meet our coaches

"We are passionate about people finding their purpose and obtaining abundant life."

Dr. Heather Poiry

Heather Poiry is a resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana where she lives with her husband, love of her life and ministry partner, Mike Poiry. Between them they have five wonderful adult children. As a young woman, Heather knew God called her to counsel and minister to the emotionally wounded. She felt commissioned by the Lord to base her life's purpose on Isaiah 61: 1-2. Heather has obeyed that call by pursuing and graduating with a Bachelors degree in psychology from The Defiance College. While living in Defiance, Ohio she began attending, serving, and then became a part of leadership at Restoration Church, where she met Pastors Herb and Janet Strickland and their son HG Strickland and daughter Jennifer Groce in September of 2001. Their love and support has remained steadfast over the years and has helped Heather develop into the powerful woman of God she is today.

In the 25 years following Heather's graduation from college, God continued to refine her skills by having her work in several different human services organizations. Heather started her career off at The Department of Human Services in Defiance, Ohio as an investigator of child abuse and neglect. From there Heather further developed her counseling and coaching skills by working with battered women and children at The House of Ruth Domestic Violence Shelter in Defiance, Ohio. Heather then began working with troubled youth at Lifeline Youth and Family Services, where she was a family consultant and was promoted to family coordinator for Steuben County in Indiana. Heather then went on to obtain a Masters degree and Doctorate in Clinical Christian Counseling from Vision Christian Bible College and Seminary in Clermont, Florida. With these degrees Heather created her own coaching ministry called Transforming Hearts and was employed by two privately owned clinical counseling agencies. From there, Heather obtained her Christian Life Coach Certification through the Center for Christian Coaching in 2021 and Transforming Hearts Christian Coaching was birthed.

Heather has traveled throughout the tri-state area preaching to and counseling the emotionally wounded. Heather has dedicated her life to training others about the abundant life God promised in John 10:10 and their God given purpose.

Olivia Fowler

After working as a music therapist for almost 5 years, God called Olivia to change course and become a Christian Life Coach. She has a strong desire to transform lives by connecting them to God, mending their relationship with the Lord and others and to help them discover what God‘s plan is for their lives. Olivia has been married to her college sweetheart since spring of 2018. She has a crazy Jack Russell named Lilly and she now has her first child on the way. When Olivia is not working with her clients, she enjoys gardening, sewing, reading, researching, thrifting, and playing the guitar or piano. As a Christian Life Coach, God has the ultimate authority in her life and her main tool used in sessions is His word - which is always perfect and true. With all of the darkness and pain in our world today, it is Olivia's hope and desire to be a light unto other people. To walk through their pain with them, support them, and provide peace, joy, and encouragement. If you are hurting and need healing and transformation, God can provide that and it is her mission to help connect you to Him. If you are new to the church and the Bible or just don’t know where to start, it is Olivia's mission to walk through this journey with you. You don’t have to walk recovery on your own!

Donnie Laukhuf

Donnie Laukhuf is an elder and functions as one of the senior ministers and team leaders at Restoration Church in Defiance, OH. In addition to actively training and ministering within his home church, he works closely with HG Strickland, networking with and encouraging ministers, churches, and ministries in the tri-state area. Donnie serves in equipping five-fold ministers, leads a Work Is Worship group in a public school, and co-labors with the ‘Ohio Prophetic Troop’ providing education and inspiration to the Body of Christ in the city, region and in the state. He has ministered internationally and helped to train leaders and establish campuses of Vision Christian Bible College & Seminary in Mwingi and Nairobi Kenya. With more than 30 years of experience in senior management positions in the corporate world, Donnie has proven effective at ministering in the marketplace and equipping others to do the same. His passion is people and the development of the gifts that God has given to each that make up the Body of Christ. When not ministering through the church, Donnie continues to minister as the President of ABC Consulting Services to the companies he serves.

Veronica Montelongo

Veronica describes herself as a certified Christian Life Coach, teacher, lover of running & fitness, lifelong learner and a mother of six. Her goal is to help women transform their lives by becoming aligned with God’s will and vision for them. God’s will in 3 John 1:2 is that all be well with us, that we enjoy good health and prosper spiritually. Veronica would like to help you begin taking steps today toward living a life that is aligned with God’s heart. Veronica believes that in our life journey we may encounter internal and external barriers that keep us stuck in defeating cycles. As your life coach, she will help you make sustainable and measurable progress in accomplishing your goals, resulting in a life aligned with God’s perfect vision of you. Veronica specializes in helping women make forward movement in the areas of health/wellness, self-care, careers, parenting, relationships, faith and inspiration. She is bilingual (Spanish). If you are ready to begin working toward achieving the life God has for you, Veronica is available by email at veronica@begintodaylifecoaching.com or by phone at (956)733-7633.

Lynn Nelson

Lynn is very passionate about the outdoors and enjoys activities such as kayaking and hiking. She loves her children, grandchildren, and animals; especially horses. Lynn specializes in equine connection/coaching and parenting life coaching. She is passionate about teaching families and children how to enhance their relationships, focusing on coping skills, anger management skills, and communication skills. She also provides supervised visitation for families who are trying to reunify. Lynn possesses a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology & Sociology from Indiana University and has 16 years of experience working in her field. Lynn has worked with Park Center, Parkview Health Systems, and is currently employed with Crossroad Child & Family Services out of Fort Wayne. Before entering her field of study, Lynn was involved with the Fort Wayne school system working with special needs and at-risk children. Lynn possesses strong communication skills and is adept at maintaining a positive attitude and resolving conflicts in a calmly manner. She also has ample experience working with people of different backgrounds and temperaments. Lynn can be reached by email at lynnnelson99@gmail.com or by phone at (260)255-7614.

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