Leslie Davis
PhD, LCPC, NCC
Dr. Leslie Davis, LCPC, NCC is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, relational identity coach, and advanced EFT-trained relationship therapist whose clinical work centers on self-silencing, toxic relationship patterns, and helping high-achieving women reclaim their voice and identity. She holds a doctoral degree in Counseling and Psychological Studies from Regent University and runs her private practice, Emotions Connected, serving clients across Illinois and Missouri. She is also a Lyra Health affiliated provider.
Dr. Davis is the founder of EVA Empowered, a women’s empowerment brand built on the mission “Healing Her. Empowering All.” She developed Defend & Rise™, a women’s self-defense program that merges her clinical training with nearly 10 years of Jiu-Jitsu experience. A purple belt affectionately known as l “Dr. Pressure,” she is also a WSDN-certified Women’s Self-Defense Instructor — a rare combination of credentials that grounds her work in both psychological insight and lived physical embodiment.
A sought-after speaker, Dr. Davis delivered the TEDx talk “Three Ways to Stop Obsessing Over That Text,” in which she introduced the concept of the Three Dot Effect and offered practical solutions for breaking free from it; the talk was selected for the TED Editors’ Pick List. Her speaking history includes the Yale Women’s Mental Health Conference, TEDx Arlington Heights, the Illinois Counseling Association (ICA) Annual Conference, the International Association of Behavioral Health (IABH), and multiple women’s expos.
Her clinical integration is presented to audiences with a direct, relatable voice — the same one behind her Substack, The Black Coffee Woman, and her broader work on relational identity and empowerment.
Beyond Awareness: Self-Defense Skills and Clinical Preparedness for the Counseling Professional
Mental health professionals are trained to attune to the emotional landscape of the therapeutic relationship. We are taught to regulate ourselves so our clients can co-regulate. What our training rarely addresses is what happens when that relational space becomes physically unsafe. This presentation, offered by a licensed clinical professional counselor, EFT-trained therapist, and certified women's self-defense instructor, examines the critical intersection of clinical preparedness and personal safety. Drawing on current workplace violence research, Emotionally Focused Therapy principles, and embodied self-defense frameworks, participants will explore what it means to be a fully present, fully prepared clinician — one who can hold space for others without surrendering their own safety to do so.