Sislena Grocer Ledbetter, Ph.D., is a social psychologist, author, and nationally recognized thought leader known as The Queen of Conversations. She has spent her career helping people, institutions, and communities have the conversations that matter most—the ones that heal, clarify, and transform lives.

Dr. Ledbetter earned all of her degrees with honors, including a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University and both a master’s and doctorate in psychology from Howard University.

She completed advanced post-graduate training in educational leadership at Georgetown University and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, grounding her work at the intersection of psychology, leadership, and human connection.

Her professional journey spans the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors, with senior leadership roles in higher education. She has secured millions of dollars in grant funding to advance behavioral health initiatives addressing HIV/AIDS, substance use, suicide prevention, domestic violence, and veteran wellbeing -- always centering conversation as the catalyst for change.

For more than nine years, Dr. Ledbetter hosted the DC Cable Television program A Healthy Mind, where she led thoughtful, accessible conversations with experts on mental health, relationships, and wellbeing. Today, she is widely sought after for her ability to translate research into real talk—helping people navigate love, leadership, identity, and purpose with honesty and grace.

A past Chair of the United States Health Promoting Campuses Network, Dr. Ledbetter is deeply committed to embedding wellbeing into culture. Her research and writing focus on women’s wellbeing across the lifespan, early childhood literacy, and the conversations that support healthy, thriving intimate relationships, particularly within the Black community.

Her published works include Negotiating Disability: Disclosure and Higher Education and the anthology Black Female Perspectives from Predominantly White Institutions:

Strategies for Wellbeing in White Spaces and Beyond. She is currently co-authoring Wellbeing in the Workplace and is the author of The Seven Conversations You Must Have Before You Say “I Do” a powerful guide that helps couples move beyond romance into the real conversations that sustain love.

At her core, Dr. Ledbetter is a connector, a truth-teller, and a fierce advocate for meaningful dialogue. When she’s not on stage or writing, she’s spending time with her three sons, taking long walks, enjoying 90s hip-hop and reggae, devouring audiobooks, and practicing life as a recovering multitasker - deeply committed to supporting those who care for everyone else.