Chelsea Elliottt ALC ChangeMakers Podcast Interview
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[00:00:00] Hi everybody and welcome to the ALC Changemakers Podcast. I'm your host, Jennifer Sconyers, and today I'm thrilled to be joined by someone whose work truly embodies what it means to lead with heart healing and emotional intelligence. Chelsea Elliott is the founder and CEO of Soma Lab short for social emotional communication lab.
She helps people create emotionally safe spaces in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. From youth programming and professional development to her powerful EQ kids crew card game. Chelsea is equipping individuals of all ages with the tools they need to build self-awareness, practice self-regulation, and show up more fully for themselves and others.
Chelsea and I met in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses cohort in Columbus, Ohio, [00:01:00] and I was immediately drawn to her clarity, compassion, and live experience she brings to her work. In this conversation, we talk about her leadership journey, her personal connection to mental health advocacy, and what it takes to create community care that's rooted in real everyday life.
This episode is for anyone navigating uncertainty. Holding space for others or simply learning to lead with more intention, humanity. Let's dive in.
Last fall, we were in the same small group together, so we got to spend a lot of time chatting and talking, and that's when I got to learn about Chelsea and her company, [00:02:00] Sōmōcom Lab. So welcome Chelsea. Thank you, Jennifer. It's nice to be here. Absolutely. Well tell our listeners all about you and your leadership and your company. That's a lot outside. My name is Chelsea Elliott. I am the founder and CEO of Sōmōcom Lab, the Social Emotional Communication Lab.
And we focus on helping people create emotionally healthy and safe spaces in their sphere of influence. So whether it's at home, at work, in schools, wherever you are, we wanna help you create emotional. Safety for yourself and for others. And my work really started with, um, working with kids, but as I was working with children, I was seeing the inner child and the adults that love them and care for them.
And so I do a lot of work with adults through professional development work workshops. Programming, all kinds of things. So I love everything that I get to do every day. Um, my leadership is very flexible. I consider myself [00:03:00] like a cat in that. Well, I love when people are independent and aren't too heavily reliant on me.
Um, and also not too heavily reliant on, I wanna say like. Structure because things are fluid and ever flowing. And so I allow a lot of autonomy. Might be a little more than I should, but I let, I love letting people have their space and do their thing. Um, because not everybody can do it for themselves. And so if I can give somebody the space to practice a, a method or try something new, create something.
For the good of all mankind, then of course I'm gonna do that. So that's, that's kind of how I flow as a leader. I love this. I love this. Well, at a LC, we're all about leadership and how people shine in their leadership and how they show up. Um, one of the things Chelsea remember in our cohort, and what I found so unique about your business is [00:04:00] that it really is based in emotional intelligence.
So I just wanna name that. What I was learning from you is this is an emotional intelligence model for business. I know that you can work with a range of different types of people. You can work with kids, adults, you have services and products. Tell us a bit more about your unique approach. Yeah, so everything I do is boosting people's emotional intelligence skills because your EQ is much more important than your iq, um, in any area of work that you're in.
And so. The work that I do with kids, um, I have a product called the eq, kids Crew. It's a card game that teaches kids about up to 130 of their most recognizable emotions. And it's funny because I always get, oh my gosh, you need to make an adult version. But spoiler alert, it's really for the grownups. Uh, none of the characters are cute and relatable to kids, but it's really helping people expand their vocabulary, their emotional vocabulary.
Learn how to use these terms in the right way, articulating what their needs [00:05:00] are, and then. Regulating their emotions. So it has a lot of self-regulation activities included. So I do a lot of work around social emotional learning, SEL, with kids, um, particularly around the card game, but I also have other curriculum as part of my better me emotional wellness curriculum.
Then I work with teens, um, doing a lot of workforce development, again, around EQ and emotions, because that's everything, especially in the workplace. If you're having a conflict, you can't just up and walk away. Although that was my method, so I've had lots and lots and lots of jobs. But I'm trying to teach them to be better.
Then with adults, I do a lot of professional development around self-awareness, self-care, um, understanding how emotions play a role in the workplace. Either, you know, if you're a leader or you're on a team, but it's really based on the individual person. And so that's something that makes me unique in the work that I do.
I tell people this all the time. I live the work. That I do. I am not a perfect person. [00:06:00] I do this work because I am dealing with it on a regular daily basis. None of this is in theory or, oh, I read a book about this thing. No, these are lived practical experiences and that makes a huge difference when you're trying to connect with people on an emotional level because the work can be really heavy.
But I always had humor. I always get the feedback that, oh my gosh, I was, I was about to be in tears or I started crying and then I started laughing because of the next thing you said. And I try to keep a really healthy balance 'cause it can be heavy, but it's so necessary. And so, um, you know, we do a lot of, I.
Self-awareness, acknowledgement, validation, because you know, you don't wanna take a deep breath. The first thing you do. Sometimes you wanna hit something or hit someone. Uh, you wanna scream or cuss somebody out. And that's understandable. That's valid. That's what sometimes happens. And so how do you come back from that?
Or how do you change your default? So that's not always your response. So that's, that's how I do my [00:07:00] work. Um, and what makes me unique in the things that I do. I always keep it real. I talk about my diagnoses. That's the very first thing we go through, so that people can understand that I am a safe space.
I'm somebody that you can trust with. You know what you need to share, and you can have the space to have the dialogue. I love this. Well share more about like you, like what makes you uniquely qualified to do this? Because I'm hearing you say, you know, you share your diagnoses, you're living the work. So tell our listeners a bit about you and what brought you to this particular type of work.
Yeah, so when I was, I wanna say I was about eight or nine. Nope, I was nine. We moved from California, Los Angeles, California, sunny Beaches, celebrity life. It was amazing to Dayton, Ohio because my grandfather got sick. And so one my life was uprooted and then we left my father behind. 'cause we were always planning on going back, not knowing what was going on.
[00:08:00] Um, and then, you know, we started school in Dayton and then we got a house and then like life just stayed in Dayton. And as a kid. Kids don't like to be completely out of control. They need to have control of something. But because, you know, we didn't know what was going on. I felt very lost. And so my mental health suffered, but nobody knew what mental illness was.
I was just an attention seeker and drama queen and all these, all these labels instead of, oh, she's struggling with grief from losing the life that she, that she had. Oh, she needs a hug. She needs a little bit more attention right now. And so I have three sisters. I'm number two. And we all handled it very differently and that's what got me interested in psychology.
I was like, how can four people with the same parents. Handle everything in four different ways. It was amazing. Um, but I developed, uh, suicidal [00:09:00] ideation, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and all kinds of things, trying to fix myself because I didn't think it was okay to have the feelings that I had. I didn't think that it was okay to, to cry when I was missing my dad.
And so. Nobody from school to home, nobody knew what to do. I've had conversations with my mom a million times about this stuff and she was just like, I didn't know. And she is incredible. I only have two kids. She had four. I don't know how she did it. I see why she lost her mind a little bit, so I understand it.
But it was, it was tough. It was very tough and. I wanted to end my life for a large majority of it because I thought something was wrong with me. So then when I went to college, um, I wanted to do interior design so badly, but as soon as I sat down to register for classes, I switched everything to psychology.
I. And the more I learned about mental health and mental illness and what these things were, I went to [00:10:00] the free psych services and went to therapy and got diagnosed formally with all the things. And it was such a revelation. It was such an eye-opener, and it wasn't, you know, oh, woe was me. I have all these problems.
It was, oh, thank God there's a name for it. I don't have to end my life. Mm-hmm. If there's a name for it, this has been studied. There are solutions. I'm good to go. Like I know I'm not alone. And so that has helped me to have these conversations more openly to discuss this stuff. The other day, it was last week, I had a panic attack and I just grabbed my phone and put on Facebook like, I'm not doing well today.
I need prayer. Mm-hmm. And that can be really. Open and vulnerable for attack, but the amount of love and support that came through from that and people are still checking on me and like, Hey, I just wanna make sure you're okay. I got prayers galore, like people typing them up, sending them as voice notes, you know, just texting me.
It was so beautiful to get support. [00:11:00] Mm-hmm. And so that's what I'm trying to give to the rest of the world. I want people to know it's okay for you to have these moments. We, I live this stuff. Yeah, I still deal with depression. I still deal with suicidal thoughts, but I know that I can get out of it. I know that there's something beyond that.
It can just be a passing thought. Mm-hmm. And so, um, that's, that's what I do and that's what I love to do. And knowing that there are other people that have said, oh my gosh, I'm so glad you shared that, or I thought I was the only one. Now I feel a little better. Mm-hmm. Um, that, that just keeps me going every day.
I love that. Well, I'm hearing a few things. I'm hearing support, so for listeners, um, you've heard from a couple of other, other guests of Arsenal podcast, this whole idea of support, what that means when we're having like inter relational connection and how it's so human and how it's so necessary. So I.
This whole idea of support is a value we have at A LC and the importance of creating conditions for a caring surround and [00:12:00] having a web of relationships you can rely on. And that's actually really important to our work. And whether it's an organization or a team or an individual like having that so important.
'cause I think so many people are in isolation. Especially now and then they just don't, they don't have the support. They don't know how to like self-regulate in any way. And that causes other challenges and problems. Um, say a bit more about the work you're doing right now. Do you have any emerging projects or workshops or things that you're really excited about, want our listeners to know about?
Yeah, I'm actually really excited. Um, oh, I have so many. So, uh, I'm running a summer program with the City of Columbus, which I'm super excited about, um, providing workforce development to the teen interns who want to, um, they're working for the city. And so they wanna learn more about emotional intelligence and how to have healthy conflicts and things like that.
And so I'm running a summer program, which is gonna be very intense, but I'm very excited about it. Um, I also have a new program through my [00:13:00] company, so something that I'm doing that's kind of scary. Um, I. Working more. B2C is the Community Care Collective, which is a four week mental health training program.
It's one day a week virtual, um, in the evenings to help people that serve their communities, that love their communities, that are, you know, in village and community with others. It, it helps them to understand mental health on a different, more, more, more clinical level. But you're not being trained to be a clinician, but you have more definitive terms and more, um.
Evidence-based knowledge on what signs to look out for, what things to say, what not to say, and what you can do to be a real support and resource. So I'm sure the people that are listening to this, your amazing, incredible audience are often the go-to person for their people. They're the, the strong friends, the ones that are always looked to.
And so those people often don't have formal mental health. Anything. And so, you know, I've, I've heard, I've [00:14:00] heard from a lot of people like, yeah, I'm the hood therapist, or, you know, and it's so cute to hear when a teenager says that and they're so proud of their knowledge. I'm like, what kind of formal training have you had?
What kind of anything? What kind of background do you have in this? And so that's my goal is to give people this background. It's, it's an incredible program with some really awesome. Um, impactful partnerships and I'm really excited to start that in July. And the second cohort is in October. Um, and then I also have a partnership coming up with, um, a serious XM radio host, and I'll share a little bit more about that as it goes along.
But yeah, um, they wanna do some more work with youth and around mental health and emotional wellness, and so I'm really excited to have all three of those coming up. I love that. I love that. That's so exciting for you and what you're doing at Comb Labs. Um, I'm super curious 'cause there's so much happening in our world right now, and I know a lot of our listeners are people who, they're in the community in some way, shape or form, right?
They're leaders in their community, they're leading organizations [00:15:00] or teams. They're concerned about what they're seeing and noticing, experiencing. I'm curious, from your perspective in the work that you do, what are some challenges that you, that you're facing, that you're overcoming or that. Your business is managing right now, just given the greater global context we'll say our time.
Uh, I think, you know, as you think about Maslow's hierarchy of needs at the bottom is making sure your basic needs are met. And the tip top is that self-actualization. And so there are a lot of people that are kind of being pushed back down to the basics. Yeah. And, you know, we wanna give them this wonderful support and these great resources and tools, but.
They're not as immediate as making sure they have food or gas, um, making sure that they still have a home and a livelihood. And so that's a challenge that I think a lot of companies and organizations are facing. If you're not providing those services or if you're not a nonprofit or if you are a nonprofit, making sure [00:16:00] that you're not just saying you're serving one demographic because you'll probably be shut down or your funding has probably been, um, stripped.
Even Meals on Wheels, like your funding gets. You know, knocked down quite a bit and so, um, seeing a lot of things being reduced. Is a big challenge. I know people are feeling bad about their situations or themselves, um, because of the predicaments that they're in. Mm-hmm. But helping them understand like, this isn't your fault and things will get better.
Mm-hmm. It can be hard, but it's a message that they need to hear and it, you know, they might not believe you in the moment, but it's something that can sit in the back of their minds. Or when they are ready to receive that. Mm-hmm. Um, but those are, those are a few things. The, the uncertainty is giving people a lot of anxiety and that anxiety is trickling down to the village that they support, whether it's in their own household.
Um, and so a lot of kids are really anxious 'cause they're feeling and seeing that anxiety or, you know, the people that they're, they're caregiving for their friendships are, [00:17:00] are fading because, you know, well, you never reach out well. I'm too anxious to talk about all these horrible things that I'm feeling are coming down the pike.
So there's, there's a lot going on. Um, yeah. I'm always looking for the good news. There's always going to be something, but as often as possible, I'm looking for the good news and those little moments, those little seeds that are being planted to help boost something later on down the road. Um, those are the things that I'm always looking for, and that helps me to keep going.
But man, it's, it's hard out here. Yeah. And we all just need to take a break. We need to take a break. For sure. And I think that's where also like the community piece comes in too, right? Like a lot of like the community care collective you have. Like there's spaces that you are developing for people who are ready, willing, and able to help navigate and cope.
Yeah, and develop, you know, their skills, because I think that's something that's unique about your [00:18:00] business is that you are equipping people with the emotional intelligence tools to navigate all kinds of really challenging situations. And where we are now is a definition of a challenging situation.
So for listeners, you know, I think this is, this is one of the reasons why I wanted to make sure I had Chelsea on the podcast because there's so many ways that we believe in ALC, the importance of equipping people with the tools and knowledge to navigate all kinds of change. And you need a village. You need a community.
You need emotional intelligence, skills and training to do that. You can't do it in a vacuum. So I know we haven't worked together yet. We've talked about collaboration. Just looking for listeners that there's a lot of values alignment between what you're doing, at Sōmōcom Lablabs and what we do at ALC. So I just wanna name that to our listenership.
Um, as a way to wrap, is there any kind of, I don't know, knowledge you wanna impart [00:19:00] to the audience or something we just wanna name for, for our listenership as we begin to close out? I do. Something that came to my mind, um, is that, you know, when people hear emotional intelligence, they think, oh, you don't have emotions, or you're not showing them.
Yeah. And that's not true at all. Um, having the self-awareness to say, oh, I know this situation is a trigger, or, oh, that usually bothers me. And being able to have healthy coping mechanisms, including. Crying, punching a pillow. Mm-hmm. Uh, screaming into a pillow. Like there are certain things that you are absolutely 100% allowed to do, and still, it, it, it's still considered emotionally intelligent.
It's about knowing your. Self knowing what works for you and doing things in a healthy way. Mm-hmm. And so being able to identify that in each individual can take time, it can take, it has to take practice. Um, but a lot of, I just wanted to say that a lot of times people think, oh, I'm not [00:20:00] emotionally intelligent because I cried.
No, that's not true. That's not true at all. Um, if you can have healthy relationships, you recognize emotions in other people, like those all are included. And so it's okay to cry. It's okay to have feelings. We are human and they are needed, and it's more people need to share them so others know that it's okay too.
I love that. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today, Chelsea. Where can our listeners find you? Yeah, my website is somocomlab.com. That's S-O-M-O-C-O-M-L-A b.com, and everything is on there. I'm on all the platforms at Sōmōcom Lab as well. I love it. Well, thank you so much for taking the time.
For listeners, if you wanna learn more about Chelsea or any of our folks, find us on our website, jennifersconyers.com. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. All right, everyone, until next time.
Thank you so much for joining us [00:21:00] today on the ALC Changemakers Podcast. If you found today's conversation inspiring or helpful, we'd love it if you'd subscribe, rate, and leave a review. It helps other changemakers like you find our show at Abundance Leadership Consulting, we believe in building sustainable leadership and connected communities through justice, courage, and care.
If you wanna learn more about our work access leadership resources. Connect with our community. Head over to jennifersconyers.com. Until next time, keep leading with purpose. Keep building relationships that matter and keep creating change one bold step at a time.
