About Giselle
I didn't arrive at this work by accident. I arrived through lineage. My family's story is connected to the Underground Railroad — a network of people who chose freedom at extraordinary cost. That inheritance lives in everything I do: how I build businesses, how I advise talent, how I show up on stages and in boardrooms, and why I believe that the pursuit of freedom is never just personal. It is always ancestral. It is always futurist.
Giselle J. Phelps (she/her) is an Ancestral Futurist, media strategist, entrepreneur, and storyteller exploring the intersection of legacy, identity, and future-building within media ecosystems. A descendant of the Underground Railroad, she brings a lived and historical perspective to her work, bridging the wisdom of the past with the urgency of the present.
With more than two decades of experience spanning broadcast news, syndicated television, public relations, and talent representation, Giselle has built a career shaping narratives that influence how we see ourselves and what we believe is possible.
As the Founder of Grand Rising Talent, a Los Angeles-based consulting agency advising diverse clients on impactful media and brand opportunities, Giselle has been at the forefront of redefining visibility, ownership, and power in media. A client podcast she co-created received a 2026 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Podcast, News and Information. She has represented award-winning clients across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Giselle is the creator and host of Heart Like Harriet, a podcast exploring what it truly means to live free across love, work, wealth, and creative expression. It draws inspiration from the legacy of Harriet Tubman while reimagining what liberation looks like today.
As an Ancestral Futurist, Giselle offers a distinct lens on culture and storytelling that honors the past not as history alone, but as instruction, recognizing that what we call trends are often patterns rooted in history. She speaks and writes about the future of Black women’s entrepreneurship, narrative ownership, and the power of reclaiming identity in a rapidly evolving world.
In addition to Grand Rising Talent, Giselle is currently a member of Canada’s Global Executives Network through the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles. She previously served on the National Advisory Council for ForbesBLK and on the Board of Directors for Outfest.
Giselle is a public speaker for media organizations, advocacy groups, colleges and universities, and professional associations, including GLAAD, the National Society of Leadership and Success, the Critics Choice Association, Ithaca College, Santa Monica College, Dress For Success, and GroupM, among others. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and has appeared on ABC News’ Good Morning America, Bravo, and Sirius XM Radio.
She was previously nominated for “Canadians of New York” by the Consulate General of Canada in New York and recognized as “Canadian of the Month” by Canadians Abroad Los Angeles in June 2022.
Giselle holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and studied abroad at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia.