Joyel Crawford | Award-Winning Executive Advisor & Keynote Speaker | Bestselling Author of Show Your Ask | Helping Organizations Build Confident, Resilient Leaders Through Voice, Clarity & Self-Advocacy
For Joyel Crawford, leadership has never been about waiting for permission. It has always been about recognizing possibility and choosing to act with intention. Long before she stepped onto global stages, advised Fortune 50 leaders, or became a trusted voice in leadership development, Crawford learned a defining lesson that would shape her career and her mission. Leadership begins exactly where you are.
Foundation: A Voice Built Early
Crawford’s journey began in Plainfield, New Jersey, where curiosity, responsibility, and service showed up early in her life. From a young age, she demonstrated an instinct for initiative. She was the child who saw opportunity where others saw routine, including right in her own neighborhood. Her first entrepreneurial experience was running a babysitting business, where she coordinated schedules, set expectations, and built trust long before she had language for those skills.
Those early experiences were rooted in values that would remain constant throughout her life. Curiosity, compassion, and service were not abstract ideals but daily practices. Crawford learned early that leadership was not about authority. It was about reliability, care, and follow through.
This mindset followed her into school and later into higher education. At Elon University, she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and was selected as an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow. Her academic focus on human behavior, combined with hands-on leadership experiences, reinforced a belief that would become central to her work. Leadership is not defined by title or tenure. It is defined by how you show up and how you create space for others to succeed.
She later earned her MBA in management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, strengthening her people-first philosophy with business acumen, organizational strategy, and operational discipline.
Learning Leadership From the Inside Out
Crawford’s professional career began at Verizon Wireless, where she spent nearly two decades building deep, practical expertise across customer service, employee relations, learning and development, and human resources leadership. Starting in frontline roles and progressing into senior leadership development positions gave her a rare and comprehensive view of how careers truly unfold inside complex organizations.
In these roles, she coached employees at every stage of their careers. She designed and facilitated leadership programs, managed national training initiatives, led high-performing teams, and supported organizations navigating growth, performance challenges, and cultural change. She also managed multimillion-dollar training budgets and led large networks of trainers and facilitators, balancing people-centered leadership with measurable business outcomes. Yet even as her career advanced, Crawford noticed a recurring pattern. Talent and hard work were not always enough. Many capable professionals struggled to advance, not because they lacked skill, but because they hesitated to articulate their value, advocate for themselves, or clearly state where they wanted to go. This realization was not purely observational. It was personal. She once shared:
“Playing small did not protect me, it limited my impact and my growth, and no one could support my path if I never named it.”
That insight marked a turning point. Crawford made a deliberate decision to stop shrinking and start owning her voice. The shift transformed her own trajectory and clarified her calling.
Turning Experience Into Purpose
In 2014, Crawford founded Crawford Leadership Strategies, channeling her corporate experience into a consultancy focused on executive coaching, leadership development, and keynote speaking. What began as a bold entrepreneurial step evolved into more than a decade of sustained impact. Since launching her firm, Crawford has coached and advised more than 15,000 leaders worldwide. Her work spans industries and roles, but her focus remains consistent. She helps leaders turn ambition into action by building clarity, confidence, and emotional intelligence.
Her Amazon bestselling book, Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career, formalized a philosophy she had lived and taught for years. The book offered practical guidance for professionals learning how to articulate their value, set boundaries, and pursue growth without apology. It quickly resonated with readers seeking a more honest and human approach to leadership and career advancement.
Crawford’s influence extends far beyond the page. As a keynote speaker, she brings authenticity, insight, and lived experience to audiences across the globe. Her TEDx talk, Why We Should Go Bald Together, has surpassed one million views and stands as a defining example of her approach. The talk reframes vulnerability and resilience not as personal hurdles, but as shared human experiences that can unite and empower leaders. Her expertise has been featured on national platforms including Good Morning America, where she has appeared as a workplace and career expert, as well as in Forbes, Newsweek, Black Enterprise, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and other major outlets. Across each appearance, her message is clear and consistent. Empowered leadership begins with self-awareness and the courage to speak.
The impact of her work is perhaps most visible in the words of those she serves. Leaders consistently describe Crawford as insightful, affirming, and transformative. One executive noted that her coaching reframed boundaries not as limitations, but as essential tools for growth and self-respect. Others highlight her ability to challenge perspectives while honoring humanity, a balance that defines her leadership style.
Leadership Philosophy: Service, Clarity, and Emotional Intelligence
At the core of Crawford’s work is a leadership philosophy grounded in service, clarity, and emotional intelligence. She believes that leadership begins with listening and is sustained by intentional action.
For Crawford, strong leaders are anchored in values, not ego. They amplify voices rather than overshadow them. They understand that performance and empathy are not opposing forces, but complementary strengths. She often emphasizes:
“Leadership starts with self-awareness, and when you understand yourself, you can lead others with clarity and integrity.”
This belief is operationalized through her RISE framework, which guides leaders through four deliberate stages: Reflect, Identify, Strategize, and Execute. The framework encourages thoughtful introspection paired with decisive action, ensuring growth is both intentional and sustainable.
Her leadership development work has supported organizations across media, technology, education, government, and nonprofit sectors. She has partnered with institutions such as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, major national news organizations, and global brands seeking to strengthen leadership pipelines, engagement, and retention.
Vision for the Future: Leading Boldly, Together
Looking ahead, Crawford remains focused on expanding her impact through corporate coaching partnerships and speaking engagements. Her goal is not only to develop individual leaders, but to help organizations cultivate cultures where clarity, confidence, and resilience are the norm. She continues to champion leadership that is bold without being performative and human without sacrificing results. In an era defined by change and complexity, her work centers on equipping leaders to navigate uncertainty with intention and courage.
Her guiding mantra remains simple and enduring: “Lead from where you are.” It is a reminder that leadership is not reserved for titles, stages, or corner offices. It is exercised daily through choices, conversations, and the willingness to use your voice.
For organizations ready to invest in leaders who can grow people while driving performance, Joyel Crawford offers more than expertise. She offers a lived example of what becomes possible when voice meets intention.
Editorial Note
Joyel Crawford’s story reflects the power of self-advocacy, service-driven leadership, and clarity of purpose. For executives, HR leaders, and organizations seeking to build confident, resilient leaders, her journey poses a compelling question. What changes when you stop playing small and start leading from exactly where you are?
