Nearly 200 students and professionals gathered for UVU’s RISE 2025 conference, featuring keynote speaker Trina Celeste. Discover the top insights on harmony, resilience, social capital, and personal evolution that inspired attendees to rise to their potential.
On November 7, nearly 200 students and professionals gathered at Utah Valley University for RISE, an annual conference encouraging those in attendance to “Rise to Your Potential” through educational sessions, networking, and self-reflection. This year’s event was shaped powerfully by keynote speaker Trina Celeste, author of Orchestrating Life-Work Harmony, whose message resonated with attendees as they considered how to grow personally and professionally.
Trina’s keynote invited attendees to rethink what growth, leadership, and harmony truly look like. Drawing from her own deeply personal experiences, she reminded us that life rarely follows a straight path—and that leadership is something we cultivate daily. There is no such thing as Work-Life Balance but you can find Life-Work Harmony with an emphasis on the fact that Life should come first.
RISE founder and UVU alumna Lindsey Lewis captured the energy of the event perfectly:
“RISE brought together a true choir of voices, each offering its own tone, cadence,
and truth… This year felt like a masterclass in what can happen when a community chooses
to grow together.”
Here are five powerful takeaways—each one a tool you can use today, whether you were in the room or not.
Trina shared openly about the doubts and limiting narratives she had to release in order to grow. Much like a garden can’t thrive amongst weeds and pests, you must tend to that garden.
UVU student Emeri Johnson reflected on this message as she listened to Trina’s keynote:
“She emphasized the importance of ‘plucking and chucking’ the doubts, discouragement,
and negativity that come along the way.”
Try this:
Identify one thought or habit you’re ready to remove. Write it down, cross it out, and choose a replacement thought that aligns with your goals. Growth often begins with subtraction, not addition.
This resonates deeply because many of us confuse exhaustion with misalignment. It is easy to get caught up in the ‘to-do’ list and all of the other routine tasks that seem to take up the majority of our time. These leave you completely drained. While it is true that we all can likely use a lot more sleep, sometimes it doesn’t just come down to being tired. Instead, you are uninspired. You haven’t given yourself the chance to recapture that spark which helps you to think creatively and reminds you of your “why” in what you do.
Try this:
Do one small thing today that reignites your curiosity—read a page, talk to someone energizing, listen to a podcast you love. Sometimes a spark is more effective than a break.
Lindsey Lewis highlighted this as one of the deepest takeaways from Trina’s keynote: leaders thrive the same way plants do—through daily nourishment.
Try this:
A simple Leadership Harmony Check inspired by Trina:
Speaker Dr. Tulinda Larsen described the atmosphere at RISE as:
“A spirit of collaboration and curiosity.”
Those qualities are the foundation of social capital—the people, relationships, and communities that lift us higher. Events like RISE allow for these opportunities to connect on a human level and build those connections so they have time to grow and mature into lasting relationships throughout our lives and careers.
Try this:
Reach out to one person this week with no agenda: thank them, encourage them, or ask a curious question. Social capital grows through generosity, not transactions.
Lindsey’s words became the echo of the entire conference:
“RISE showed that true leadership is not linear. It is harmony, resilience, and the
courage to evolve.”
Growth doesn’t look like a staircase; it looks like seasons—some full of stillness, others full of acceleration.
Try this reframing:
Instead of asking, “Am I moving fast enough?” Ask, “Am I becoming the person I want to be?” Progress measured in evolution is far more sustainable than progress measured in speed.
RISE 2025 wasn’t just an event. It was a reminder that leadership and professional growth are something we design, moment by moment. Lindsey Lewis described it as a gathering where “students weren’t just listening—they were absorbing words that will echo long after they leave campus.”
Student Emeri Johnson agreed, “There are few things that energize me more than connecting with driven professionals and students. I left feeling inspired to elevate my career and reconnected with my ‘why’ for pursuing this path.”
Refer to the meaning of RISE as you are looking to accelerate your personal and professional growth:
Let go of what weighs you down and find ways to orchestrate your life and career with confidence, harmony, and intention so you can RISE to your potential.
The 2025 RISE Conference was made possible thanks to the support of the Utah Valley University Woodbury School of Business and major sponsor Green Dot Bank.
Thank you to 2025 Speakers: Trina Celeste, Lindsey Lewis, Akwasi Frimpong, Jo Dailami, Alex Call, CJ Harrison, Breelyn Vanleeuwen, Jamaica Martin, Dr. Tulinda Larsen, John Linford, Jennifer Swindler, Tyler Vongsawad, Maysen Minor, Sindee Savage, Katie McMinn, Jonyce Bullock, Christina LaFrance, Chris Crittenden, and Diane Acevedo.
Special thanks to Just Ingredients, Chick-Fil-A, Threads, Utah’s Hogle Zoo, and Indy Clover for in-kind donations for the attendee swag bags and drawing prizes.
