About Vanessa
Vanessa Ingrid Farrell, MPH, MCHES is a certified health coach. She received her health coach certification from the University of North Carolina Greensboro Health Coach Certificate Program.
Prior to becoming a coach, Vanessa earned her undergraduate degree in health and nutrition sciences and a master’s degree in public health (MPH) from Brooklyn College. Vanessa is a graduate of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Health Prevention Service Program, a three-year training program for master’s-level public health professionals. She is also a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). She is a speaker, best-selling author, and CEO and founder of Vanessa Ingrid (VI) Health & Wellness Coaching, LLC.
Prior to launching her health and wellness coaching practice, Vanessa held several leadership positions, including working remotely as the director of programs for a boutique consulting firm specializing in leadership development around diversity, equity, and inclusion. She also served as the Territorial Director for the Communicable Diseases Division for the USVI Department of Public Health and as a program associate with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropic foundation dedicated to health and health care.
Vanessa has always had a passion for health and wellness and believes that working in this arena is her life purpose. She couples this passion with an entrepreneurial spirit and a heart for working with women. Her passion was further fueled while attending a TED Conference in Vancouver, BC and hearing the amazing stories of ordinary women doing extra-ordinary things to help other women.
In 2017, Vanessa found herself as a leader literally in the “eye of the storm” after the USVI was devasted by two back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes. When Vanessa’s blood pressure readings reached 195/110, she knew those numbers were unusual and frightening. Her elevated blood pressure and her sudden diagnosis of hypertension gave her pause. Despite her new reality, she still had to lead due to the demands of her career, even at the expense of her health. In the end, she chose her health over her career and walked away.
This experience was revolutionary! Vanessa at TED -Vancouver, BC
Vanessa is resolved in her decision but wants other women to know that good health doesn’t have to be a compromise: you can indeed have it all – a thriving career and good health! What it takes are the skills, tools, and support to navigate the workplace while prioritizing your health and wellness goals. Vanessa’s coaching practice helps women find that balance so that they can unapologetically prioritize and preserve their heart health without sacrificing their careers and the joys of everyday life experiences.
Vanessa was born on the beautiful island of Montserrat in the Caribbean and currently resides on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.