TEL Alumni Spotlight, Leila Lurie
Winter 2025
We are honored to shine this month’s Alumni Spotlight on Leila Lurie, a member of TEL’s Cohort 4. A longtime district leader and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Leila brings more than 25 years of dedication to nurturing the well-being of students, educators, and communities. In her role as a Social Emotional Learning Curriculum Lead, she bridges systems-level change with deep presence and care, weaving equity, embodiment, and compassion into every space she enters. Whether supporting district leaders, facilitating professional learning, or sitting alongside students as a therapist, Leila’s leadership reflects a quiet courage and an unwavering commitment to beloved community.
“I spend 80% of my time at the district level and 20% as a therapist,” she shares. “That 20% keeps me grounded and honest. It feeds my heart in a real way.”
Embodying the Inner and Outer Work
Leila’s work centers on integrating equity and social emotional learning, which she sees as inseparable. “There’s no way to separate the two,” she says. “The most important part of my role is to embody SEL and equity work, not just as principles out there, but as something I live in every interaction.”
When she joined the TEL Fellowship, Leila was already leading with compassion and authenticity, but TEL offered her something she didn’t know she needed: affirmation and renewed courage.
“TEL gave me language, confidence, and the security to know I was on the right path,” she reflects. “It helped me bring words like beloved community into professional spaces without fear. I used to whisper them. Now I speak them with pride.”
Today, she coaches administrators, leads professional development, and facilitates parenting workshops, carrying forward what she calls the TEL spirit. “I bring that sense of grounded, heart-centered confidence into everything I do.”
Investing in People, Not Programs
When asked what it means to invest in one leader, Leila pauses thoughtfully.
“Investing in individuals is investing in the system,” she says. “Our system is people. When one person’s inner work deepens, culture shifts. Policies without inner transformation don’t land, they just sit on a shelf.”
Known among colleagues as a “songbird for joy” and “culture shifter,” Leila believes transformation begins not through directives but through relationships. “Change happens through one-on-one conversations, heart-to-heart. Love shifts culture. Being love, bringing love into community, that’s what transforms systems.”
Bringing Beloved Community Home
For Leila, TEL offered both professional tools and personal renewal. “I’ve gained lifelong friends from TEL, people I can lean on and say, ‘Hey, I’m developing this idea, can I send it to you?’”
The fellowship’s structure, grounding exercises, reflection, and small-group learning reshaped how she leads. “Every PD I design now includes movement, journaling, and shared wisdom. The culture of TEL lives in me, and I’m bringing that to my district.”
Leading with Tenderness and Vulnerability
Leila credits TEL with helping her lead with greater honesty and self-compassion. “One sustaining practice for me is modeling vulnerability, asking for help, recognizing I don’t have to do it alone. TEL gave me permission to be my full self at work.”
When she faces difficult seasons, she now reaches out rather than retreating. “Before TEL, I wouldn’t have done that. Now I can say, ‘I may need to lean on you a little.’ It’s made me more compassionate and sustainable as a leader.”
Nature remains her deepest teacher. “The ocean, the woods, the morning dew on succulents, nature reminds me of interbeing, that we’re all connected. Living within that awareness sustains me.”
Final Reflections
“As leaders, our systems shift when our hearts do.” Leila carries this truth into every space she enters. Her vision for schools is rooted in love and authenticity:
“Let us be our full selves. Let love be visible. From that place, everything else can grow.”