Shaleka Smith is a dynamic speaker, author, minister, and healthcare professional who brings heart, healing, and hope to every space she enters. Born and raised in Chicago, Shaleka blends real-life experience with faith, humor, and deep empathy to help people navigate life’s hardest moments—especially grief.

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Whether she’s leading a “Grief Talk,” ministering from the pulpit, or speaking at a conference, Shaleka creates safe spaces where people feel seen, heard, and uplifted. Her acclaimed book Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This and her Letters to Heaven Journal Series have become powerful tools for individuals and communities facing loss.

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In addition to her extensive expertise, Shaleka is a certified sexual assault crisis worker. This qualification further deepens her capacity to support individuals dealing with trauma, ensuring that her message of hope and transformation resonates with compassion and authority.

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Shaleka doesn’t just speak from theory—she speaks from lived experience. As a mother, minister, and survivor of personal loss, she knows what it means to carry pain and still show up with purpose. Her voice is both healing and challenging, calling others into honest reflection and powerful transformation.

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With a background in healthcare administration and a heart for ministry, Shaleka is often invited to lead workshops, panel discussions, retreats, and faith-based gatherings where grief, mental health, healing, and personal growth are front and center.

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If you're looking for a speaker who can move a room, minister to the brokenhearted, and offer tangible hope—Shaleka Smith is the one to call.