Meet Valorie

Life Strategist
Bestselling Author
Positive Psychology Expert
Motivational Speaker

Official Bio

Meet Valorie

Life Strategist
Bestselling Author
Positive Psychology Expert
Motivational Speaker

Official Bio

What I Do

I am the author of thirteen books on personal development, founder of The Coaching and Positive Psychology (CaPP) Institute and an international speaker on resilience and happiness. I have spent more than 15 years studying the research of resilience, positive emotion and courage – and implementing it in my own life and with hundreds of clients from a dozen countries and nearly every state in the US. My books include, It’s About Time, Successful Women Think Differently, Brave Enough to Succeed, among others.

What I Believe

I believe life is about knowing why you’re here and living your purpose fully. That means serving the world in a way only you can and growing from the challenges, opportunities, and relationships that come your way. I also believe resilience – the ability to adapt to change and navigate setbacks – is a necessary life skill and it is a skill that can be learned. You must learn it if you want an authentic, successful and happy life. I also believe in second chances and I’m grateful for mine. It’s led to my professional calling and my beautiful, blended family – a husband I grew up with in Colorado, two bonus daughters I have the privilege to help parent and a son who came along after I turned 40.

Who I Am

I’m a wife, parent, entrepreneur, author, speaker and life coach dedicated to helping people get unstuck and be unstoppable in every area of life. I discovered the calling of my life purpose inspiring others through writing and speaking in 1999, and I’ve coached hundreds of clients in nearly every state and a dozen countries. I help you:

    • Build resilience and coach yourself through any challenge
    • Choose the meaningful over the urgent and climb out of time poverty

    • Become happier and cultivate more positive emotion in your life and work

    • Navigate setbacks in a way that makes you better, not bitter.

    • Speak up with confidence and influence the world around you

    • Find the courage to make major life changes

    • Let go of guilt, procrastination, perfectionism, fear and other emotions that threaten to sabotage your potential

My Story

I know what it feels like to endure family health challenges and the cost of dreams deferred. Part of my story begins in the summer of 1999, when I had an epiphany that confirmed my life purpose: To inspire others to live more fulfilling lives. At the time I owned my own public relations firm, and was doing quite well, but I just wasn’t passionate about my work. So I put my fears aside and I took a leap of faith to pursue my dream and my passion. That transformation has led me to write twelve books that help others make intentional choices to live more fulfilling, successful lives.

MY PERSONAL TIMELINE

1973
1976
1976
1980
1988
1990
1991
1992
1994
1997
1999
2000
2001
2003
2007
2009
2010
2012
2013
2015
2017
2017
2021
Today

1973

Born at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Watched dolphins from my swingset in the backyard while fighter jets boomed overhead for training exercises.

1976

Spent the first of eight childhood summers at my paternal grandparents’ home in upstate South Carolina. Woke up every morning to the sound of the rooster crowing in Grandmama’s chicken coop and played all day with my cousins, before shucking corn or stringing green beans together before dinner. Realized my grandparents, who grew up sharecroppers in the segregated rural South, had a dramatically different childhood than I did. Their love, integrity, tenacity, faith and intelligence (despite the lack of formal education) deeply influenced and shaped me.

1976

Mom said she wanted to “capture the era” in this pic.

1980

We moved to Frankfurt, West Germany. This is my fourth grade pic at Rhein Main Air Base Elementary.

1988

Five years after moving to Colorado: That’s my husband above me in the Smoky Hill High School year book. Clearly, it was the 80s. We both popped our collars and my hair is lopsided.

1990

Modeling shoot in downtown Denver during my senior year. Accept a Presidential appointment to the US Air Force Academy that year. I called my Dad who was stationed in South Korea to tell him. He’s so excited and proud, I hear him cry for the first time.

1991

After a tough year of academic probation, parents’ divorce, surgery and three hospital stays, I leave the Academy, doubting myself and not totally sure what’s next. Follow Mom to Monterey, CA.

1992

Transfer to Florida State University, intern in the late Governor Lawton Chiles’ press office. Graduate a year later.

1994

At age 21, earn master’s degree in journalism at Florida A&M University. Rushing to overcompensate for past failures, I miss the traditional college journey. Move to Dallas following graduation.

1997

Launch public relations firm, fulfilling my entrepreneurial spirit, but not my passion. I don’t know what that is yet. Start praying to know my purpose.

1999

I have an epiphany about my life purpose during a visit to a Barnes & Noble in downtown Seattle during NABJ Convention: To write and speak as a vehicle to inspire others to live more fulfilling lives. Begin writing first book three weeks later and self-publish it a few months later by borrowing $6,000 from my credit card. Broke even in three weeks.

2000

Random House buys self-published book! Releases it with the same title a year later.

2001

Leave PR to pursue writing and speaking full time. Become trained as a life coach the following year. Become co-host of national television show, The Potter’s Touch with T.D. Jakes.

2003

Get married. Move to Prince Georges County, Maryland. Land book deal and write my second book, Listen to Your Life.

2007

Accepted to grad program at the University of Pennsylvania in applied positive psychology. Graduate in 2008 and soon need to apply my degree to my own life as I reach a low point. This a picture with world-renowned professor and psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman, father of positive psychology.

2009

Marriage fails after six years. Consider giving up on writing and speaking. Very afraid that my dream of motherhood may never be realized. Devastated. Decide to move south to be near family. Land in Atlanta.

2010

Launch the Coaching and Positive Psychology (CaPP) Institute. Begin training others to become personal and executive coaches.

2012

Successful Women Think Differently, my seventh book, is released. It is based on my Capstone project for my graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania. It becomes a national bestseller and is translated into multiple languages.

2013

After a year dating the love of my life, a high school friend who saw Successful Women Think Differently at an airport bookstore, Jeff and I marry. I become a bonus mom to two energetic girls, ages 6 and 9.

2015

We become parents to the cutest boy ever, Alex.

2017

The CaPP Institute hosts its 15th Coach Training Intensive since 2010.  There are graduates from every state and ten countries on four continents.

2017

Inspired by experiments for my book It’s About Time: The art of choosing the meaningful over the urgent, Jeff and I decide to fulfill a long-held dream and move our family to a horse farm south of Atlanta.

2021

At the invitation of friend and leadership legend Dr. John C. Maxwell, begins serving as thought leader and the coaching mentor to more than 40,000 Maxwell Leadership Team members worldwide.

Today

Jeff, me and all three kids

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