http://www.phoenixrisingleaders.com/

Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, LLC, New Haven, CT (2026)

08/28/2026

Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting is proud to celebrate our Organizational Development Consultant, Dr. Mario De Souza, on his new role as an Adjunct Professor at the College of Southern Nevada!

Dr. De Souza is teaching his first course, Psychology 101, with a vision to connect the psychology curriculum with leadership development. Beyond teaching students the course material, he wants to help them grow as leaders, helping them be able to apply their understanding of human behavior to how they communicate, build relationships, make decisions, and contribute to their communities.

We are deeply grateful for his role in expanding the mission and vision of Phoenix Rising on the West Coast— in Las Vegas, throughout Clark County, and across the State of Nevada. Through the relationships he builds and the people he reaches, his presence there helps bring our commitment to leadership development into more classrooms, organizations, and communities.

This milestone also holds a personal connection for our Founder, Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews.

Kelsey took Psychology 101 at CSN when she was a student there earning her Associate’s Degree in 2021, and she is honored to get to celebrate a member of the Phoenix Rising team teaching that same course while helping develop future leaders in one of the very institutions that played a role in developing her.

Kelsey is excited to return to Las Vegas later this year as we continue strengthening these connections and building opportunities for lasting community impact.

Congratulations, Dr. De Souza! We are proud to have you on the Phoenix Rising team and to celebrate the purpose you bring to your work.

Please join us in wishing him and his students a successful semester! We look forward to following his and his students’ journey throughout the semester! 👏🏻🔥🎓🐦‍🔥

08/26/2026

Today, Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews, Founder of Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, met via Zoom with the Program Coordinator for the City of Milford Youth & Family Services; the Deputy Director of Health for the City of Milford Health Department; and the Director of Prevention Services for Bridges Healthcare/Milford Prevention Council.

Together, they brought their combined knowledge and experience in public health, social work, youth services, prevention, and leadership development into the same space for a powerful conversation about the future of leadership development across the city.

What emerged was a vision far greater than any single program or conference— citywide collaboration and the potential for an ongoing, cross-sector partnership focused on expanding youth leadership development programming across the Milford Public School District and other youth based organizations, providing meaningful professional development opportunities for those who serve our young people, and building lasting impact throughout the Milford community.

This is what community-centered leadership development can look like: young people discovering the power of their voices, professionals gaining tools that strengthen their work, and organizations working together to create opportunities that reach further and last longer, ultimately creating an impact that spans generations.

Kelsey and the team at Phoenix Rising are energized by the opportunity to invest in both the young people of Milford and the professionals who serve them, creating the conditions for leadership to take root and thrive throughout the community.

Kelsey is in continued contact with representatives of the City of Milford and related organizations, and additional meetings and advancements are taking place behind the scenes.

Stay tuned for more updates and announcements about what is yet to come! 🔥💙🐦‍🔥

08/18/2026

Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting is proud to share that our Founder and CEO, Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews, has been appointed to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Family Court Task Force.

Following her time with CCADV as a UConn Master of Social Work student and policy intern, Kelsey was asked to remain on the task force as a permanent survivor voice— an appointment that holds profound personal meaning for her.

As a survivor of over two decades of intergenerational domestic/family violence, Kelsey understands how deeply these experiences can affect every part of a person’s life. She also understands the importance of ensuring that survivor voices are not only heard, but given an official seat at the table and meaningfully included in the conversations & decisions that shape the systems intended to serve not only themselves, but other survivors as well.

For Kelsey, this appointment represents the transformation at the heart of Phoenix Rising: rising from the ashes of adversity and turning lived experience into legacy, leadership, advocacy, and lasting systems change.

She is honored to continue working alongside advocates, professionals, and fellow survivors to help strengthen Connecticut’s response to domestic and family violence and contribute to a family court system that approaches survivors with greater understanding, accountability, and care.

Thank you to CCADV for recognizing the importance of survivor leadership and inviting Kelsey to continue this work. She looks forward to using her voice and experience to help create meaningful change for others. 💜🎗️

08/11/2026

Today, Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews, Founder and CEO of Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, met with Alicia Feller, Executive Director of The Connecticut Women’s Consortium!

Kelsey first met Alicia during her time as Miss Shoreline 2026, and that connection has since grown into a meaningful partnership and collaboration between Phoenix Rising and The Connecticut Women’s Consortium.

Today, they met to review and finalize the curriculum for one of Phoenix Rising’s new leadership workshops, which has been in the early stages of development for the past several months alongside our Organizational Development Consultant, Dr. Mario De Souza. As part of this collaboration, Kelsey will facilitate the workshop through The Connecticut Women’s Consortium.

From here, the workshop curriculum, training objectives, and related materials will be submitted to the National Association of Social Workers - Connecticut Chapter for continuing education review. Once approval is received, attendees will be able to earn Continuing Education Credits (CECs) upon completion of the training.

Phoenix Rising is excited to continue working alongside Alicia and the Consortium as this partnership moves forward and more opportunities present themselves!

Additional details about the workshop will be announced in November. Stay tuned for more!
🔥💖🐦‍🔥🌸

08/09/2026

Phoenix Rising is proud to celebrate our Founder and CEO, Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews, who is officially a candidate for the National Association of Social Workers – Connecticut Chapter’s 2026–2027 Board of Directors! ✅

Kelsey is seeking election to the Chapter Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification (CCNLI), which plays an important role in identifying and cultivating future leaders within Connecticut’s social work community.

Her path to the ballot began with an application for a Member-at-Large position. After reviewing Kelsey’s experience in leadership development, public policy, legislative advocacy, and systems change, NASW-CT Executive Director Dawn Brown personally encouraged her to pursue the CCNLI opportunity.

This nomination comes only two months after Kelsey earned her MSW from the UConn School of Social Work, but her commitment to developing leaders began long before graduate school. From training nonprofit volunteers as a high school student to helping young people across Connecticut discover their voices and leadership potential, she has spent years creating spaces where emerging leaders can grow.

Through her work with Phoenix Rising, Kelsey continues to champion trauma-informed leadership, institutional accountability, and systems that recognize the strengths already present within individuals and communities.

We are thrilled to see her work recognized by NASW-CT and proud of the opportunity she has to help shape the future of social work leadership across our state.

Ballots are open, and NASW-CT members are casting their votes through August 18.

We wish Kelsey the best of luck as we await the results of the election! 🗳️💙

08/05/2026

Phoenix Rising is excited to announce its first event of the 2026–2027 school year!

This October, Phoenix Rising Founder and CEO Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews will have the privilege of speaking to approximately 200 students at Jonathan Law High School in Milford in collaboration with the Milford Prevention Council.

The workshop will focus on self-advocacy, responding to constructive criticism, applying feedback, communicating effectively with peers and teachers, and building students’ confidence to navigate challenges, relationships, and leadership opportunities with clarity and purpose.

At Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, we believe that that leadership begins long before adulthood. It begins in classrooms, conversations, courage, character, resilience, and the everyday choices young people make as they discover who they are, what they are capable of, what kind of leaders they want to become, and what kind of legacies they want to leave behind.

Phoenix Rising is deeply grateful to the Milford Prevention Council and Jonathan Law High School for the invitation and opportunity to expand its impact and serve their students this fall.

The next generation is already rising, and the Phoenix Rising movement is honored to be part of it! 🔥

08/04/2026

Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting is proud and excited to announce a new partnership with The Connecticut Women’s Consortium!

Through this partnership, Phoenix Rising’s Founder, Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews, MSW, will serve as one of CWC’s leadership development facilitators, supporting its continued work to strengthen leaders, organizations, and communities across Connecticut.

The Connecticut Women’s Consortium is a statewide non-profit based in Hamden, CT, that is dedicated to advancing equitable, trauma-informed, and gender-responsive systems through leadership, education, advocacy, and collaboration. For more than two decades, CWC has partnered with professionals, organizations, and communities across Connecticut to strengthen leadership and improve systems of care.

As part of this collaboration, the team at Phoenix Rising is developing a new leadership workshop that will be formally announced in the coming weeks and launched in collaboration with The Connecticut Women’s Consortium in 2027.

We are deeply grateful to CWC’s Executive Director, Alicia Feller, LCSW, and their entire team for this opportunity, and we excited to share more updates and developments in the months ahead.

Something powerful is rising, and this is just the first one many opportunities just like this one. Stay tuned!

08/03/2026

Phoenix Rising is thrilled to announce that the first-ever Phoenix Rising Honors Scholarship has officially been awarded to a student in the Honors College at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas!

The Phoenix Rising Honors Scholarship in Memory of Gerrie Cowden is the inaugural scholarship of Phoenix Rising.

It was established to honor and continue the legacy of Geraldine “Gerrie” Cowden, a beloved UNLV Honors College staff member whose encouragement played an important role in the founding of Phoenix Rising.

Created by Phoenix Rising Founder and CEO Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews, the scholarship provides financial support, encouragement, and mentorship to Honors College students who have demonstrated resilience while navigating hardship and adversity on their path toward success.

The application process considers financial need, a history of overcoming adversity, student background and aspirations, leadership potential, and a future commitment to service.

This fall, Kelsey will return to UNLV to meet the first Phoenix Rising Scholar, who was chosen for the 2025–2026 academic year by the Honors College selection committee. The recipient was awarded $1,000 to support tuition, books, or living expenses during her undergraduate education.

Bringing this scholarship to life has been a meaningful journey. Seeing years of vision, determination, and hard work materialize into tangible impact represents an important milestone for Kelsey, and for the growing legacy of Phoenix Rising.

As a proud UNLV Honors College alumna, Kelsey is deeply honored to give back to the community that played such an important role in her own journey, contribute to the success of the next generation, and preserve the legacy of the woman who encouraged her to take a leap of faith and begin building her own business, brand, and platform.

Gerrie left behind a powerful legacy of love and leadership within the Honors College— one that deserves to be remembered, emulated, and carried forward.

Kelsey and Phoenix Rising cannot wait to welcome the first extraordinary young woman into its growing legacy.

Thank you, UNLV. We will see you soon!
Go Rebels! ❤️🔥🐦‍🔥

08/02/2026

“Mentor to young people, rescuer and caregiver to abandoned animals, and trainer of future leaders— as well as a beauty pageant titleholder using her platform to make a difference— Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews has developed into a woman of compassion and purpose.” – Nicholas P. Checker

Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, LLC is proud to celebrate its Founder and CEO, Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews, on being named Person of the Week by Shore Publishing, The Day, The Sound, and Zip06.

The feature from April of this year, "Kelsey Matthews: Leading with Compassion," highlights the heart behind Kelsey's leadership and her commitment to creating meaningful change through service, advocacy, and the development of emerging leaders.

Kelsey was nominated for this honor by Ken Engelman of Community Volunteers United (CVU), a Connecticut non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of communities locally and globally by providing various volunteer opportunities in Connecticut.

This recognition recognizes more than a collection of accomplishments. It reflects the way Kelsey has chosen to lead throughout her life: with compassion, courage, purpose, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others— both people and animals alike.

Those same values remain at the center of Phoenix Rising and its mission to help individuals and communities discover their voices, strengthen their leadership, and rise to new heights.

Phoenix Rising is incredibly proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and the continued impact of its founder.

Please join us in congratulating Kelsey and read the full Person of the Week feature at the link below in the comments below!

05/13/2026

Thank you so much to Milford Prevention Council and Bridges Healthcare for having us! We look forward to continuing partnership, collaboration, and community impact!

Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, LLC

08/28/2026

08/26/2026

08/18/2026

08/11/2026

08/09/2026

08/05/2026

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05/13/2026

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