Yolanda Bowden

I attribute my success to finding my calling to help people and never giving up, even when faced with the most devastating challenges. When I was diagnosed with leukemia during COVID and had to shut down my fitness career of teaching 17 classes a week, my oncology nurse told me the old Yolanda was gone and would never come back, that I needed to recreate myself. Instead of staying in that place of mourning and depression where cancer had stripped my self-confidence and everything I knew, something just kept pushing me to move on and rebirth myself. I realized that helping someone else go through what I am still going through is inspiring, and it makes you want to keep going even when you want to give up. I know that I have a calling to help people, and we need help in all aspects of life whether we realize it or not. This is my way of giving back while surviving with cancer, learning to live with it rather than mourning what I lost. My passion for fitness, my work in higher education supporting doctoral students through their final achievements, and now my studies in Christian Counseling for Women all come together in this rebirth, proving that you can recreate yourself and find new purpose even in the darkest times.

The best career advice I ever received came from my oncology nurse during the darkest time of my life. She told me that the old Yolanda is gone and she's never coming back, because I would never go back to not having cancer, and that I would be known as a cancer survivor. She said I had to recreate Yolanda. At first, this was devastating to hear because I was mourning and longing to be my old self, the fitness guru with the get up and go energy. But this advice became the foundation of my rebirth. It taught me that instead of trying to return to who I was, I needed to build a new version of myself that incorporates my experiences, my challenges, and my calling to help others. This perspective shift moved me from depression and grief to purpose and action, allowing me to combine my higher education work, my cancer exercise specialist certification, and my studies in Christian counseling into a meaningful new chapter of my life.

I would advise young women entering this industry to be considerate toward others and bring positivity to their team—what you give is often what you receive in return.

One of the biggest challenges and opportunities in my field is supporting an increasing number of students, particularly doctoral candidates, with their academic requirements, graduation schedules, and future preparation. Additionally, there is an opportunity to provide specialized guidance through Christian counseling for women, helping them navigate personal and professional growth.

The most important values in my work and personal life center around helping people and finding purpose even in the midst of tremendous challenges. I believe that we need help in all aspects of life, regardless of whether we realize it or not, and I see my role as providing that help through multiple channels - whether it's supporting doctoral students through their dissertation journey and making them proud as their work gets archived in DC records, or helping cancer patients navigate their journey through exercise while I'm still going through treatment myself. I value perseverance and rebirth, the ability to recreate yourself when life strips away everything you knew. Even when cancer made me want to give up and quit, something kept pushing me to move on and find new ways to give back. I'm learning to live with cancer versus mourning the life I had before, and that perspective of moving forward rather than looking back guides everything I do. My passion for fitness, my commitment to higher education, and my studies in Christian counseling for women all reflect my core belief that helping others through their struggles, especially when you're facing your own, is the most meaningful way to live.