Meet Élanoura
We are a global collective of women leaders creating positive change through what we do.
We believe every woman deserves to create her own future, contribute her unique value, and make her mark in the world.
Élanoura was created to bring together women and non-binary leaders who want to make positive change through their work.
We enlighten, engage, and empower women leaders to think beyond their self-interest and infuse a higher purpose into what their work produces. It starts with the recognition that we each have the opportunity to take responsibility for what we put out into the world.
As a social enterprise, Élanoura donates 10% of fees received from our efforts to nonprofit partners, and creates impact opportunities for our members to give their time, knowledge, and support to women around the world.
Our efforts work toward four of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
01.
Gender Equality
Achieve Gender Equality And Empower All Women And Girls
We elevate women globally through education, support, connection, and opportunities for impact. We also donate 10% of retreat fees to nonprofit partners supporting women and girl's rights.
02.
Decent Work And Economic Growth
PROMOTE SUSTAINED, INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH
We support women building businesses that generate long-term value, sustainable solutions, and a legacy of positive impact through enlightenment, engagement, and empowerment.
03.
Quality Education
ENSURE INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION
We provide training opportunities that guide, educate, and inspire women founders and founders-to-be, globally. We also offer a training fellowship for women college students and recent graduates.
04.
Reduced Inequalities
REDUCE INEQUALITY WITHIN AND AMONG COUNTRIES
We offer a fellowship for global women founders in countries lacking support and resources, and we will hold our first Local Women Founders Pitch Day in Egypt to fund women-owned businesses in local economies.
Meet the Women Working Behind the Scenes at Élanoura
Meet Our Team
Behind Élanoura is a small, dedicated team of women business owners turning big ideas into meaningful action.
Founder & CEO
Erika Brechtel
Erika Brechtel is an L.A.-based brand consultant for women leaders and founders for over 20 years, featured on Forbes, HuffPost, Thrive Global, and SELF.
Erika speaks for organizations such as UCLA Anderson, Junior League, Bumble Bizz, and Fabletics, and is a volunteer and non-profit board member for over 30 years committed to the empowerment of women and girls globally.
Born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Erika is now living her best life raising a 16-year old daughter in Los Angeles, California.
Maria Jose Herrera
Retreat travel planner
Mariajose Herrera, a dedicated right-hand executor to visionary women founders and entrepreneurs. Leveraging her education, skills, and extensive 14-year corporate background in finance, project management, and event planning, Maria entered the entrepreneurial sphere to establish Avventura Vida.
Holding an MBA in International Business, she now serves as the driving force behind a business dedicated to empowering visionary women. In the roles of virtual project manager, bookkeeper, and retreat planner, Maria's commitment is to bring others' visions to life with precision and excellence.
Hae Park
Website Developer
Hae is a web developer and technical consultant who partners with founders, growing brands, and mid-sized enterprises to create websites and digital systems that are reliable, maintainable, and thoughtfully designed.
Since 2019, Hae has led Made at Dawn, a creative development studio specializing in website strategy, custom development, technical integrations, and marketing workflows.
With roots in South Korea, Canada, and California, Hae now lives in San Jose, CA, where she spends her days coding, designing, and helping teams turn complex challenges into practical, resilient solutions.
Join the Élanoura Collective
Join our free global collective of women leaders in 24 countries to get on the list for upcoming retreats and opportunities to support, grow, learn, and give back through what we do.