Rev. Dr. Claudette C. Rodney is a Professional Life Coach and veteran mental health clinician based in Richmond, Virginia. Her aspiration for her platform, Stepping into Destiny LLC is to provide a “home” for those seeking guidance in life’s many challenges, and a caring voice amidst the clamor of modern living. As a Certified Professional Life Coach, she empowers her clients to live the life of their dreams. She partners with them to revitalize their relationships; create a balanced work/home life; or to just stop worrying and start living. 

Personal: Originally from South America, Dr. Rodney emigrated to the U.S.A. in her late teens and has amassed a considerable educational, spiritual, and occupational resume. 

Educational: Dr. Rodney holds a Doctorate in Psychology from Pace University, New York. An ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Claudette also holds a Master of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.

Spiritual: A member of The House of the Lord (HOLC) Churches, Rev. Rodney served for 15 years at the congregational headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. In 1989, led by the Spirit of the Lord, Claudette relocated to Beaver Falls, PA, where she served as the Church Administrator as well as Youth Advisor for 10 years. In addition, Claudette was also an Associate Minister of the HOLC in Washington, D.C. She now functions as a member and Senior Minister in diaspora. 

Occupational/Evangelical: 

• Dr. Rodney has served in various parts of the U.S., Europe, and Africa as a speaker and consultant. She was selected as an InterFuture Scholar in 1981, and traveled to Ghana, West Africa and London, England, where she conducted original research concerning the role of Black Fathers within the Family System from Ancient Africa to Modern Day. Through the organization, Pan-African Christian Exchange, Claudette participated in two mission trips to Kenya, East Africa. There she served as a psychological consultant to a local Children’s Home and the Kiritta School for Children with mental and emotional needs. Rev. Claudette also participated in a mission trip to Uganda where she ministered in two prisons, a local church, and open-air crusades.
• In June 1998, Dr. Rodney presented at the First International Conference on Child & Adolescent Mental Health seminar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her presentation PATHWAYS: A Model Service is published in International Perspectives on Child & Adolescent Mental Health. In 1995, as a psychological consultant, Claudette joined delegates from The House of the Lord Church (Sisters Assisting South Africans) in their exploratory/fact finding trip to South Africa.
• Over the years, Dr. Rodney has gained considerable clinical experience within multi-disciplinary teams, working with children, adolescents, and their families. While at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, New Brighton, PA, Dr. Rodney was the Director of Home-Based Family Services. In this role, she provided administrative and clinical supervision to therapists working in-home with multi-problematic families to prevent out-of-home placements of children. 
• At Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, VA, Dr. Rodney was a Psychology Associate Senior for the 1,000 inmates in S3 cluster until her retirement after 18 years. She provided mental health services, including crisis intervention and group psychotherapy, to inmates within the general population. 
• Rev. Dr. Rodney is also a retired Chaplain with GraceInside, Virginia’s Prison Chaplain Service, and Chaplain Supervisor (Central Region). She held positions in the past as Institutional Chaplain at two large facilities, Chaplain Intern, Protestant Religious Volunteer, with duties to include monitoring religious programs, sharing the Gospel message and conducting weekly Bible studies. She has led studies with inmates on Men and Emotions from a Biblical perspective. 
• Dr. Rodney is enthusiastic about her transition into the role of a Professional Life Coach and helping others to navigate the storms of modern life. Her work will follow the Gospel of the Lord who calmed the stormy seas.

I am a person who has had and continues to have the very real experience of grief in the day-to-day: disappointments, personal losses, the unique struggles and challenges of modern life. As a older Black neurodivergent queer female nonbinary person, I've had to do significant work around processing such impacts, that I believe I can offer, along with my coaching training and experience, to help others find their inner voice and achieve healing and growth.

I made my personal shift from evangelical Christianity to a more open spiritual orientation over several years, and understand from experience the challenges and grieving that can accompany such a journey. I have deep compassion for those traveling similar paths, and desire to use my professional coaching skills to hold space for them and facilitate their well-being, wherever they may find themselves along their way. 

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies with a concentration in Christianity and have also attended seminary at Liberty University. I have been in active ministry with several churches of differing denominations. I am a parent and grandparent, experienced in community organizing and social justice, and a staunch advocate for marginalized people, including the LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, kink and disabled communities.

Dr. Dee, The Grief & Loss Expert™, is a nationally recognized authority in grief, leadership restoration, and transformational growth—trusted by entrepreneurs, executives, and faith leaders seeking to rise after seasons of pressure, purpose-fatigue, and hidden emotional weight. Through her proprietary signature frameworks, high-impact coaching programs, keynote speaking, books, and media platforms, she helps leaders turn pain into power, rebuilding their confidence, clarity, and capacity to lead with wisdom and emotional strength.

A seasoned executive leader, Certified Master Life, Grief & Executive Coach, Postsecondary Educator, and nationally recognized Grief Recovery Expert, Dr. Dee brings more than 30 years of experience across nonprofit leadership, government, academia, and ministry. Her deep expertise in trauma-informed practice, organizational strategy, and leadership development has made her a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs, high-performing executives, mission-driven founders, faith-based leaders, and Fortune 500 teams.

Her proprietary frameworks—including the LifeQuake Framework™, G3 Framework™, and the FPS: Freedom Positioning System®—equip leaders to break through emotional barriers, navigate transition, and lead with authenticity, resilience, and spiritual clarity. She has developed trauma-informed SEL curricula, academic programs, and leadership training models that are used nationwide in universities, classrooms, and organizational leadership settings.

A prolific scholar and author, Dr. Dee has written eleven (11) books on healing, restoration, leadership, and grief—resources now used by educators, entrepreneurs, faith communities, and organizations committed to emotional wellness, purpose-driven leadership, and whole-life transformation.

As a sought-after speaker and thought leader, Dr. Dee’s influence spans national stages. Her honors include the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award (President Joseph Biden, 2023), TEDx Speaker, featured on the DocuSeries The Making of an Entrepreneur, recognition in Crain’s NY Notable Black Leaders and Executives (2024), PoliticsNY & AMNY Nonprofit Power Players (2023 & 2024), City & State Nonprofit Trailblazers 2024, Manhattan Power List 2024, Above & Beyond Gen X 2023, The Responsible 100 Award 2023, Fifty Over 50: Age Disrupters 2022, Queens Power Players 2024, and more. She holds dual doctorates: a Ph.D. in Philosophy (Walden University) and a Ph.D. in Religious Education (International Seminary).

Deeply rooted in her faith and community, Dr. Dee honors the legacy of her late parents, Rev. Robert and Bettye Brown, through her ministry, chaplaincy, civic involvement, and service on multiple educational and community boards. A proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, she embodies the union of scholarship, leadership, and spiritual restoration—guiding leaders to rise stronger, wiser, and whole.

With over 20 years of experience as an advocate and mentor for parents of individuals with special needs, Cheryl Martinez brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her clients. Her dedication to supporting families in navigating the educational system has resulted in meaningful outcomes for countless children.  As a parent of a son with Autism, Cheryl can relate to a parent's experience in raising a child with special needs.  

As a Certified Professional Life Coach, Cheryl is passionate about helping individuals explore and identify their future goals. She provides personalized guidance to create actionable plans that empower you to achieve those goals. Together, you will uncover any barriers that may have hindered your progress and develop a proactive strategy with a positive, "can-do" mindset.

Cheryl is committed to fostering personal growth and resilience, ensuring that you have the tools and support needed to thrive in all areas of your life.

I'm a certified life and mental health coach dedicated to helping male pastors work through their issues and reach their goals.

Drawing from the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) and many years of one-on-one work supporting people through growth and transition, I offer a space where you can explore patterns, emotions, relationships, and life challenges without judgment. Together, we listen for what is most deeply true, reconnect with your innate capacity for resilience and connection, and discover new ways of meeting life with greater ease and authenticity.

Testimonials:

“Kelty is an outstanding listener whose insights have truly been life-changing. His compassionate and skillful approach was exactly what I needed.”
-Alex R.

"I am grateful for your calm and thoughtful presence. You ground is true, and I am thankful to have shared space with you. Thank You for your support and kindness"

-K.C.

Rate: $150 for a 60-minute session
I offer a needs-based sliding scale and free initial consultation.

As a Master Certified Professional Coach (MCPC), my mission is to inspire, improve and invigorate those who are ready to realize their full potential and take their businesses, their lives and their careers to new and celebratory heights. This is achieved through an empowered mindset, clearly defined goals, co-created timelines, laser focused action-plans and an encouraging accountability partner.

With nearly three decades of expertise as a personal and professional development coach, entrepreneur, global speaker, leadership mentor and career guide, clients benefit from time-tested tools, time management techniques and proven success strategies designed to achieve balance in life while taking their performance and fulfillment to new heights.

Let’s connect for a no-pressure discovery and explore how coaching, mentoring or specialized training can quickly help shift you or your team from “I’ll get to it” to “I DID IT”, all while honoring self, family, health and wellness!  Are you ready?

Jo Haskin is a Certified Life and Grief Coach and an Emmy-nominated Producer who blends two decades of film and television storytelling with coaching. Drawing on her background managing multi-million-dollar productions and sensitive, real-life narratives, she helps clients navigate life’s transitions, loss, and renewal with clarity, compassion, and grounded strategy.

Throughout her life and career as a Producer, Jo has navigated constant transitions, seasons of uncertainty, and profound experiences of loss—including the deaths of her younger sister, Janel, her dad, Earl, as well as grandparents, great-grandparents, dear friends, and beloved pets. These lived experiences, combined with her own healing work in individual and group therapy, allow her to hold space for clients with deep empathy, non-judgment, and respect for the many ways grief shows up across a lifetime.

Jo has been supporting others through listening, guidance, and care for most of her life. Her path began at age 16 as a camp counselor, girls’ softball coach, and umpire, and continued with formal peer counseling training during high school. She earned a degree in Child Development from Sacramento State University, with a strong foundation in psychology, and later served as a Camp Fire Leader, mentoring teenage girls. Over the years, she has naturally become a trusted source of support for employees, colleagues, family, and friends as someone others turn to during moments of transition and uncertainty.

Jo is most proud of her 30-plus-year marriage to her husband, Kevin, whom she met while still in high school. Now in their third decade together, they are settled in their third home with their third dog, Desilu. Their life has been shaped by shared goals, experiences and laughter —building businesses, living at the beach in Los Angeles for twelve years, pursuing careers in film and television, traveling, and, above all, valuing time with each other and loved ones.

In addition to her work with clients, Jo is currently producing a documentary exploring mental health and equine-assisted therapy, highlighting the power of connection, support, and healing.

Her coaching practice and creative work share the same mission: to create safe spaces where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to write the next chapter of their story.

Anita D Russell, MEd

PITTSBURGH’S PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION EXPERT AND EMPOWERMENT ACTIVIST

I am the Founder/CEO of The Place to SOAR, a social enterprise dedicated to cultivating change through daily growth, personal transformation, and accountability for the purpose of unveiling human potential. 

My voice is unmistakable: strategic, empowering, and unshakably rooted in truth. As a personal transformation expert and empowerment activist I fuse faith, intellect, and firebrand leadership to ignite personal transformation, community engagement, and cooperative economics. I don’t just build rapport and facilitate workshops, I build movements —personal, transformational, organizational, and community focused. Whether it’s life coaching, feminine wisdom, or cooperative economics, I turn  ideas into actionable blueprints wrapped in vibrant design and soul-deep reflection. 

My career and life experiences span multiple disciplines, including pharmaceutical R&D, corporate learning and development, leadership development, instructional design, Equity Diversity Inclusion, nonprofit consulting, and cooperative economics.

Business Portfolio

• Private Coaching. Growth from within: Recognizing that you have to know yourself from the inside out to achieve daily growth and personal transformation. Together we cultivate change through the 4-step appreciative coaching process: discover, dream, design, and destiny.
• Self-Directed Coaching Lab. The essence of self-directed coaching lies in empowering individuals to be the architects of their own growth and development. By providing professionals with the freedom to choose when and how they learn, this approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement and self-discovery.
• 10-Week Antiracism Incubator. An experience of (a) critical self-reflection; (b) increases awareness of self in a racialized society, and (c) personal transformation towards antiracism activation and social change.
• 12-Month Reimagine We Empowerment Lab. Coming in 1Q 2026, this experiential certificate program connects personal empowerment, community engagement, and cooperative economics.

Facilitator Porfolio

• Ujamaa Collective (Community Engagement Circle)
• Facilitator, Greenwood Plan Artist Think Tank
• On Call Facilitator, Center for Creative Leadership
• Antiracism Cohort Facilitator, The Forbes Fund

Leadership Portfolio

• Member of the Ujamaa Collective, a catalyst to advance cultural, artistic and entrepreneurial exchange through cooperative economics.
• Member of OMA Pittsburgh Mind Body Spirit Center, dedicated to holistic education for the well-being of self, family, and community
• VP Media Relations the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch of ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History).
• Creator/Host of InflexionPoint Podcast on The Transformation Network, where personal transformation and accountability impact social change. 

Author Portfolio: SOAR Book Boutique

• Voices of the 21st Century International Bestsellers (2023, 2021, 2019)
• Cultivating Change from the Inside Out: The Power of Being Human (2021)
• I Wanna See Laney’s House: A Sibling Story (2019)

Relevant Articles

Anita D Russell, Bridging the Gap Between We and Me

I work with people navigating major life transitions such as divorce, relationship changes, family restructuring, and personal identity shifts. These seasons can feel destabilizing, and my role is to help clients stay emotionally steady, think clearly, and move forward with grounded direction. My approach is practical, structured, and honest. I help clients regulate their responses under stress, rebuild confidence after disruption, and make strong decisions about what comes next. This is not motivational coaching. It is steady, forward focused support during real change. Clients come to me when they want calm guidance, clear perspective, and meaningful progress as they rebuild their next chapter of life.