Heather Cherry, NBC-HWC, NTP, IC-FHS, PMP
Heather Cherry is a content strategist, freelance writer, and board-certified health coach with more than two decades of experience in media, digital marketing, and storytelling. Based in Pennsylvania, she specializes in creating strategic, search-driven content that helps businesses connect with audiences while delivering meaningful, results-focused messaging. Through her freelance work and consulting, she partners with organizations to develop blogs, website copy, email campaigns, and long-form content across industries including business, technology, and health and wellness.
Heather currently serves as an SEO Content Strategist with National Academy of Sports Medicine, where she leads content development across the organization’s digital ecosystem. Her work blends creative storytelling with data-informed strategy, ensuring content is both engaging and optimized for search performance. In addition to her corporate role, she operates Heather Cherry Consulting Co., producing research-driven articles and digital content for major outlets and organizations such as American Red Cross Training Services and other national platforms.
Passionate about giving people a voice, Heather frequently writes health and wellness content, rare-disease patient stories, and community features that highlight real experiences and human connection. She is also a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Project Management Professional, bringing both wellness expertise and strategic planning to her work. In recognition of her impact in media and storytelling, she has been selected to represent Pittsburgh in the 2026 Influential Women feature.
• Nutritional Therapy Practioner
• Project Management Professional
• Project Management Professional Exam Prep
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
• Professional Food Addiction Coach Certification
• National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
• IAFHH Certified Functional Hormone Specialist
• Personal Trainer Certification
• CPR/AED/First Aid
• Chatham University- M.P.W.
• Westwood College - Denver North- B.S.
• Association of Health Care Journalists
• Local School Sports Organizations
• American Red Cross (Writing for Training Services Department)
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my drive is definitely my family. I do it for my son, because I grew up and my mom worked an office job and I felt that she was gone a lot, and I didn't want that for him. I wanted to be here for him. I wanted to be able to do the school parties when he was little. I wanted to take him to school every day. I wanted to be able to, when he's sick, which he's home today sick, so I can help take care of him without worrying. I wanted that flexibility, but I didn't want to give up my career. I always wanted a career of some sort, and writing wasn't my initial plan, but it's the thing that always kind of stuck with me and the thing that just kind of kept showing up. So I was like, this is what I'm gonna do, and it comes fairly easy to me, so it is something that I'm passionate about and I really love to do. That drive, just the flexibility and the ability to live my life as I want but also contribute to my family financially is definitely what drives me.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I always tell people, if it's specifically the writing, I would say just write. I mean, you've got to start somewhere, right? But I think the power of internships or just kind of creating opportunities for yourself, not necessarily paid opportunities, I mean obviously I don't want to tell people don't go work for free, but just creating things, doing things that you're passionate about that you can build your skills and explore, that way you can get that experience that you need to get to that next level, and the stakes are really low, right? And it's kind of on your terms. I got a lot of experience in the beginning by volunteering and just kind of doing things for nonprofits and teaching myself that way and just kind of helping in the process. So I helped them with their goals and I also built my portfolio and just really created a niche for myself, and that actually led to a lot of jobs. So you've got to just kind of create your own opportunities. Nobody's gonna give you the opportunity you want. You might have to create it, but there's no harm in that.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in the field right now is the growing number of freelance writers, making the market more competitive than ever. However, strong networking, consistent self-promotion, and developing a clear niche—such as health and wellness—create valuable opportunities to stand out.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in work and life are family, flexibility, storytelling, and using my skills to help others.