St. Luke’s Hospital Healthy Woman Award

Lisa worked for many years in the family cheese business, but her real passion was in health, so she left the business to start her own wellness company. She became a personal trainer and is a wellness consultant to individuals and organizations, promoting a holistic approach to good health that balances physical and emotional health.

Lisa is pursuing her doctorate in health education and has chosen to focus her dissertation on self-management of minor depression in middle-aged women because she firmly believes early identification of mental health symptoms is vital to women's health. She serves on the board of the Mental Health Association of Missouri and on the Citizen Advisory Taskforce for the St. Louis County Age-Friendly Communities, a global initiative designed to make communities more healthy and livable as we age. Lisa believes that staying active, engaged and healthy throughout life is important and affects the larger community in which we live.

Lisa walks the walk, staying active herself by swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding and running, and taking care of her aging mother.

Debora works relentlessly as an advocate for the prevention and early treatment of heart disease and diabetes. After spending 15 years herself battling unexplained cardiac symptoms that started when she was 28, being dismissed by doctors, trialing medications, and being misdiagnosed over and over again, she now has a pacemaker and has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and diabetes.

Debora has chosen to look at her experience as an opportunity and make it her mission to speak out and help other women: "There was a purpose for this journey and I recognize that my mission is to be out speaking to women, encouraging them to be an advocate for their own health."

She applied and was accepted to the WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic, a highly competitive national program that trains and designates WomenHeart Champions, sending them back to their communities to help provide education, advocacy and support on the issue of women and heart disease. Today she leads the WomenHeart support group at St. Luke's Hospital and volunteers with the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. She is also an inspirational speaker and writer, and is currently working on a book of poetry and a line of note cards of encouragement for people living through chronic illness.

Describing herself as overweight since childhood, Shelbie struggled for years with weight problems and bulimia. After she met her husband and gave birth to her son, she was determined to find a healthier way to live - for herself and for them. She began exercising (the first mile she ran on the treadmill took more than 18 minutes) and learning about good nutrition. She started a blog to hold herself accountable. Strengthened by her personal success, she got certified as a personal trainer to help others.

As a personal trainer in the Hillsboro/Festus area, Shelbie has helped more than 100 women not only improve their fitness and physical health, but she has developed an amazing following and support group atmosphere among her clients and through her blog, "Fat to Sick to Fit."

"I've never felt such a purpose as I do now," says Shelbie. "I wake up every single day and think, 'I'm going to change the world.' I don't believe I can change the whole world, but I can change my world and the people in it." She received more than 25 nominations for the Healthy Woman Award, from women she has impacted and inspired.