Her Story
About Davina
Davina Wright-Lyons is an educator, resilience strategist, and founder of Rising Resilience Education and Consulting, where she helps teachers, leaders, and other high-performing professionals rebuild sustainable habits before burnout takes hold. She has spent more than a decade in the classroom, having launched her teaching career as a substitute on the Gila River Indian Community and remaining there for six years before moving on to roles with Mesa Public Schools and, since 2023, Maricopa Unified School District. Before entering education, she spent over thirty years in the corporate world, an experience that continues to inform her practical, systems-based approach to leadership and personal development.
Central to Wright-Lyons's work is the RISE Framework, a structured method she created to guide people through reflection, identifying stress patterns, establishing boundaries, and ultimately emerging with greater intention and stability. What began in 2018 as broader coaching for women's personal and professional growth sharpened over time into a dedicated focus on educator burnout, culminating in her signature program, Compassion Without Collapse. She now extends this work through keynote speaking, customized workshops, and leadership training for organizations such as the Arizona Education Association and Northern Arizona University, and she shares her message further through two podcasts, Voices of Resilience and The Coach's Corner.
Wright-Lyons holds a Master of Management in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a post-baccalaureate credential in Secondary Education from Rio Salado College, and she has been a member of the National Council of Teachers of English since 2015. Her contributions have been recognized with the 2026 Power Tools Champion Award, honoring her as a catalyst for change, and the 2025 Teacher Leader Award. Guided by compassion, authenticity, and a deep commitment to service, Wright-Lyons continues to build tools and programs that help strong, high-achieving people recover their footing rather than reach a breaking point.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Davina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to trusting my own instincts and to my genuine love of helping others succeed. There is real joy for me in watching people grow, whether that's a student in my classroom or a woman finally believing she can do something for herself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The mentorship and encouragement I received from Felicia R. Davis shaped me in ways I still draw on today. Alongside that, I've held onto the simple but powerful advice to release fear and take action, trusting that I can learn what I need to know along the way.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't let fear hold you back, just do it. I had to teach myself to say yes to opportunities and be at peace with the uncertainty, figuring things out as I went, and that mindset has driven my forward progress more than anything else.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Too many women sacrifice their own well-being, neglecting self-care while pouring everything into someone else's goals until their own reserves run dry. This overachievement creates unnecessary stress and anxiety, but it also points to a real opportunity: treating resilience as a skill that can be intentionally taught and strengthened, rather than something people are simply expected to have.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Compassion, authenticity, and resilience guide everything I do, both professionally and personally. I also hold service to others, strong leadership, and consistent self-care as essential values, since I believe you can't sustain any of the rest without protecting your own well-being first.
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