Heal to Lead Wellness Edition Volume 1

Abby has been studying natural wellness and herbal medicine since 2014 and has been exploring the world of crystals and energy healing modalities since 2016. She is a certified sound healer, certified crystal and chakra healer, and budding entrepreneur. Abby is passionate about self-healing, our connection to nature and Mother Earth, the power of perspective, ancient wisdom, mindfulness, and living from the heart. 

Earlier in her journey, Abby was able to overcome depression, which had plagued her since childhood. When she reconnected with nature in her late twenties, she came to recognize the beauty and power of nature to heal simply by spending time in it. Nature played a significant role in shifting her outlook on life into one of optimism and childlike wonder, which she gratefully carries with her today. She later discovered that nature can not only heal the mind but also the physical body by using it as medicine just as her ancestors and ancient peoples throughout the world have done for millennia. This became the doorway to transforming her overall health, well-being, and life.

If asked what her favorite way to connect with nature is, Abby might share how she loves to explore along riverbanks searching for ancient artifacts, fossils, rocks, and crystals. Her mission is to spread seeds of magic, wonder, and wisdom, and hold space for others on their journey. She understands and trusts when the conditions are right, those seeds will take root and grow in their own time. 

Diana is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.  She is also an ayurvedic practitioner graduate of Mount Madonna College of Ayurveda.  She teaches seasonal diet and lifestyle practices and ritual self-care.  She also leads comprehensive ayurvedic detoxification cleanse programs.  Yoga and ayurveda have been essential in Diana’s growth and evolution as a human being.  Iyengar yoga has helped her overcome over 14 years of chronic back pain and SI joint issues.  Yoga & Ayurveda have nourished her with awareness, strength, resiliency, and freedom. She lives on Maui, and her other loves are her surfing family, a large dog, 3 cats, Colombian music, kirtan singing, Maui streams, and the preciousness and potentiality of humanity and life. 

Chef Dulce E. Jiménez is the founder of Dulce Aromas, a wellness-focused culinary company where flavor meets purpose. She is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University and a certified health coach.

Her personal wellness journey deepened in 2009, when her own health challenges became a wakeup call. As she healed through conscious eating and mindful cooking, she rediscovered what her mother and grandmother had taught her long ago; that the kitchen can provide a powerful place for wellness. In 2016, after the loss of her sister to breast cancer, Dulce felt called to help others live well through nourishing food. The following year, she left her corporate career and founded Dulce Aromas, born from both love and loss.

Today, Dulce teaches through her Plant Forward Cooking Transformational Programs, healthy pregnancy programs, and conscious chef mentorship and internship programs, as well as personal chef services for health-conscious individuals and businesses.

Her philosophy is rooted in the belief that wellness begins with awareness, and that the kitchen can serve as a classroom for self-discovery, healing, and transformation. Through her classes and writing, she inspires others to cook with intention as a pathway to good health. Her motto: “Happy cooking and eating for good health, with love, Dulce”

Elizabeth Keiper-Aguirre is a certified health and life coach with specialized training in functional nutrition, a wellness-centered leadership coach, educator, and founder of WellKind School and WellKind World™—a holistic early learning and wellbeing curriculum grounded in emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and intentional living. With more than fifteen years of experience leading teams, supporting families, and shaping values-driven school culture, Elizabeth brings a thoughtful, compassionate, and research-informed approach to both education and personal transformation.

Her work is rooted in her own healing journey. Growing up in a home shaped by diet culture and generational body image beliefs, Elizabeth learned early to view her body as something that needed to be controlled or corrected. It wasn’t until motherhood invited her into a deeper, more honest relationship with herself that she began dismantling these inherited narratives and rebuilding a healthier, more connected sense of identity and wellbeing.

As she healed, her leadership evolved. She learned that the most powerful influence we have—whether with our children, our teams, or our communities—comes from the way we care for ourselves and the example we set through everyday choices. This understanding now shapes the way she mentors others, guiding them to reconnect with their wellbeing, rewrite limiting stories, and lead from a place of alignment rather than exhaustion.

Through Life Purposely Coaching and her two podcasts—Life Purposely and WellKind World—Elizabeth helps women, families, and leaders shift out of autopilot and into purposeful, aligned living. She is the creator of the Bare Minimum Effort, Maximum Impact framework, an approach that teaches people how to build wellbeing through small, consistent shifts that honor their real lives.

A sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator, and a mother of four, Elizabeth believes that personal healing is an act of leadership; and when women reclaim their wellbeing, they change the world around them.

Erika Rideout-Anderson’s healing journey began the moment everything shifted—when the changes in her body became impossible to ignore or fear. That turning point marked the beginning of her rise back to herself.

She is a healer, Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist, Empowered Wellbeing Coach, Clarity Catalyst Trainer, and a woman with more than a decade of experience in holistic wellness. Through her evolution, she learned that healing isn’t about resisting change—it’s about understanding the body, trusting the spirit, and allowing oneself to become who she was meant to be.

Erika founded Beauty Under Construction Inc. because she intimately understands what it feels like to carry more than one is meant to hold—showing strength for everyone else while slowly disconnecting from herself. Her transformation didn’t come from a dramatic event; it came from finally listening to her body, honoring her spirit, and releasing fears that once held her back. Healing became her way home.

Today, she supports women—especially those over 40—in understanding their bodies, restoring energy, gaining clarity, and rising into their strongest selves. She leads workshops, guides group experiences, and advocates for menopause awareness, helping women navigate this life stage with knowledge, dignity, and power. Her mission is to be authentic, to inspire, and to remind women that they don’t need to fight nature—there is strength in learning to move through it with grace.

When she isn’t coaching or crafting herbal blends, Erika enjoys camping with her family, watching her favorite shows, reading, dancing, or traveling—anything that keeps her grounded and brings her joy.

She rises openly, heals honestly, and continues to show women everywhere that the comeback begins the moment they choose themselves.

Born in Istanbul and raised in the rhythm of belly dancing, Ezgi learned early that the body holds wisdom. A NASM-certified trainer and nutritionist, she won the Fitness Universe Florida Championship in 2016, believing strength lived in discipline and form. Over time, her journey softened—evolving into a devotion to embodiment, self-love, and feminine power beyond performance. In 2021, she founded SheRISE, a women’s community built on daily live movement and mutual support. Motherhood in 2025 became her greatest initiation thus far, redefining strength through love, intuition, and creation.

Jennifer Grace is a Hay House Author, TEDx Speaker, and Thought Leadership Strategist who helps coaches, entrepreneurs, and experts turn their wisdom into wealth. Through her company, Raven & Grace Press, Jennifer guides visionaries to write and publish bestselling books, launch global speaking careers, and expand their impact through podcasts and media. Her boutique hybrid publishing house has taken multiple authors to #1 on Amazon with a transparent 4-month pathway from manuscript to market.

As a certified mindset and emotional intelligence trainer, Jennifer teaches leaders how to align purpose and profitability. She is the lead “Train the Trainer” facilitator for the Stanford University–based CIJ Clarity Catalyst and CIJ Culture Catalyst programs, certifying over 2,000 trainers worldwide. Her corporate clients include Prada, Facebook, Turner, HCI, Whycode, YPO, and EO.

Jennifer’s TEDx Talk, Why Mindfulness Should Be Just as Important as Math in Our School Systems, debuted on TED.com, and her Hay House book Directing Your Destiny and radio show reached audiences around the world. Featured in Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, Ocean Drive, and The Balancing Act on Lifetime, Jennifer blends spiritual depth with business strategy to help clients elevate their credibility, amplify their message, and lead with authentic influence. Based in Nashville and Miami, Jennifer can be found mentoring authors, speaking at international events, or producing new media under the Raven & Grace brand.

As the youngest of eight children, and born in Minneapolis, Jenny learned resiliency from her mother—a lesson that would one day pull her out of her own darkness.

Jenny has always been a fighter. When others doubted her academic abilities, she proved them wrong, earning a Bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of St. Thomas. That determination launched a 20-plus year corporate career spanning real estate, mortgage lending, and retail with companies like Best Buy. Her work ethic, passion, and perseverance created a perfect formula for success.

That relentless drive eventually came at a cost. Years of pushing led to chronic illness and crippling anxiety that brought her to a crossroads: continue down this path or completely reimagine her life.

When both she and her infant son faced health challenges in 2013, Jenny enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition—not to start a new career but simply to heal. The Universe had other plans.

After earning her certification in July 2014, divine intervention led her to bring wellness knowledge back to Best Buy through an employee wellness group she started as an unpaid passion project. What began humbly became the largest Focused Inclusion Network in the company’s history, growing to 1,000 members by the time she left in 2021. The group continues to thrive today.

Jenny has since earned her National Board Certification for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBC-HWC) and founded her private practice, Libra Health Coaching, LLC.

Today, she supports high-achieving women who feel overwhelmed and disconnected from themselves. Her message: Healing doesn’t need to be complicated or fit someone else’s mold, and mindset is the key to lasting transformation.

Kimberly Moglowsky is more than a breast cancer survivor; she is a thriver!

She started in the fashion and makeup industry and then became an RYT-200 yoga and meditation teacher. During Covid-19, she felt a calling to expand her training and became a certified health and life coach. Continuing further, she received a certification as a Clarity Catalyst coach working with teens, adults, and corporate clients. She has also volunteered with organizations like the Dubuque Symphony League, Home Hospice Organization, and the Huntsville Art Museum Women’s Guild. 

Most recently, she returned to her Midwest roots settling in downtown Chicago, her most favorite city. She and her semi-retired husband of thirty years are newly empty-nesters with their two sons successful in their own careers and now living independently. Now that Kimberly is off of the traditional work trail, she and her husband were able to make a life-changing leap, moving by choice rather than necessity to start their next adventure.

Kimberly loves to travel and spend time with family, friends, and two standard poodles and a cat. She is also a passionate foodie, enjoying cooking and baking as much as exploring new restaurants.

As a coach and thought-leader, Kimberly has developed a community for empty-nester women where she weaves her coaching tools into coordinating fun and inspiring activities, while creating a safe space and connections for women navigating this chapter of their lives.

Laura Smith-Best is a health and life coach who weaves nature, gentle movement, Reiki, and mindful nutrition into an holistic approach to well-being. Through her practice, Best Kind Wellness, she supports women seeking balance, clarity, and a more compassionate relationship with themselves, especially those navigating burnout, anxiety, or major life transitions.

Growing up on a farm, Laura learned the quiet wisdom of the land, the steady rhythms of the seasons, and the deep connection that forms between people, animals, and nature. These early experiences shaped her belief that healing is rooted in presence, simplicity, the food we eat, and the ways we learn to listen to ourselves and the world around us.

With certifications and training in coaching, yoga, forest therapy, Reiki, and nutrition, Laura helps clients reconnect with what their bodies and minds need. Her philosophy is simple: Wellness is about slowing down, tuning in, and discovering what feels sustainably good. She believes every person carries innate wisdom, and her role is to help clients access it.

Laura’s programs blend practical lifestyle guidance with grounding nature-based practices and intentional mindset work. Through mindful walks, breath-led movement, energy-balancing Reiki sessions, and nourishing routines, she creates supportive spaces where clients can restore their energy, shift old patterns, and step into powerful transformation. 

Known for her warm, calming presence, Laura meets clients exactly where they are, offering intuitive and structured support tailored to the individual. Through one-on-one coaching, group workshops, seasonal retreats, and energy-based sessions, she guides women toward balance, aligned living, and a deeper sense of belonging within themselves.

M. Mercedes Yahia is an integrative life coach, Certified Spinal Flow Practitioner, and creator of the Emotional Mastery Method™ featuring the F.L.O.W. System. She specializes in helping individuals reconnect with their inner wisdom, regulate their emotions, and activate the healing intelligence within their body and energy field. Her deepest gift is guiding people to remember who they truly are and the power within them to create a life they are proud of.

Blending emotional intelligence, energy medicine, somatic release, and human biofield optimization, Mercedes offers a grounded and spiritual approach to transformation. Her signature nine-week emotional mastery program is designed to elevate emotional intelligence, deepen mindfulness, and strengthen intentional manifestation, helping clients create aligned results from the inside out. Through private mentorship, workshops, retreats, and spinal flow sessions, she supports people in shifting from fear to trust, from overwhelm to clarity, and from survival mode into conscious, empowered creation.

Mercedes’s  path is rooted in personal experience, including years of chronic health challenges, anxiety, and a near-death experience that revealed a deeper spiritual truth about healing and human potential. The passing of her mother to ALS in 2020 became the defining moment that moved Mercedes to leave corporate life and dedicate herself fully to this work.

Mercedes is devoted to helping others elevate their frequency, embody highest identities, and live in alignment with their soul. She continues to expand her work through writing, workshops, team-building events, and collaborating with wellness professionals to bring holistic healing into homes, clinics, and communities.

Naomi Faith has both formal and informal education that have impacted her greatly in different ways. She ceived a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Couples, Marriage, and Family Therapy, and they gave her a powerful opportunity to sharpen her natural skills of listening, empathy, and compassion. Traditional Chinese Medicine, astrology, and cyclical awareness showed the importance of internal systems perpetuating a similar sense of disconnection seen around and within society. It was only through her process of healing that she was shown what was possible. She was shown the power of a healed and integrated heart, the power of living authentically.

Nicoleta Marin is originally from Romania and currently lives in Dubai with her husband and their joyful three-year-old son. 

With a background in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Probation Services, she began her career supporting children with autism. This experience deepened her passion for human connection and emotional well-being.

Her path later took her into the skies, where she traveled the world as a stewardess for the UAE’s national airline.

Years of traveling as a flight attendant profoundly shaped her understanding of people. Meeting individuals in their home countries expanded her perspective and taught her to approach others with greater empathy, sensitivity, and respect for diverse backgrounds.

Currently, she is a full-time mother and a happily devoted wife, and she enjoys every moment of it, describing it as deeply fulfilling.

No matter the role she holds, her purpose remains the same: to uplift, support, and give. She believes giving is her extraordinary power and pours that spirit into her family, her community, and her writing.

In her free time, she enjoys reading and writing, swimming, and going on family trips.

Nikki Draper is a mindset and habit change coach and the founder of Dulce Vida Coaching, where she helps individuals live and lead with clarity, balance, and purpose. After reaching the height of her salon career, double-booked behind the chair, mentoring stylists, running a salon, teaching, and raising a family, she found herself exhausted, overwhelmed, and feeling like it was never enough. The constant pressure and blurred boundaries left her depleted, disconnected, and questioning the life she had worked so hard to build.

Recognizing the toll of the stress, Nikki began a healing journey that transformed both her personal and professional life. She dove into neuroscience, emotional resilience, positive psychology, and real-world self-care strategies tools that shift mindset, energy, and behavior in a sustainable way. Through compassion and habit change, she rebuilt her joy, health, and sense of self, inspiring her mission to help others do the same.

Nikki specializes in stress management, emotional resilience, healthy boundaries, and sustainable behavior change.While working with busy professionals, leaders, and individuals on their wellness journey, she creates a safe and supportive environment for growth. She empowers clients to protect their energy, rediscover joy, and reconnect with who they truly are. Nikki helps clients realize that they don’t have to push to prove their worth, and they can lead with peace, presence, and purpose.

When she’s not coaching, Nikki enjoys traveling, live music, good food, and time with her husband, two teenagers, their dog, Fozzie, and her mom. In their multigenerational household, they embrace a joyful, balanced life amidst the chaos.

Raven Petty is a Nashville-based author, editor, writing coach, and founder of Raven + Grace Press. 

With a passion for helping first-time writers overcome fear and finish their books, Raven blends practical craft, intuitive wisdom, and real-life storytelling into her coaching. Her experience as a seasoned editor and project manager, with a bachelor’s in English and certification as a life coach, gives her insight into the mindset, commitment, and passion it takes to write a book.

Raven entered leadership positions when she was a teenager. Her professional experience includes retail, magazine publishing, digital content creation, project management, and content marketing. Clients all over the world have trusted her to  Raven’s work often weaves personal experience with editorial trends and best practices, empowering others to create purpose-driven stories. When she’s not coaching and launching new authors, she can be found watching movies, rocking out at concerts, practicing karate, and reading the next great book. 

Rupal Kalapanda is a lifelong seeker of growth, purpose, and connection. Although widely recognized for her two-decade career in biotech and drug development, where she has guided groundbreaking therapies from concept to clinic, Rupal’s most meaningful work has unfolded within herself. After years spent balancing the demands of motherhood, leadership, and community service, she reached a pivotal moment that sparked a deep personal transformation. Her wellness journey, which began as an effort to lose weight and become healthy, evolved into a reclaiming of self-trust, self-respect, and self-love.

Born in Mumbai, India, and now living in San Diego, Rupal embraces a holistic approach to life shaped by her South Asian roots, her passion for science and health outcomes, and her belief in intentional living. She holds a deep conviction that kindness and love must first take root within us before they can flow outward to others, and she strives to embody this truth in every corner of her life.

Rupal is the founder of Xcellence Advisory, a new drug development consulting firm, where she serves as a mentor, advisor, and consultant to biotech founders and entrepreneurs. In this role, she helps transform emerging scientific ideas into medicines that make a meaningful difference, drawing on her extensive experience across the life sciences ecosystem. Beyond her work in biotech, Rupal is a dedicated STEM advocate and mentor for young people, guiding them as they explore careers in the sciences and discover their own strengths. She is also a devoted community volunteer and philanthropist, engaged in service efforts that uplift families, support women and children, and strengthen the community she calls home.

Val Price is a Life Strategy Coach who empowers individuals to live healthier, more intentional lives. With a genuine passion for wellness and personal development, she works closely with clients through one-on-one coaching, guiding individuals in achieving vibrant health and fulfilling lifestyles.

Her vision extends to inspiring travel as a form of personal growth. Through her coaching, she encourages individuals to pursue meaningful travel experiences, discovering new cultures and cuisines. This helps broaden one’s perspectives while fulfilling lifelong dreams.

Val is passionate about creativity and cultural heritage. She is the founder of V Gallery and the Corazon Rivera Heritage Home in Pila, Laguna, Philippines. Through V Gallery, she has created a space that celebrates and supports local artists, inspiring creativity and nurturing emerging talent.

In between travels, she spends time in her California residence and in the Philippines. An avid nature enthusiast and animal lover, she combines her passions for photography with capturing life’s moments.

Valentina Bain has spent over 20 years helping women move beyond surface-level fixes to uncover the real root causes behind fatigue, hormone imbalance, and stress-driven symptoms.

Her work is deeply informed by her own health journey. After experiencing thyroid dysfunction and chronic fatigue firsthand, Valentina discovered a core truth: lasting transformation happens when you understand how your body is wired—and how stress, environment, and biology shape the way symptoms show up.

Today, Valentina combines mineral testing, DNA analysis, and nervous system regulation to create simple, body-specific plans that remove the guesswork from healing.

Because when the foundations are supported, hormones can recalibrate naturally—and you don’t just feel better… you feel like yourself again.

Her approach is grounded in advanced training in epigenetic and genomic coaching, HTMA mineral analysis and functional nutrition, and somatic therapy for nervous system regulation.

Over the years, Valentina has also studied and integrated additional disciplines at a mentorship level—including microbiome analysis, functional and holistic health coaching, emotional release modalities such as NLP and EFT, craniosacral therapy, bioresonance, and Reiki—deepening her ability to see patterns others often miss.

This layered foundation allows Valentina to blend clinical precision, nervous system expertise, and intuitive discernment—so every plan she creates is both data-informed and deeply aligned with your body’s unique expression.

Verena Kansog is a certified Executive and Life Coach, Clarity Catalyst Facilitator, and Certified Sound Healer dedicated to empowering individuals to reclaim confidence, heal emotional wounds, and step into their highest potential. With training from the Health Coach Institute and a BS in Health and Wellness from Purdue University, Verena blends coaching, mindfulness, neuroscience, and sound-healing techniques to guide clients toward greater clarity, alignment, and self-worth.

She specializes in working with individuals and executives who have experienced bullying, low confidence, burnout, or identity challenges. Verena’s intuitive and compassionate coaching style helps clients rewrite limiting narratives, strengthen resilience, and make empowered decisions that support both personal and professional growth.

Alongside her coaching work, Verena brings more than 35 years of frontline EMS experience to her role as ALS Coordinator for Lower Manhattan with the FDNY. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), teaching EKG and Phlebotomy. Her decades of real-world medical experience, mentorship, and leadership enrich every environment she steps into.

Verena is also a 9/11 First Responder, a defining role that profoundly shaped her life and long-term health. Due to her service in the aftermath of September 11th, she now lives with autoimmune challenges linked to the environmental exposure from Ground Zero. This personal healing journey fuels her passion for wellness, emotional safety, and helping others navigate life’s hardships with strength and compassion.

A proud U.S. Army Veteran who served 10 years as a Sergeant, Verena carries forward a legacy of service, discipline, and heart.

At the center of her world is Kingston, her beloved dog, emotional anchor, and daily reminder of unconditional love. His calming presence influences Verena’s work with clients, especially those managing anxiety and overwhelm.

Together, Verena and Kingston embody resilience, healing, and the belief that transformation is always possible.