Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Billings.
Hi Deborah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in the United States to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, and my life has always been shaped by two worlds, two cultures, and a deep appreciation for perseverance, family, and community. Much of my formative upbringing took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where I attended law school and developed an early passion for justice, advocacy, and understanding the human experience.
In 1989, I returned to the United States to continue my legal studies at Notre Dame Law School before sitting for the New York Bar. I practiced law in New York for several years and later worked at Prudential Life Insurance in New Jersey. While I was grateful for those professional opportunities, I eventually realized that my work, although intellectually rewarding, was not fully aligned with my deeper purpose.
In 1999, I made a life-changing decision to move to Florida to be closer to my family during a difficult season in our lives. My father was seriously ill, and after his passing in 2000, I found myself reflecting profoundly on meaning, connection, and what it truly means to live a fulfilling life. Around that same time, I met my husband, and together we began building a new chapter rooted in family, love, and service.
Rather than returning to traditional legal practice, I chose a different path — one that felt more authentic to who I was becoming. I became a public speaker and eventually transitioned into education after the birth of our son. Teaching felt natural to me. I have always loved facilitating learning, helping others understand complex ideas, and creating spaces where people feel seen, empowered, and inspired. I spent a few years teaching elementary school and loved working with children, however, I realized my calling extended beyond the classroom.
That realization led me back to school, where I became certified through iPEC Coaching as a certified professional coach. I have also carried a deep curiosity for health and wellness, intuitively believing in the interconnectivity and support of our different dimensions – pillars are essential to health and wellbeing. Throughout my life, I have also carried a profound spiritual curiosity and a belief that human beings are deeply interconnected — emotionally, energetically, physically, and spiritually. This spiritual path also led me to become actively involved with Unity on the Bay, where I served as a prayer chaplain and later facilitated prayer chaplain training, experiences that deepened my understanding of compassionate presence, spiritual support, and the healing power of authentic connection. I have long been drawn toward holistic and integrative approaches to healing and wellness, as well as humanitarian values rooted in compassion, dignity, and equality.
For several years, I worked both as a private educator and within my coaching practice, supporting individuals through personal growth and transformation. Later, I joined Kristi House, an organization whose mission became incredibly meaningful to me. As Director of Prevention and Education, I had the privilege of facilitating programs and trainings for tens of thousands of individuals, both in person and virtually, focused on protecting children from abuse and empowering communities through education and awareness. My work there remains one of the most heartfelt and purposeful chapters of my professional life.
In 2024, my family and I moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina, with my family. Here my husband and I enjoy a quieter life filled with nature, beauty and new friends. My husband supports me as I continue to pursue a dream that has quietly lived in my heart for many years. Creating a healing oasis for individuals seeking quiet, safety, restoration, and holistic support for the mind, body, emotions, and spirit.
Today, I continue my coaching work through multiple platforms while furthering my education in health and wellness. I am currently pursuing certification through the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching and plan to continue into studies in functional medicine and nutrition. I am also training in crystal bowl sound bathing integrating evidence-based wellness practices with restorative and spiritually grounded approaches to healing. Along my own journey, I have also faced and overcome personal health challenges, experiences that deepened my compassion and strengthened my commitment to understanding healing not only intellectually, but personally and holistically.
My passion is empowering individuals with both research-based knowledge and compassionate support so they can make informed choices, advocate for their own well-being, and reconnect with their innate capacity to heal. I believe wellness is multidimensional and deeply interconnected — encompassing nutrition, movement, nature, emotional regulation, thought patterns, connectivity, forgiveness, gratitude, breathwork, sound healing, spiritual connection, and reducing environmental toxins.
At the heart of everything I do is a simple belief: people heal best when they feel safe, supported, informed, and deeply seen.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like many people searching for deeper meaning and healing, my own path has not been without struggle. Parts of my childhood were marked by trauma, frequent moves between cities and countries, and the experience of often being the “new kid” trying to find a sense of belonging. Navigating different cultures and languages shaped me in profound ways. I was at times bashful and uncertain, yet also deeply observant and sensitive to the emotions of others. Wanting to be accepted, I often learned to be overly accommodating and kind at the expense of fully expressing my authentic self. Establishing healthy boundaries did not come naturally to me, and like many women, I experienced periods of self-doubt and challenges in my relationship with food and self-worth.
Yet alongside those struggles, I have also always recognized the many blessings and opportunities that life afforded me. Over time, my challenges became invitations — invitations to seek understanding, healing, and ultimately a deeper relationship with myself. Much of my personal and professional journey has been rooted in a sincere longing to make sense of suffering, to cultivate compassion, and to learn how to love and accept myself more fully. That ongoing journey continues to shape the way I support and walk alongside others today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Certified Holistic Life and Career Coach (ICF-ACC), educator, facilitator, and former attorney with a passion for helping individuals navigate life transitions, emotional challenges, career changes, and personal growth with greater clarity, resilience, and self-compassion. My work integrates evidence-based coaching approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT, Emotional Intelligence, mindfulness, and solution-focused coaching within a holistic, trauma-informed framework that honors the interconnectedness of mind, body,
Today, I specialize in holistic wellness coaching, emotional well-being, resilience, stress management, life and career transitions, and helping individuals reconnect with their authentic selves. Soon, I look forward to be able to support individuals in spheres of health and wellness and functional nutrition. To empower them with agency to make better choices for their health and wellness. I am especially passionate about supporting people who are navigating overwhelm, self-doubt, burnout, caregiving demands, boundary-setting challenges, or periods of personal transformation.
What I am most proud of is the way my own life experiences — including cultural transitions, personal struggles, health challenges, loss, reinvention, and healing — have allowed me to meet others with genuine empathy, compassion, and understanding. My journey has taught me that healing is rarely linear and that meaningful transformation begins when people feel truly safe, seen, and supported.
I believe what sets me apart is the depth and diversity of both my professional and personal experience. I bring together the analytical thinking of an attorney, the heart of an educator, the presence of a coach, and the perspective of someone who has spent many years exploring spirituality, emotional healing, holistic wellness, and human resilience. My approach is warm, grounded, culturally sensitive, and deeply relational. I strive to create spaces where people feel empowered not only to achieve goals, but to cultivate greater self-awareness, balance, authenticity, and overall well-being.
At the center of my work is a simple but powerful belief: when people are given compassionate support, practical tools, offered support and an accountability partner, coupled with the opportunity to reconnect with themselves, meaningful and lasting transformation becomes possible.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with me in a variety of ways depending on their needs and goals. I offer via virtual and in person coaching, individual holistic life and career coaching for clients navigating life transitions, stress, burnout, emotional overwhelm, work–life balance challenges, caregiving responsibilities, career uncertainty, and personal growth. My coaching is especially supportive for individuals seeking a more compassionate, grounded, and integrative approach to healing and transformation.
I also facilitate group coaching, workshops, trainings,
In addition, I welcome opportunities for collaboration with wellness practitioners, healthcare organizations, educators, nonprofits, coaching platforms, and mission-driven communities that value holistic well-being, emotional resilience, and human-centered support. As I continue pursuing advanced studies in health and wellness coaching, functional medicine, nutrition, and sound healing, I am especially interested in collaborative work that bridges evidence-based practices with integrative and restorative approaches to care. Individuals and organizations will be able to support and connect with me for in person or virtual coaching or in person sound bathing experiences.
Those who wish to support my work can do so by sharing my services with individuals or organizations who may benefit, inviting me to facilitate workshops, or sound bathing or speaking engagements, collaborating on wellness initiatives, or simply helping amplify the importance of compassionate, holistic approaches to emotional and physical well-being.
Ultimately, my work is rooted in connection, education, healing, and empowerment. I believe we heal and grow most powerfully in supportive communities where people feel safe, valued, and encouraged to become more fully themselves.
Pricing:
- $100 per 50 minutes Virtual or inperson
- $45 per 30 minutes virtual or in person
- $30 40 minute sound bath experience in person only
- Pro bono available
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @deborahangiolinabillings
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576286442295 Deborah Angiolina Billings Holistic Life Coach
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-angiolina-billings-520929388
