An author, educator, and minister, Dr. J. Michelle Vann is known as the Evangelist of Wellness.
She has been a featured TEDx speaker, an Amazon bestselling author, and today is the Chief Wellness Officer of Vanntastic Solutions, a mindset coaching practice specializing in wellness, and the founder of Sistahs Can We Talk, a nonprofit organization working to fill gaps in women’s health disparities.
Most of all, she’s a community servant focused on helping people flourish through faith, fitness, and wellness.
Leadership Through Wellness
Vann’s most recent journey brought her into the world of Revelation Wellness, a faith-based training program that combines physical activity, faith, and wellness coaching. The Health & Wellness Coalition provided the funding through its professional development grant to make it possible for Vann to attend and complete the training. (To date, approximately $7,000 in professional development funds have been distributed.)
While fitness is an integral part of the program, she said: “I wasn’t just there for the physical activity. I was there for the connection and to learn another way to serve, to teach, and to lead.”
One memorable analogy from the training stuck with her.
“Wellness is like pizza. Everyone likes it, but everyone likes it a little different,” she said. “The goal is to serve the pizza the way the people want to eat it with health education and coaching provided in ways that are culturally relevant and personally accessible.”
Over the course of 10 weeks, Vann explored topics like core values, mission clarity, mindset coaching, and the spiritual side of wellness.
“We really looked at who we are and how we show up for our communities,” she said. “It helped me re-center on my values and reminded me why I do this work in the first place.”
From Training to Practice
Armed with new coaching tools and frameworks, Vann is ready to bring RevWell to her clients and community, starting with a youth camp this summer.
“Kids are more forgiving than adults,” she joked. “And they’re ready to move!”
The camp program will focus on using joyful movement to help kids learn how our bodies move, the importance of moving our bodies every day, and, of course, “jamming out and having fun!” Vann said.
Her goal is to build momentum from there, eventually offering sessions to adults, including church leaders and community organizers who are looking for a new way to connect wellness and faith, and to ensure community leaders are taking care of themselves.
“A lot of leaders are running on empty,” Vann said. “We pour out constantly, but if we’re not full ourselves, we can’t serve well. This work is about filling up first, so we can pour out from a place of wholeness.”
Community in Collaboration
Wellness isn’t a solo journey for Vann. It’s something built and sustained in community with others, whether that’s leading a youth camp, equipping church leaders with the resources they need to thrive and serve, or connecting with peers through the Health & Wellness Coalition.
