Vana McCreary is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her strength of character and courage to stay true to herself.

She knows firsthand what it means for life to come to a crashing halt, literally. A single accident shattered her plans for a career in media and entertainment, thrusting her into the isolating chaos of misdiagnoses, physical trauma, and emotional overwhelm. But rather than stay trapped in survival mode, she chose a different path: one of deep healing, self discovery, and ultimately, transformation. Today, that journey fuels her mission to guide others through their own turning points.

She brings more than just credentials to her coaching, she brings lived wisdom. With training in systemic therapy and a trauma informed lens, she walks beside her clients through the complexities of their inner worlds. Her style is anything but conventional… it’s warm, intuitive, and often disarmingly humorous. Influenced by the philosophies of Carl Jung, Virginia Satir, and Gabor Maté, she helps people reframe pain as a portal, not a life sentence.

She believes healing is not about fixing what’s broken, but reclaiming what’s been buried. Her work invites clients to move beyond avoidance and into a space of integration, where truth, emotion, and body wisdom come together. In her hands, coaching becomes more than a service, it becomes a sacred space where individuals remember who they really are. Here is what she said…

Meet Life Coach Vana McCreary:

Name: Vana McCreary

Pillar: The Spirit, The Mind, The Heart

Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to overcome trauma and transform, regulate stress responses, understand their coping strategies, and rewire patterns that no longer serve them.

How they can help: By using various trauma informed practices, tools, techniques, and models like the Satir Growth Model, family of origin exploration, active listening and guidance, just to name a few.

First of all, how are you and your family doing after these Pandemic times?

Like many others, my family is still adjusting to the new normal.

We lost our patriarch to cancer during the pandemic, a time that magnified fears, isolation, and fractured connections.

It was a tumultuous period for us, but it also brought unexpected blessings and growth, many of which continue to unfold.

How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

The pandemic was a global trauma.

For many, isolation deepened existing struggles.

It forced individuals, couples, and families to confront issues they had avoided, often under intense emotional pressure.

Personally, while I experienced loss, the pandemic also offered me space to focus on my family and healing.

I am grateful that I was pursuing my master’s degree during that time.

The timing allowed me to acquire and apply therapeutic tools in real time, which was both a challenge and a gift.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

The pandemic taught me about resilience under existential pressure.

I saw how extreme stress affects behavior, cognition, and connection.

I was humbled by both my limitations and my capacity for growth.

Being in graduate school during that time helped me meet the moment with emerging skills that supported both my personal and professional development.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

Professionally, I’ve followed an unconventional path.

After earning my B.S. in Mass Communications with a focus on Journalism and Broadcasting, I was invited by actress Dawn Wells to assist with a film festival.

That opportunity led me to Los Angeles, but shortly afterward, I was struck by a vehicle while running an errand for another film festival.

That accident abruptly ended the career I had envisioned.

From 2005 to 2009, I navigated the aftermath… medical visits, misdiagnoses, and psychological evaluations while unknowingly living with complex trauma.

Rather than focus on healing, as I was cognitively disorganized and without direction, I poured myself into helping others, unaware I was operating from a place of unresolved pain.

I entered a relationship that became increasingly unhealthy, and after the birth of my son and a difficult NICU experience, I realized I had to change.

In the later stages of the Me Too Movement and a year before the pandemic, I finalized my divorce and began studying Trauma Informed Systemic Marriage and Family Therapy.

It was during this time that pieces began to fall into place.

I was healing and learning simultaneously.

That dual journey of recovery and education inspired me to share my insights through writing, and eventually to begin coaching from a trauma informed lens.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

The greatest obstacle I’ve overcome was myself.

Learning to work with, rather than against, myself was transformative.

While I still face challenges, I now rely on the skills I’ve developed to navigate them.

Living with complex trauma means that healing is not about “overcoming” in a traditional sense, it’s about integration.

Trauma leaves imprints that affect cognition, memory, and emotional regulation.

The work lies in moving from a state of disorganization or incongruence to congruence, in reconnecting with the authentic self, and in choosing to heal over and over again.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

I have a unique relationship with trauma, both through lived experience and academic study.

Trauma fascinates me and fuels my curiosity and passion for transformation.

I understand how trauma imprints on the nervous system, and I help clients navigate its effects with compassion.

I blend my training in trauma informed systemic therapy with my personal journey, meeting clients where they are emotionally and psychologically.

While I can work in traditional time blocks, I prefer to create flexible, responsive spaces for healing.

My emphasis is on empathy, safety, and mutual connection.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

My coaching is shaped by both philosophical insight and clinical training.

Influenced by thinkers like Dante Alighieri, Joseph Campbell, and Rod Serling, I view personal transformation as a heroic journey.

Therapeutically, I draw from the work of Carl Jung, Virginia Satir, Bessel van der Kolk, and Gabor Maté.

Humor and play are essential to healing.

I integrate the Satir Growth Model, which emphasizes congruence, self esteem, and adaptability through change.

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

Clients often say the process feels surprisingly natural and easeful.

They report that I bring insight into their symptoms and help them see patterns they hadn’t noticed before.

I help them regulate stress responses, understand their coping strategies, and rewire patterns that no longer serve them.

I accompany clients through the work as a witness, participant, and guide… someone who has walked the path herself.

My coaching is personal, systemic, and grounded in real experience.

I don’t just “talk the talk.”

I live the work.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

I use trauma informed practices guided by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (2014, 2024) Three R’s: Realize the prevalence of trauma, Recognize its impact, and Respond with trauma informed care.

These principles are expanded into six key elements: safety, trust, peer support, collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and empowerment.

The Satir Growth Model complements this approach.

It works with survival stances, stress responses, and teaches clients how to navigate change through five stages: Late Status Quo, Resistance, Chaos, Integration, and New Status Quo.

Tools like experiential techniques, family of origin exploration, and communication work are key.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

You are not broken, you are adapting.

Healing is not about fixing yourself.

It’s about reclaiming your wholeness.

Give yourself permission to grow, feel, and become.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

Even in our darkest moments, there is light.

Our most painful experiences often reveal our deepest strengths.

When my father disclosed his terminal illness, I promised to be there for him.

Being with him in hospice was one of the most difficult yet profound experiences of my life.

It taught me about love, loss, and the sacredness of presence.

Your final thoughts?

Trauma creates disruption, but it also opens the door to profound healing.

The pandemic reminded us of our humanity, of our vulnerability, and our capacity for grace.

I help clients remember that they’re not defective, they’re human.

We all stumble, forget, and fall short.

But we are also capable of incredible transformation.

My work is to guide others through that journey.

I help others to slow down, reconnect, and rediscover who they are beneath the pain.

Where Can You Find Vana McCreary?

If you liked this interview and if you would love to overcome trauma, regulate stress responses, understand your coping strategies, and rewire patterns that no longer serve you… contact Coach Vana and see how she can help you do that.

You can connect with her through LinkedIn or, if you want to get in touch with her more personally, you can do that by sending her a direct message on her Email mccrearyvana@gmail.com. It was an honor having this interview with her.