Dr. Dana Watson
Bio
Dana Watson is a native of Norfolk, VA, in the United States. She has 18 years of experience working in education, the criminal justice system, foster care, and for the nonprofit sector. Her education background is in both Education and Human Services Counseling. She is currently attending school to obtain her PH.D in Christian Counseling. Dana is a multi-certified coach and is the owner of Elev8te Health & Wellness, providing holistic and restorative services.
She is an ordained minister and is an active board member for the church’s nonprofit organization, The O.A.T Foundation. During her free time, she enjoys writing and giving back to the community. She is an award winning community philanthropist, a best selling author, TEdx speaker, TV Talk Show host of Curves, Curls, and Crowns, and has 2 honorary doctorates in leadership and divinity.
Dana is on a mission to rebuild one heart at a time, as she is best known for advocating for domestic violence victims, facilitating healthy relationships classes, and now has a new coaching program, I Am Healed Certified Coaching Program for healers. She has committed herself to the Lord and has successfully turned her pain into her purpose. Her favorite scripture verse is Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."
Please introduce and tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Dana Watson, but my clients call me Coach Dana W. I am a divorcee and the proud mother of two beautiful children, Nikiya and Trey. In addition, I am the grandmother of my beautiful grandbaby, Amariah.
I have over 18 years of experience working in the education field, the criminal justice system, foster care, and nonprofit sector. My educational background is in both Education and Human Services Counseling. I am currently attending school to obtain my PH.D in Christian Counseling. I also have 2 honorary doctorates in leadership and divinity.
I am multi-certified coach and the owner of Elev8te Health & Wellness, providing holistic and restorative services.
Most importantly, I am an ordained minister at Immanuel Worship and Deliverance Ministries, where I served as the Youth Ministry Director for over ten years. My personal mission is to rebuild one heart at a time, as I am best known for advocating for domestic violence victims, facilitating healthy relationships classes, and now providing certification training program for healers.
Dr. Dana Watson, you are the Owner of “Elev8te Health & Wellness, LLC.” Tell the readers about your company and what services you offer clients?
Also, where can the readers view more about your services? Elev8te Health & Wellness, LLC is both SWAM and BBB certified. I provide both coaching and consultation services to individuals, couples, and families who are impacted by stress and/or trauma by using evidence-based practices. I teach individuals how to to use their pain as a secret weapon to lose weight (emotional eaters), heal, become a published author, and/or start a business. In as little as 90 days, my clients can complete a total transformation program and turn their pain into their purpose.
I also provide services to corporations and school systems teaching them about Trauma Informed Care and Social/Emotional Learning. It’s important that leaders and those in the helping profession understand what being trauma focus means and how to show compassion in the workplace.
I provide a wide range of topics (Anger Management, Stress, Nutrition, Grief, Trauma Informed Care, etc) that can be covered in both a workshop style or group coaching. In addition, I am currently working on obtaining my ADHD coaching certification because there is a great need in this area.
What areas do you specialize in as the CEO/Instructor of “Healed Academy?”
As the CEO/ Instructor of the I-Am-Healed Academy, I specialize in healing from trauma type courses. I currently have an online course for individuals who want to heal from emotional trauma due to break-ups, divorce, and betrayal. I also have a certificate program for Christian leaders who want to incorporate trauma informed care into ministry and a certification program for healers. The I-Am-Healed Coach Certification Program is a program you can receive healing from due to your own trauma and become a Certified Coach after completing certain requirements such as skills lab, quizzes, and providing proof of practice sessions. I believe that a lot of people have a calling on their life when it comes to helping others heal from trauma. We often wonder why we’ve been effected by so much pain in our lives. But sometimes our life experiences are not meant for us to just sit as victims of pain, but for us to take that pain and turn it into power to help someone else heal.
As a Transformational Coach, what advice would you give to someone who is struggling to move forward from difficult circumstances such as: emotional trauma, grief, or a relationship breakup?
The first step is to acknowledge the brokenness and trauma. Secondly, seek help from a therapist or/and coach. It’s important that people understand that they do not have to heal alone. And with the right resources and tools you can heal. Another piece that is really important in healing is forgiveness. One must not only forgive their perpetrator, but they must also forgive themselves in order to move forward.
I know you are a Tedx Talk Speaker and you spoke on the topic “When the Body Talks.” What is the reason you selected this particular topic?
The theme of the Tedx was “It Takes a Village”. So, I had to find a way to incorporate what I do as a coach and tie it in with the theme. I remember after the death of my dad I began to emotionally eat. And my body was yelling at me with all types of aches and pain. The body talks to us, we just have to listen. When we think of the body we are usually referring to the physical being, but I want you to think of the body in a different way. You’ve heard of a body of water, a body of mass, a body of elected officials. But the village is a body too. We, a people of great diversity, make up one body of the human race. And right now, our body is talking. It’s talking through the protests on the streets, the tears of our children, and the constant deaths we see all around us; because our body is hurting. Villages are considered to be family and we must find healing for the body, the same way we have to find healing for our physical bodies. I was able to come up with an acronym for FAM in order to start the healing journey. F-Forgive and let go of anything that is holding you back (that includes those who have betrayed you), A-Affirm; positively affirm your healing today by speaking it over your life; and M- Move forward from the past and release all of the trauma stored in your body.
Since you are a Motivational Speaker, how can someone book you to speak at their conference or event?
I can be reached via email at danawatson.elev8te@gmail.com,
Facebook.com/coachdanaw, and Instagram.com/coachdanaw
Dr. Watson, you are an Author of Christian fiction books. Tell the readers about your first book, “Because He Loves Me” and the reason you wrote it?
My first book, “Because He Loves Me” is a fictional book, inspired by true events. I wrote this book to tell my story of being a survivor of domestic violence. I was a young, single mother going through a really difficult patch. I felt like no one would understand that my relationship; which appeared to be amazing to the outside, was very much toxic behind closed doors. So I stayed in that relationship when I should have left. I wrote this book with a twist in mind. While many people believed that the author is speaking of the love between a man and woman, that keeps a woman in an abusive relationship. It’s actually the love from God that frees her. It was important that I told my testimony of how God loved me so much that he delivered me from the hands of the enemy, and now I have turned my pain into my purpose.
You also wrote another book, “Man of Deception” tell us about this book?
This book is based on a dream my mother had before passing away in 2018. I was in the midst of a separation from my now ex-husband. I was dealing with loneliness and just needed a friend, so I met a guy on a dating app. But, I didn’t tell anyone, it was my little secret. After a couple of weeks of me talking to this guy, my mom told me she had a dream about a guy who was pretending to be a Christian in order to get close to me. She said she could not see his face, but he had on a white robe as if he was about to get baptized at the beach. And when she looked at his feet he had tennis shoes on. When she woke up, she heard the words, “Man of Deception”. I was able to take that dream and I wrote a book based on it. So, although my first book was mainly about true events, this second book was more fictional. And just like my first book, there was a twist to this story. You will have to read the book to find out who is the Man of Deception.
I also have a new anthology book coming out this fall, “Life After Divorce: Turning Your Pain into Power”. I have about 10 authors who will be sharing their stories on how they used their pain from divorce to walk in their purpose, find true healing, find a relationship with the Lord, etc.
Where can the readers purchase a copy of your books? On Amazon or contact me via email at danawatson.elev8te@gmail.com
Recently, you became one of the host of a show called “Curves, Curls, & Crowns” on the Mogul TV Global. Tell the readers about your show and where they can tune in to watch it?
O..M..G.. I just love being a host on Curves, Curls & Crowns, with my co-hosts Katrina Willis and Mylira Green. Curves, Curls, & Crowns is the #1 women’s empowerment show for women of color on television. It was created by women for women to embrace their beauty within and loving themselves through life’s obstacles. On this show, you will find great conversations, real transparency, and true healing. Download the Mogul TV Global app on Roku and Amazon Firestick or watch past episodes at www.theMoguls.tv. Special shout out to the founder of Mogul TV Global, Tameka Walker Chapman. I’m so grateful to her for including me in her vision.
Do you have any upcoming conferences, events, speaking engagements or workshops?
I actually have a couple of events coming up. On July 16th, I was invited to speak at Queens Conference: Straighten Your Crown” garden event on how mental health impacts our children. I also have some upcoming events under the nonprofit that my business is affiliated with. I volunteer my services and I am on the board of directors for The O.A.T. Foundation in Norfolk, VA. We have a Liver Cancer Awareness Walk coming up on October 1st. My mother, Dr. Virginia F. Barnett, was one of the founding members so we do the walk and a scholarship in her honor. On July 19th, we will be presenting the 2022 scholarship to this year’s recipient. I am really happy to be a part of this team and giving back to the community with free healing groups.
On August 26th, I will be speaking at an event in Atlanta, GA for an event for survivors of cancer. My mother and father both passed away from cancer. But, my mother’s diagnosis of liver cancer is the reason why I am who I am today. She is my why!
And lastly, I am looking forward to a Wellness Retreat I was invited to speak at in Puerto Rico, in April 2023. So yes, I do travel for speaking engagements. Please contact me at danawatsoncoaching.com or danawatson.elev8te@gmail.com to book me.
If you would like to learn more about Dana Watson books or services, visit her website at https://www.danawatsoncoaching.com/