BESTSELLING author . AWARD winning speaker. MENTAL FITNESS advocate.
I use the power of story to spark hope, build resilience, and transform lives. From bestselling novels to life-saving conversations on mental health, my mission is simple: every story is a lifeline.
FROM STRUGGLE to story to strength
Behind every achievement is a story—and Erika J. Kendrick’s story is one of resilience, courage, and transformation.
A bestselling author, award-winning national speaker, and mental fitness expert, Erika has built a career on turning struggle into strength and story into strategy. She holds a psychology degree from Stanford University and an MBA in marketing and international business from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Before she ever picked up a microphone or wrote a bestselling novel, Erika brought her energy to the court as an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls.
Her storytelling career began with the novels Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader and Appetite (Random House). Today, she tours nationally with her bestselling middle-grade books—Squad Goals, Cookie Monsters, and Instafamous (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)—bringing joy, belonging, and connection to young readers everywhere.
But her true superpower emerged from her deepest struggle.
After battling what she calls her “brain pain,” Erika founded Mental Fitness For Life and launched the nationwide book tour Who Moved My Happy?. Her mission: to create safe spaces for life-saving conversations, inspire hope, and give audiences the tools to build resilience and mental fitness.
Since then, Erika has presented, keynoted, and lectured across the country for organizations such as the US Army and Air Force, the Girl Scouts USA, national fraternities and sororities, schools, universities, and conferences. She has toured with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), is a Hall of Fame speaker with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and has been honored with multiple awards for excellence and impact.
Her voice has been heard on TEDx stages, Good Morning America, NBC News, CBS News, and The Wendy Williams Experience, and her work has been featured in publications including The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and Page Six of The New York Post.
From page to stage, Erika J. Kendrick uses the power of story to heal, to connect, and to transform—proving that even our hardest chapters can become our greatest superpowers.
