Honoring Juneteenth: Wellness Leaders From the IIN Community

At IIN, we believe that transforming health means transforming communities—and that starts by celebrating, uplifting, and learning from the people within our community who are doing that work every single day. This Juneteenth, we're honoring a remarkable group of IIN alumni and Visiting Faculty whose work is expanding what wellness looks like, who it serves, and who gets to lead it.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. These are ten people out of a global community of more than 180,000 graduates whose work is helping create a more inclusive, accessible, and empowering vision of health and well-being.

Feeling called to do this kind of work? Learn what it looks like to train alongside educators like these.

Why Representation in Wellness Matters

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865—the day enslaved African Americans in Texas were finally informed of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. More than a historical milestone, it marks both the end of slavery in the United States and a powerful reminder that the pursuit of equity, justice, and equal opportunity remains an ongoing journey.

The legacy of slavery and systemic racism has had generations-long impacts on the health and well-being of African American communities, influencing access to care, chronic disease outcomes, and overall quality of life. In this context, Juneteenth is not only a time to honor and reflect on the past, but also an opportunity to acknowledge how these inequities continue to shape experiences within modern health systems and communities today.

The alumni and Visiting Faculty featured in this piece are part of that ongoing work. Their practices are rooted in improving health and wellness in their communities—expanding access, honoring lived experience, and redefining what healing can look like across different cultural contexts.

Health and wellness are deeply personal, shaped by our cultures, communities, lived experiences, and individual needs. That's why it's so important to uplift and include a wide range of voices, perspectives, and experiences in conversations about well-being.

Health coaches have a unique role to play in supporting that vision. Because health coaching is rooted in listening, partnership, and bio-individuality—the IIN principle that no two people have the same path to wellness—coaches are uniquely positioned to meet people where they are and honor each person's unique journey.

When people encounter wellness leaders whose experiences, perspectives, or approaches resonate with their own, it can foster a greater sense of connection and possibility. By elevating diverse voices, we expand the conversation around health and create more opportunities for people to find support, inspiration, and approaches that work for them.

IIN Alumni Changemakers

These IIN graduates are building practices, serving communities, and redefining what wellness leadership looks like—each in their own deeply personal and powerful way.

Melanie Smith
Founder, Moves With Melanie
@moveswithmelanie | mymoveswithmelanie.com

Melanie Smith brings more than 15 years of health and wellness experience to her work—and what makes her story remarkable is the breadth of it. As an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, licensed pharmacist, and certified group exercise instructor, Melanie has served patients within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Medicare Part D insurance programs, and a nonprofit association. She has led fitness classes at community festivals and private events for organizations as wide-ranging as National Public Radio and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Through Moves With Melanie, she brings her signature combination of clinical expertise and community spirit to every space she enters.

Bianca Thandi
Energy Healer & Soul Mentor
@rosehealthmethod | @iambiancathandi

Bianca Thandi describes her work simply and beautifully: guiding women to the power that exists within them. As an energy healer, holistic health coach, and soul mentor, her sessions invite clients into a journey of self-discovery and self-reflection—one that helps them recognize the light within themselves and the world around them. In a wellness landscape that often focuses on the external, Bianca's work is a powerful reminder that healing starts from the inside out.

Dr. Shawn Nealy-Oparah
Founder, Wellness Journey Portal
@wellnessjourneyportal | wellnessjourneyportal.com

With a doctorate in Educational Leadership and years of experience supporting schools, nonprofits, universities, and leaders, Dr. Shawn Nealy-Oparah brings a rare combination of intellectual rigor and genuine warmth to her coaching practice. As a trauma-informed integrative wellness practitioner, her work helps overwhelmed people understand their stress, calm their nervous systems, and take simple, sustainable steps toward a healthier life. She is the founder of the Wellness Journey Portal—a space dedicated to turning stress into self-understanding and healing into daily practice—and the co-founder of TrUTH Consulting, which helps organizations create environments where people feel safe, connected, and able to thrive. Dr. Shawn helps people move from stuck and disconnected to grounded, clear, and ready to grow.

Trevonne Homer
Health & Wellness Educator
@askahomer | askahomerwellness.com 

Trevonne Homer is a trauma-informed health and wellness educator whose work centers the communities that holistic wellness has historically overlooked. Dedicated to supporting multi-passionate Caribbean and LGBTQIA+ women in breaking free from generational patterns and reconnecting with their inner wisdom, Trevonne draws from a rich integration of Integrative Nutrition, Yoga, Meditation, and Ayurveda. Her own journey through burnout—and learning to honor her inner knowing—now fuels her mission. Through retreats, wellness workshops, group programs, and tailored one-on-one sessions, Trevonne guides clients to reclaim their power, unlock their potential, and build lives that align with their authentic nature.

Deon Hall-Garriques
Founder, Balance Beyond 40
balancebeyond40.com

Deon Hall-Garriques brings something rare to the wellness space: the perspective of a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach who also spent more than 30 years as a corporate leader in financial services. Based in New York, Deon founded Balance Beyond 40 to help high-achieving women navigate perimenopause and menopause with clarity, confidence, and vitality—without sacrificing their ambition. Her signature BALANCE Method and 90-day MenoMastery Blueprint integrate science-backed wellness strategies with mindfulness and restorative yoga to support hormonal health, nervous system regulation, and sustainable performance. Her guiding philosophy says it all: when women feel well, they lead well.

Coach Von
Life Coach & Wellness Advocate
@lifecoachvon | lifecoachvon.me

Coach Jonvoana Evans’s superpower is helping women understand what it truly means to be F.L.Y.—First Loving Yourself. Through personalized coaching targeted to her clients' specific needs, she serves as an accountability partner and guide, helping women become more confident, more consistent, and more ready to embrace the challenges that come with navigating life's different seasons. She understands from personal experience what it feels like to be accomplished on paper but unfulfilled on the inside—and she knows what it takes to get to the other side of that. Her practice is built on collaboration, compassion, and a deep belief in the power of self-love as the foundation for every other kind of growth.

Committed to helping coaches grow in their craft, Von is also developing a new AI tool, coAchIng 3.0, that gives coaches the opportunity to practice client interactions, reflect on their approach, and strengthen their communication skills in a safe, guided way.

IIN Visiting Faculty Leading the Way

These four IIN visiting faculty members bring world-class expertise, lived experience, and a profound commitment to inclusive wellness into our curriculum—and into the broader cultural conversation about what it means to be well.

Robert Mack
Positive Psychology Expert & Happiness Coach

Robert Mack's path to becoming a leading voice in positive psychology and happiness was anything but linear. After struggling for years with profound unhappiness, he experienced a transformative shift in perspective that inspired him to dedicate his life to understanding what creates lasting wellbeing. He channeled that turning point into decades of study, coaching, and advocacy, earning a master's degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and helping others cultivate happiness from the inside out. Today, Robert works with elite athletes, entertainers, and senior executives, sharing science-backed tools for greater fulfillment, resilience, and success. As an IIN Visiting Faculty member, he teaches how our thoughts and emotions influence our health, relationships, and overall wellbeing—and how small shifts in our inner world can create meaningful change in every area of life.

Dr. Mariel Buqué
Intergenerational Trauma Psychologist & Bestselling Author

Dr. Mariel Buqué is a first-generation Black Dominican psychologist, Columbia University-trained trauma expert, and bestselling author of Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma. She is the creator of the BTC Generational Trauma Therapy^™ method and is widely recognized for her work on intergenerational trauma and healing. Her clinical work focuses on reducing the recurrence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), particularly within communities of color, by integrating modern psychology with ancestral and Indigenous healing practices. Her contributions to The Health Coach Training Program^™ reflect a commitment to healing at every level—personal, ancestral, and systemic.

Chrissy King
Author, Educator & Body Liberation Advocate

Chrissy King spent years trying to change herself—her body, her voice, and the space she occupied—before realizing that she was never the problem. As a writer, speaker, educator, and former strength coach, she has dedicated her career to helping create a more inclusive and equitable wellness industry. Her debut book, The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom, weaves together personal narrative, social justice, and practical tools for anyone ready to challenge the messages that tell them their body isn't enough.

As an IIN Visiting Faculty member in The Health Coach Training Program and Mindful Eating Course, Chrissy brings her perspective on body liberation, anti-racism, and inclusive wellness into the curriculum, informed by her academic studies in sociology and social justice at Marquette University.

Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Author

Maya Feller is a Brooklyn-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, author, and media contributor whose work champions culturally responsive nutrition care. As the founder of Maya Feller Nutrition and author of Eating from Our Roots, she explores the connections between food, culture, health, and equity, advocating for nutrition approaches that honor individual identities and lived experiences. A frequent contributor to Good Morning America and a speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Maya is widely recognized for advancing conversations around nutrition equity and cultural inclusion.

As an IIN Visiting Faculty member, she brings this perspective into her teachings, encouraging students and graduates to approach health coaching with curiosity, cultural humility, and respect for the whole person.

The Ripple Effect of a More Inclusive Wellness World

At the heart of IIN's mission is creating a ripple effect that transforms the world. The individuals highlighted here offer just a glimpse of that impact—part of a global community of changemakers who are advancing health, wellness, and transformation in their own unique ways.

When more people have access to education, representation, and supportive communities, the impact extends far beyond the individual. It shows up in families, in neighborhoods, and in the broader systems that shape health outcomes and opportunity.

The alumni and faculty featured here are health coaches, educators, psychologists, dietitians, and advocates who are using their platforms, their practices, and their personal journeys to make wellness more accessible, more representative, and more whole. They are proof that expanding who gets to participate in wellness leadership expands what becomes possible for everyone.

Ready to Add Your Voice to the Movement?
The coaches and educators you've just read about all started somewhere. Many of them started at IIN.

If you've been feeling called to do work that matters—work that helps people transform their health, honor their stories, and show up more fully in their lives—this is your invitation. IIN's Health Coach Training Program gives you the tools, the community, and the credentials to become the coach your community has been waiting for.

 Download IIN’s free curriculum guide or book a free consultation with an admissions advisor.

Join 180,000+ IIN graduates in 187+ countries who are redefining what health and wellness look like—on their own terms.

This article is published in honor of Juneteenth 2026.