I help people navigate systems
I’m Vicky – strategist, storyteller, and systems-minded guide for quiet leaders and multi-lane thinkers who know they’re capable of more, but refuse to burn themselves out proving it.
My work lives at the intersection of narrative strategy, vocational design, and systems thinking. I help people organize their body of work, claim their authority, and build strategies that are coherent, sustainable, and aligned with how they actually live and lead.
I hold a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on Instructional Design and Educational Technology, and I’m currently completing a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) in Strategy and Innovation, where my research centers on how strategy succeeds (or collapses) when capacity, context, and human complexity are ignored. I study how people learn, how systems shape behavior, and how decisions land when constraints are in play.
Alongside my private practice, I work inside education systems, currently at a transfer high school, where outcomes aren’t hypothetical and design choices have real consequences. That lived proximity to institutions informs everything I do, especially my work in work-based learning, trauma-informed vocational strategy, and career design that honors both ambition and sustainability.
Over the last 20+ years, I’ve worked across media, education, startups, and workforce development, collaborating with organizations including NBCUniversal, Vme TV, FIU’s Ratcliffe Startup Studio, NYC Department of Small Business Services, The Alley, and The Latinista.
I believe success isn’t something you chase harder – it’s something that comes into focus when you finally adjust the lens.
My work lives at the intersection of education, business, and culture.
Connect With Me
If you’re reaching out, you’re likely navigating a moment of transition – in your work, your organization, or the systems you’re responsible for supporting.
You can contact me to explore custom engagements at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and vocational design. Each collaboration is shaped around your context and may include advisory work, facilitated strategy sessions, curriculum or framework design, workshops, or longer-term partnerships.
I don’t offer one-size-fits-all packages. We begin with conversation and build from there.
I am also available for:
Speaking Engagements
Facilitated conversations on vocational wellness, career design, resilience, multi-lane work, trauma-informed professionalism, and sustainable leadership.
Private Workshops
Custom-designed sessions for teams, schools, organizations, and community-based groups focused on capacity-building, clarity, and practical application.
Lunch & Learn Seminars
Short-form, high-impact learning experiences that introduce frameworks around career wellness, burnout, work identity, and sustainable growth.
Professional Development
Strategic professional learning for educators, staff, and leaders centered on work-based learning, career pathways, emotional capacity, and human-centered systems design.
Employee Resource Groups
Thoughtful, facilitated workshops and discussions that support identity-aware leadership, belonging, and career navigation within complex organizational environments.
Podcasts and Media
Guest conversations and interviews exploring career design, storytelling, survival intelligence, reinvention, and what it means to build work that doesn’t require self-abandonment.
Where You’ll Find Me
I maintain a light presence on a few platforms, but I’m no longer showing up everywhere or all the time. My work is deep, considered, and systems-oriented — not optimized for constant posting.
Instagram (@vickyayala)
Twitter / X (@vickyayala)
LinkedIn (@vickyayala)
If you’re looking for ongoing engagement, thoughtful analysis, and professional context, LinkedIn is the best place to connect.
Willing to Travel (With Intention)
I’m based in the NJ/NYC area and available for select in-person engagements. I travel when the work is aligned, the purpose is clear, and the container is thoughtfully designed.
Warm weather preferred.
Snow tolerated, briefly.
Passport ready. ✈️
Engagements & Collaborations
I’m available for virtual and in-person engagements that center depth, care, and real impact, including:
» Speaking engagements and facilitated conversations
» Panels and moderated discussions
» Workshops and learning experiences on vocational wellness, career design, and narrative authority
» Work-based learning strategy sessions for schools and organizations
» Seminars exploring trauma-informed professionalism, multi-lane careers, and sustainable leadership
I work best with audiences and organizations that value clarity over performance, sustainability over urgency, and design over default.