Coach Glenis

Hello, I'm Glenis Denney, driven by a passion for wellness and inspired by personal experiences to pursue certification as a health and wellness coach. I view every challenge as an opportunity for growth and aim to inspire others to lead healthier, happier lives through empathy, compassion, and genuine connection. Receiving the Wellness Warrior Scholarship from Expert Coaching Center is an honor that fuels my commitment to creating a blueprint for health and happiness, particularly in mental health. Guided by my family's legacy in healthcare and my own journey, I am dedicated to leveraging my expertise to empower individuals and communities to thrive through my Caribbean Wellness school business program. “Inspiring healthier, happier lives everyday.” – Glenis Denney, Founder of Caribbean Wellness.

Coach Adonya

"I have a huge passion for health and fitness. From starting as a young athlete in gymnastics and track in middle school and high school , to being able to compete at the collegiate level in track. Along with that, I studied Exercise Physiology in undergrad. Once I gained the complete understanding of how that body works, I realized I wanted to help other people learn how their bodies work and adding to that, how they can take better care of themselves. I am excited to use my college education, and the important skills I learn from ECC to help people and give them the tools they need to make healthy lifestyle changes."

Coach Samantha

My name is Samantha and I am an athletic and personal trainer looking to continue improving my knowledge and skill set for a holistic approach to health and wellness. This health and wellness certification program is my next step towards achieving holistic care for my patients and clients. With this certification I plan to give back to my community by disseminating information regarding health and wellness and create an organization and resources that will be widely accessible regardless of financial standing. I intend to work with a network of other like-minded individuals, we plan to create a holistic community space that has professionals ranging from physical therapists, athletic trainers and personal trainers to nutritionists, reiki masters and acupuncturists. 

Coach Lauryn

From a young age, Lauryn’s biggest interest was being physically active and encouraging her peers that physical activity and overall wellness will help them in all aspects of life. Lauryn is a certified personal trainer, CrossFit and Olympic Weightlifting coach, and works with people of all ages and demographics to achieve their fitness and wellness goals. Upon becoming a CEWC through ECC, Lauryn will expand her coaching wheelhouse and will help many more people achieve their health goals.

Coach Erica

My Journey: Finding Strength in Adversity

I'm Erica Cole, a believer in the transformative power of resilience and compassion. Growing up in a challenging environment plagued by substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty, and the poverty mindset, I navigated a childhood devoid of guidance. Yet, driven by an innate desire to rise above, I refused to succumb to the cycle of dysfunction.

Despite the odds, I pursued education and achieved milestones that defied my circumstances. From becoming the first in my family to attain a college degree, becoming a successful entrepreneur, maintaining a healthy marriage of 30 years with 3 children, to securing an MBA, my journey was a testament to perseverance.

For years, I suppressed a calling to support individuals navigating similar hardships. However, life's trials redirected me towards a purpose-driven path. Parenting a special needs child opened my eyes to the need for holistic support, not just for my family but for communities facing similar challenges.

My mission is crystal clear—to empower and guide those in need. I've walked through the shadows of adversity and emerged with insights and tools. As a future board-certified health and wellness coach, I'm dedicated to nurturing resilience, fostering mental wellness, and advocating for healthier lifestyles.

I envision a world where individuals from all walks of life, especially parents of special needs children and those from underserved communities, find hope, guidance, and opportunities for personal growth. Through compassionate coaching and community support, my aim is to rewrite narratives, break cycles, and ignite possibilities.

With my certification from the Expert Coach Center, I can now help those like me navigate the labyrinth of life's challenges, creating a roadmap to resilience and well-being. Every step we take towards empowerment strengthens not only individuals but entire communities.

Coach Emily

"I am thrilled to be the recipient of the Wellness Warrior Scholarship! I am a College of Charleston alum with a public health degree, Peace Corps veteran, trained massage therapist, mental health professional, and a recent victim advocate for law enforcement.

Back in college, my friends nicknamed me "Life Coach" because they often sought me out for encouraging words during their personal challenges. Initially, it was a playful label, but it got me thinking about my life purpose. I realized I had a genuine passion for coaching, especially in the context of health and well-being. This scholarship is a fantastic opportunity for me to take this passion to a professional level.

With that being said, I believe that health is a multifaceted concept that involves physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. As someone who has dedicated their professional and personal life to health, I hope I can inspire others to reach their health goals. I believe that the Expert Coach Wellness Coach program will allow me to build upon my experiences and enhance my skills to better empower individuals to adopt healthy habits, promote positive behavior change, and create lasting impact in my community!"

Coach Broden

Have you ever come across something so new and exciting that you instantly become passionate about it? That has been my experience with coaching. Throughout my life, I have been on-call as a peacemaker and problem-fixer. I always felt that I needed to save people from their suffering and take their problems away. It hurt me to see others in pain from their life's misfortunes. My life experiences, personality, values, and overall desire to serve others have directed me to pursue an education to qualify me to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I love the family system and how our individual experiences are connected with those closest to us. In my early college years, I was introduced to coaching and became instantly attached. I have been mesmerized by the coach's purpose: to help others recognize their own strengths and abilities to fix their own problems and find their personal peace. My goal is to innovate mental health care through my dual professions of therapy and coaching. I want to make mental health care more accessible and convenient for everyone, especially individuals of low income or in poverty.

Coach Kendra

My Why: My goals with becoming a health coach are to be better acquitted to help my current and future personal training clients. Health and wellness is a full lifestyle approach and I want to be better able to help my clients reach those goals. Body, Mind and Spirit. I have been a certified personal trainer for 12 years now and have worked with 1000s of clients thus far on their exercise journeys and the bridge we have to cross time and time again is changing habits, and behaviors. My goal with this certification is to be better able to help them make these life long changes!

Coach Glendaly

Glendaly is a former Physical Therapist and current Speech Language Pathologist.  During her years as a Physical Therapist, she helped her clients regain their physical health and make changes for a more active and healthy lifestyle. As a Speech Language Pathologist, Glendaly helps young kids with speech and language delays, and also coaches Spanish-speaking families to find a balance in their lives and empower them to advocate for their kids’ general wealth being. Glendaly’s passion is working with underserved and disadvantaged Spanish Speaking clients.

As a Breast Cancer Survivor, Glendaly has also developed a passion to help Hispanic Women navigate their breast cancer treatments and recovery phases by providing guidance to community support and resources. Glendaly hopes to make the best of the opportunity provided by the Wellness Warrior scholarship by combining all of her experiences and skills to become a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach. She is grateful for this opportunity and excited for the journey ahead.

Coach Ebonee

"My goal as a wellness coach is to design and facilitate training and programming to address burnout for people in high-stress, caregiving positions that serve marginalized populations to help our communities have a real, fighting chance at thriving." -Ebonee Ragins, Founder of https://mysecari.com

Coach Hydah

As a school nurse, Hydah realized that health and wellness are key components in providing comprehensive evidence-based care to her students and community at large. Students’ ability to attain academic excellence is tied to their physical, mental, as well as emotional wellbeing. By promoting wellness, Hydah desires to enhance her students’ success, wholly. Upon certification, the acquired skills will be utilized in serving her school community and beyond. Engaging students and families in wellness promotion, through training and coaching, Hydah plans to provide empowerment that will enrich her school community beyond the classroom.

Coach Jasmine

Coach Teri

Coach Ashley

As a former family caregiver of three older adults, I was inspired to serve other older adults and caregivers civically and occupationally. My vocational passion and career experience has been in medical and aging social work practice. I assisted clients to discharge safely home from the hospital and access various community resources. I helped older adults access various aging and disability services. During the past two  years of behavioral health coaching, I have honed my outreach, resources and support to cultivate an effective coaching program for specific populations. I’m grateful to have been selected as a Wellness Warrior Scholarship Recipient to further develop my skills and improve the client experience. I enjoy empowering clients to become familiar with their intrinsic ability to reduce stressors, improve well-being, increase healthy habits, and achieve realistic goals. As a health coach I look forward to  partnering with clients to provide relatable, safe, non-judgmental conversations and identify opportunities to strengthen distress tolerance skills. I’m interested in working with women who are BIPOC, 55+, domestic violence survivors, family caregivers and grievers (bereavement).

Coach Ecila

Ecila Deransburg-Cook is soon to be the first Student Wellness Coach at Millikin University. She is also a licensed massage therapist, certified yoga teacher, and mindfulness practitioner. As a person of color, Ecila has a special appreciation for some of the unique challenges BIPOC students face and wants to help them approach their response mindfully and with intention. She also understands that no matter how you identify, maintaining a balanced life can be incredibly challenging, especially when you’re a college student moving toward independence. This, coupled with the effects of navigating the college experience during a pandemic only makes this more challenging. 

Ecila looks forward to combining her knowledge as a wellness coach with the other skills she’s obtained to offer students a dynamic approach to figuring out the best solutions to developing sustainable wellness habits. This, she feels, will enhance their college experience and beyond. She also plans to offer group coaching to children in underserved communities through her On the Mat yoga and mindfulness program. Ecila holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Hampton University in Virginia and a Master of Science degree from Illinois State University. She lives with her family in Central Illinois. 

Coach Adrian 

Coach Murray has always had a passion for helping others. It's what has led him to teach Success (character and leadership) and Economics and Personal Finance courses at the high school level. It is what has also led him to pursue becoming a health and wellness coach, specifically targeting youth and young adults in the African American and underserved communities. Becoming a certified expert wellness coach would allow me to give back to my community in much needed ways that both edifies me and strengthens those in my community. As a mental health and wellness professional, my goal is to be the person I wish I had, to be that coach/counselor that can relate to people of color in ways where they feel heard and valued.  My goal is to help erase the stigma that comes along with mental health wellness, especially in communities where mental health wellness has historically been ignored. I aim to be the change I wish to see in the world.

Coach Erika

My husband Dr. Askia Dunnon and I operate a non-profit, One Health Literacy Organization, which focuses on health literacy education for individuals who identify themselves as ethnic minorities. Along with the education which will be provided to individuals and groups, valuable health coaching will also be available to help ethnic minority communities to overcome barriers related to their health goals. We envision education and coaching as two services which will complement each other to meet the comprehensive needs of our future clients.

Coach Malcolm

My name is Malcolm Bickley, and I would like to become a health and wellness coach because I value the unique integration of diet, nutrition, exercise, and physiology. I have a passion for helping others become the best version of themselves. I want to encourage them to continually invest in their own greatest asset - their health. I would like to be formally trained to motivate and inspire individuals to achieve their life’s goals. I am grateful for this opportunity, and I am excited for the journey ahead!

Coach D

Deniece (Coach D) is committed to holding space for people to feel heard, valued, and challenged, strives to support people holistically, and understands the connection between physical, emotional, social and cognitive well-being. With a focus on rethinking health and fitness with a decolonizing lens, Deniece hopes to hone her coaching skills to assist in supporting anti-racism within the wellness world. An advocate and supporter for the inclusion and nurturing of BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ folk in their health and wellness journey and beyond, Deniece is grateful to be a Wellness Warrior recipient and member of the Expert Coach Center family.

Coach Michael

My name is Michael Williams. My goal is to become a Certified Health and Wellness Coach to work with our nation's men and women veterans of our armed services. My Expert Coach Center (ECC) journey will allow me the critical knowledge and skills needed to provide the conversations, confidence, planning, and resources necessary to help those veterans finding it difficult transitioning from military to civilian life. As a veteran myself, I truly believe that the traditions and values of our country could not be what they are without the sacrifice of our HEROES, our nation's veterans. For this, I want to reach as many veterans as possible and provide the very best service I can offer. Michael enrolled in our Fall '21 cohort and will be graduating soon! 

Coach Dr. Rose

Dr. Rose has a passion for working with women of color in developing and sustaining nutritive lifestyles, for themselves and their families. She seeks to be a healing presence in their lives and her work encourages them to value self-care and to be happy, healthy, and whole; mind, body, and soul. She received her initial training in health and wellness at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. She will use her work at Expert Coach Center to retool herself and hone her skills to be more relevant in our post-pandemic society. Dr. Rose will also use the opportunities provided to her as a Wellness Warrior scholarship recipient to develop the expertise needed to become a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach. She is a wife, mother, Elder in her church, professor, entrepreneur, and spiritual author (penned as Dr. Anna Paige DeSouza.) Dr. Rose holds a BS degree from Drexel University, a MA degree from New York University, and a Doctorate of Education from Fordham University.