Keynotes, workshops, and crisis-informed mental health education that help people understand what happens when stress takes over, respond with greater clarity, and know what to do when a real human moment happens.
A relaxed 20-minute conversation about your people and what you’re seeing. No pitch.
Someone who is normally engaged goes quiet. A dependable employee starts missing deadlines. A colleague reacts in a way that feels completely out of character. Someone says, “I’m fine,” and everyone in the room knows they are not.
Most people care. Most people want to help. Most people were simply never shown what to do next.
That gap between caring and knowing how to respond is where First Aid for Real Human Moments™ begins.
of employees say their manager affects their mental health, the same as their spouse or partner. Your managers already shape your team’s mental health. The question is whether they’re prepared.
Ilona Poka is a mental health educator, keynote speaker, and Certified Neuroplastician through John Kennedy’s Combat Brain Training. She is the founder of Truth Be Told and creator of First Aid for Real Human Moments™. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in women’s studies from Marymount College.
Through frontline crisis-response work with La Frontera EMPACT, Ilona responded face-to-face to people experiencing mental health crises, meeting people where the crisis was happening in homes, schools, workplaces, churches, streets, and other community settings.
She has worked in Arizona real estate since 2003, including more than a decade leading her own brokerage. That experience gives her a practical understanding of how pressure affects judgment, communication, behavior, and relationships.
Ilona’s certification in Combat Brain Training adds a practical neuroplasticity-based dimension to her work. It gives people another way to understand and practice how the brain functions under pressure, supporting focus, processing, working memory, pattern recognition, and decision-making.
Combat Brain Training is used as an educational and performance-support tool. It is not therapy, medical treatment, mental health diagnosis, or a replacement for professional care.
B.A. Psychology, Minor in Women’s Studies | Certified Neuroplastician, John Kennedy’s Combat Brain Training | Frontline Face-to-Face Mental Health Crisis Response, La Frontera EMPACT / 988 system | QPR-trained Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper | ASIST-trained in Suicide Intervention | Arizona Real Estate since 2003
Long before there was Truth Be Told or First Aid for Real Human Moments™, there were people Ilona loved. She saw how trauma and mental illness can ripple through a family, and how the way people respond can create more pain or become part of what helps someone through it.
That lived experience, combined with psychology, crisis response, suicide-prevention training, real-world business pressure, and brain-based education, shaped the work she teaches today.
“We should not have to wait for the worst day of someone’s life to learn how to show up for them.”
You do not need to become someone’s therapist to respond with care when another human being is struggling.
First Aid for Real Human Moments™ prepares people to notice what may be happening, understand their own reaction, use language that creates connection, ask the questions that matter, and recognize when additional support is needed.
Think of it the way CPR prepares someone to respond in a medical emergency without becoming a doctor. This work gives people practical skills for the emotional and crisis moments that happen in real life.
People do not need perfect words. They need the courage to notice, the ability to stay regulated, language that opens the door, and enough preparation to take the next right step.
Meet Your Brain Team
Brain Team gives people a memorable way to understand what can happen inside the brain when stress takes over.
The alarm system.
and looks for danger.
The planner.
perspective, and thoughtful decisions.
The memory keeper.
with what has happened before.
Knowing someone may be struggling is one thing. Knowing what to say next is another. BRAVE gives people a simple, human framework for slowing down, starting the conversation, asking what needs to be asked, staying present, and following through.
Regulate yourself before you say a word.
Start a direct, human check-in.
Ask the question most people are afraid to ask.
Thank them for telling you, stay connected, and ask if they are safe.
Follow up. Presence matters, and follow-through matters too.
Get the free BRAVE Conversation Guide for Leaders, a practical resource designed to help you navigate the conversations that do not come with a script.
The goal is not to turn people into mental health professionals. It is to help them feel more prepared and grounded in moments that are easy to mishandle.
may be affecting behavior and judgment.
before reacting or escalating the moment.
with greater clarity and care.
without immediately fixing or judging.
when someone may need additional support, including how to connect them to the right resource.
Programs are shaped around your audience, culture, and goals, with a clear focus on what you want people to leave knowing, feeling, and able to do.
Professional. Practical. Built for real workplaces.
Every engagement begins with a conversation about your people, what you are seeing, and what you want them to leave knowing, feeling, and able to do. Ilona has spoken for the Arizona Association of REALTORS® and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Keynotes that open the conversation. Interactive workshops that make brain science understandable. Team training that gives people shared language and practical ways to respond when stress, distress, or crisis shows up at work.
Practical education for agents, brokers, teams, and associations navigating high-stakes decisions, emotionally charged conversations, and major life transitions.
Not sure what fits your team? Start with a conversation.
She keeps the group small and personal, encourages one-on-one connection, and creates a space that’s open, safe, and judgment-free.
Jenna
Program Participant
Ilona Poka has an unparalleled ability to create a transparent and open space for self-exploration. Her training approach goes beyond mere conversation; it’s a journey of profound introspection. Ilona effortlessly combines empathy with insightful guidance, fostering an environment where honesty and vulnerability are not just encouraged but celebrated. Working with her is like navigating through your thoughts with a trusted compass, and the clarity she brings is truly transformative. Highly recommend for those seeking a trainer who values transparency as much as genuine connection.
Erika Madsen
elm Business Development & Marketing for REALTORS®
When Real Estate Gets Real brings this work to agents, brokers, teams, and associations.
Train Your Brain offers practical education for understanding stress, building capacity, and practicing brain-based tools.
The Real Human Moments Project shares honest conversations about mental health, healing, and the moments that matter.
Clear answers regarding educational scope, audience size flexibility, customization, and lead times.
Yes. Ilona’s work is education, not therapy, and it is designed to make difficult subjects more understandable and approachable without asking participants to disclose personal experiences. Her approach is informed by psychology education, suicide-prevention training, and frontline face-to-face mental health crisis response with La Frontera EMPACT.
Ilona does not turn the room into a therapy session. She responds with care, keeps appropriate boundaries, and helps connect the person to the right support when needed. Organizations should also follow their own internal safety, HR, EAP, and emergency protocols. If someone is in immediate crisis, 988 or emergency services may be appropriate.
No. Truth Be Told provides education and training. First Aid for Real Human Moments™ prepares people to recognize, regulate, respond, and connect to appropriate support. It is not therapy, diagnosis, medical treatment, or a crisis service.
Yes. Programs can be delivered in person or virtually, depending on the audience, event, and goals.
Select Arizona real estate programs are eligible for continuing education credit for Arizona real estate licensees. CE availability depends on the specific program and event.
Organizations have booked anywhere from three weeks to eight months ahead. Availability depends on Ilona’s schedule and your event date, so earlier is helpful for conferences and larger events.
Bring practical, human-centered mental health education into your organization so your people are more prepared when a real human moment happens.
A relaxed 20-minute conversation about your people and what you’re seeing. No pitch.
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