Inspirational Speaker, Author, Life Coach and Founder of Nurturing Hearts, Inc.
Shawntá Pulliam took a traumatic childhood, affected by parental drug addiction and incarceration, and turned it around for good. After expulsion from the 10th grade, Shawntá was enrolled in Catholic alternative education where she worked diligently to graduate on time, coming in early to study and staying late for extra help. She emerged as valedictorian of
her senior class and attended Gannon University. However, Shawntá’s unhealed wounds resulted in risky behavior, bad relationship choices, and ultimately a nervous breakdown, where she received just $500 a month from social security and was given a one-bedroom apartment in the projects.
Shawntá began to confront her past, acknowledge her wrongs, forgive, built a real relationship with God and reclaimed her soul. She began a promising career with G.E.Transportation but still had an unfulfilled passion to help at-risk girls, like she once was.
In 2006, her vision came to fruition when she founded Nurturing Hearts, a self-esteem and self-development non-profit organization for girls, whose mission is to provide supportive leadership and life skills that will furnish and prepare girls 10-18 for a bright and positive future.
Shawntá Pulliam has not only evolved into a visionary, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and life coach, she is also Secretary of the Erie Policy and Planning Council, a member of the Board of Directors for the Erie Downtown Partnership, the Truancy Committee, General Electric’s African American Engagement Committee and Erie Times-News Diversity Committee, serves on the Board of Corporators for UPMC Hamot and is a member of the Women’s Athena International Power Link.
She is a recipient of the General Electric Gerald L. Philippe Award, the 2013 Women Making History Award, a Citation of Recognition from the Erie County Executive, the 2013 Phoenix Idea Woman of the Year Award and the Martin Luther King Youth Impact Award, and she has also been recognized by the Governor of Pennsylvania for her outstanding community leadership. Shawntá has been featured on the Word Network, Christian Television Network, and TBN. She is also a contributing writer for Today’s Christian Living Magazine.
Shawntá recently founded Shawntá Pulliam Arise LLC, where she provides inspirational speaking, life coach assistance and positive development programs for people from all facets of life. She has also worked as a facilitator for UPMC, a $10 billion integrated global health enterprise Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. where she provided inspirational and educational seminars and workshops for women. Shawntá has spoken at small group homes such as the former Gannondale residential facility for girls, to world-recognized corporations such as the New York Times for the DANDI Awards in New York City and General Electric.
She has been coached by one of the best motivational speakers of all
time, Mr. Les Brown, who has also written the forward to her new
book, Hell Bent Heaven Bound.
Shawntá not only ‘walks the walk’, but grabs other young women by the coattails and supports them on the path to success. She has never forgotten children and women who are struggling with the same issues that she had to overcome. Her message to young women “the only limitations you have are the ones you place upon yourself”, spreading her testimony and enlightenment around the world.
Shawntá lives her life according to the verse from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me”.