Turn your pain into purpose.
It’s a philosophy that speaker and social entrepreneur Lorenzo Lewis lives by. With a decade of professional experience in behavioral health and founder of The Confess Project—an initiative that trains barbers, beauticians, and frontline workers to become mental health advocates in underserved communities—Lorenzo helps you confess to your issues to begin to build a better process of living.
Born in jail to an incarcerated mother, Lorenzo struggled with depression, anxiety, and anger throughout his youth. At 17, he almost re-entered the system of mass incarceration he had come from. It was then he snapped in and began his journey to wellness.
It started with an education at Arkansas Baptist College and continued with him facing his own emotional challenges, eventually becoming a mental health advocate. Since then, Lorenzo has been a keynote speaker at numerous venues across the country—from organizations and universities to law enforcement and government agencies—exploring themes such as toxic masculinity, therapy taboos, and more. He has also presented at TEDxFayetteville and TEDxPointParkUniversity.
An entrepreneurial changemaker, Lorenzo transformed The Confess Project into a national grassroots movement. To date, his team has trained over 5000 barbers and frontline workers in more than 35 cities. Fast Company named The Confess Project as one of “The 10 most innovative health companies of 2021.”
Now, after a successful career in the nonprofit sector, Lorenzo has shifted his focus to mission-driven business. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Babson College School of Innovation where he is reimagining sustainability to encourage the long-term growth of businesses that build a better society, including his own, L&J Empowerment. Led by Lorenzo and his wife, Jordan, the parent nonprofit supports several of his other initiatives, including Uplift Barber and Beauty Academy that fosters workforce development for barbers and beauticians in the South.
In addition, Lorenzo believes building generational wealth is key and has launched several family businesses that not only generate opportunities for his wife and daughter, but help everyday folks thrive. He is likewise a board emeritus member for The Confess Project, continuing in an advisory role.
Community comes first in Lorenzo’s endeavors—whether it's the people he serves or the talent he hires. He believes that when you empower individuals, you empower the community. His book, "Jumping Over Life’s Hurdles and Staying in the Race," threads together these lessons to tell a story of how he became the visionary he is today.
With the ultimate goal of prosperity for the community, Lorenzo now trains a wide variety of business professionals in workplace settings on mental health. He has given trainings for the Retired NFL Association, Snapchat, Gillette, Texas Rangers, and more. He has also previously served as an adjunct professor at Arkansas Baptist College.
Lorenzo is a 2024 Clinton Global Initiative Fellow, 2022 Ashoka Fellow, 2020 Roddenberry Foundation Fellow, and 2020 Echoing Green Fellow. He has had the honor of sharing a stage with President Clinton and speaking after His Holiness Pope Francis at the invite-only 2023 Clinton Global Initiative Meeting.
This year, Lorenzo was named one of Very Well Mind’s ‘Mental Health 25 Champions’ alongside luminaries Taraji P. Henson and Serena Williams. His work has also been featured in countless other media outlets including Oprah Magazine, BET, CNN’s Great Big Story, Revolt on PBS, Black Enterprise, and Huffington Post as well as brands such as Kenneth Cole and the Minnesota Vikings. He has also made appearances on Love & Respect with Killer Mike, Jay Z’s Roc Nation, Nick Cannon Mornings, The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, and more.
