Standing in Your Power & Leading with Heart

Youth Leadership & Civic Engagement

What if the key to leadership isn’t changing who you are but confidently owning it? In this interactive session, U.S. Army veteran and anti-bullying expert Dāli Rivera reveals how Latino youth can break free from social expectations that don’t serve them while honoring their roots. Through storytelling, proven communication techniques, and confidence-building exercises, participants will learn to advocate for themselves, command respect in any room, and lead authentically. Dāli shares her own journey of challenging the fear instilled in many Latino families about questioning authority, a lesson that unlocked every achievement in her life. Students will leave with practical tools to speak with authority, carry confident body language, and most importantly: keep the promises they make to themselves. Because the future you is waiting, and success belongs to those who keep going until they figure it out.

Dāli Rivera

Dāli Rivera is a U.S. Army veteran, speaker, author, podcaster, and bullying awareness and prevention educator. As founder of the Diversity & Anti-Bullying Academy and DaliTalks LLC, she empowers families to raise confident, bully-proof kids while promoting inclusion and equality. Dāli has delivered keynote speeches, including at the Arizona PBS Early Childhood Conference, been featured on over 50 podcasts, and conducted hundreds of workshops across the U.S., Canada, and Guatemala in English and Spanish. She is co-author of Confident, Bully-Proof Kids, author of Your Guide to Bullying Prevention, and contributor to Awaken Your Power. As host of The DaliTalks Podcast, she creates conversations that educate and empower parents, educators, and leaders to take action against bullying and social inequities. Her expertise spans leadership, DEI, effective communication, and civic engagement. Learn more at DaliTalks.com.