Elyse Montanez

Entrepreneur, Event planner, Parent, Public servant

I am a 34 year-old wife, bonus mom of four, entrepreneur, and small business owner in the beautiful Temecula Valley in California. I have a background in hospitality and customer service, working in restaurants as a teenager, and craft cocktail bars in my early adulthood. My husband and I co-founded our mobile bartending company, Life of the BARty LLC, in 2019. Since our companies launch, I have become increasingly involved in our community and neighboring communities each year. I am an active member of the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce & Professional Women's Roundtable- an organization that provides scholarships to local high school graduates, among other philanthropic endeavors. We participate in fundraisers & golf tournaments that benefit organizations like Habitat for Humanity, The Boys and Girls Club, Michelle's Place-Cancer Resource Center, and many more. In January of 2023 I ended my relationship with alcohol, making my mobile bartending business a "unique" career path. I began exploring non-alcoholic substitutes and healthier alternatives that would allow a person like me to still feel included, while remaining sober and healthy. In 2024, my husband took over the lead organizer role for TEDxTemecula, and in turn, I was crowned "Community Outreach Leader." It was surprising how many young people in my community were unaware we held a TED conference in our historic downtown, and it was my goal to raise awareness and get my community involved. In 2025, I started a campaign to get our local restaurants, bakeries, and bars to add specialty items to their menus that were 'inspired by TEDxTemecula2025.' These unique menu additions fit that years theme of 'Disrupt,' and raised eyebrows and awareness about the event. Wherever this life and business takes me, I hope to continue to be involved in the beautiful community of Temecula Valley. I am so grateful for this place, and the people in it who continue to support me every day.

I am passionate about making a difference in the lives around me. I believe everyone on this earth has a purpose, and you get to choose what that purpose is. The level of satisfaction I feel when I've helped someone reach a goal, complete a task, run an event, etc. is immeasurable.

I would love to conduct research on the science & psychology of human connection by ritual and celebration. Often times, my bar becomes a space for vulnerability, joy, or unity. I would study how physical environments influence emotional experience by conducting mini “experiments” at events (e.g., how lighting or sound changes guest engagement). I would love to see if we could pinpoint an optimum setting for human connection, and introduce it into a bar setting where there are only non-alcoholic beverages served.

Customer Service, Hospitality, Mixology, People over Profit

People don't know I am good at writing. I haven't 'picked up a pen' in years, but I used to love to write. I always dreamed of writing a book.