Joanne (aka Coach JJ) is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) with a proven record of education, training, and experience for strategically coaching clients, guiding participants through disease management/prevention and wellness programs, facilitating conversations in online discussion forums, and conducting one-on-one and group coaching sessions that get results. Her coaching education was provided from Wellcoaches™, one of the nation’s top-ranking educational providers for professional Health & Wellness Coaches.
In addition to her independent practice, Joanne has been a Master’s level public health community educator (MPH) through East Tennessee State University since 2012. She is currently a research scientist team member for the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health Center for Cardiovascular Risk Research (CCRR) and a CCRR Community Advisory Board Member. She received Nursing training through Lincoln Memorial University, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in both Psychology & Sociology. She has worked in the healthcare industry for 28 years, and during her career she has worked in emergency medicine, med-surg nursing, primary and urgent care, assisted-living and long-term care, hospice, insurance, pharmacy, and telecommunications.
Personal Story:
I began my healthcare journey over two decades ago. Even as a teenager, I was fascinated with healthcare and medicine. I’ve worked in hospitals, nursing homes, private-duty care, and even with emergency medical services. I’ve worked with patients, families, providers, and the community-at-large. I’ve been through watching many of my own family members become ill with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiac disorders, mental health issues, and cancer—with them having no sense of hope for ever feeling “good” again. Throughout all of my experiences, I could not simply accept the fact that “people just get sick”. Sure, illness occurs for most everyone and it’s a known “fact of life”. But could there be any hope for individuals to improve their health, no matter where they are on the continuum of wellness? Was the diagnosis of chronic illness the end of the road? It took me 20 years to determine that the answer is an emphatic ABSOLUTELY NOT. No matter what the current state of your health & wellness, there are things you can do to improve your wellbeing, on all dimensions, and at any level.
I have struggled with my own healthcare challenges over the years including a joint disorder, an autoimmune disorder, and digestive issues. I’ve attempted different diet regimens and medications to help my symptoms and many of these simply masked symptoms or intensified them. What I have found to be the most important factor in my personal health is what I can best sum up as “my inputs”. Drawing from computer theory, your “inputs” are the things you put into the system—any system, including your body and mind. Your “outputs” are the things you get as a result of what you put into the system—the product, if you will. Your outputs are only as good as your inputs. I spent years thinking that I could eat greasy wings and fries loaded with condiments along with beers and candy bars—assuming that I was young and thin and therefore impervious to the effects of these things. I could not have been more incorrect. I have found that the phrase “being healthy” means something different to everyone. To me, being healthy means that my body, mind and spirit are all connected and functioning to the best of their ability. I currently strive for excellence and balance in all areas of my life including my mental health, career, relationships, nutrition, emotions, and spirituality.
From studying years of individual cases and working with patients & providers all across the healthcare industry spectrum, I learned that individuals with the highest rates of success for improving how they feel are those who learn to make “good inputs” in conjunction with guidance & encouragement. It brings me enormous joy to share with others what I’ve learned on my journey and to be a cheerleader for those looking to improve and lengthen their lives, improve their sense of wellbeing, and decrease their risk of illness through their own lifestyle choices. If done in a sustainable and practical way, these choices will lead to long-lasting, healthy habits for life.
