About - Shawnta Pulliam Arise

Shawntá Pulliam

Inspirational Speaker, Author, Life Coach and Founder of Nurturing Heart’s, INC.

Shawntá Pulliam took a traumatic childhood, affected by parental drug addiction and incarceration, and turned it around for good. After expulsion from the 10th grade, Shawntá was enrolled in Catholic alternative education where she worked diligently to graduate on time, coming in early to study and staying late for extra help. She emerged as valedictorian of her senior class and attended Gannon University. However, Shawntá’s unhealed wounds resulted in risky behavior, bad relationship choices, and ultimately a nervous breakdown, where she received just $500 a month from social security and was given a one-bedroom apartment in the projects.

Shawntá began to confront her past, acknowledge her wrongs, forgive, built a real relationship with God and reclaimed her soul. She began a promising career with G.E.Transportation but still had an unfulfilled passion to help at-risk girls, as she once was.

In 2006, her vision came to fruition when she founded Nurturing Hearts, a self-esteem and self-development non-profit organization for girls, whose mission is to provide supportive leadership and life skills that will furnish and prepare girls 10-18 for a bright and positive future.

"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." — Job 23:10

Shawntá Pulliam has not only evolved into a visionary, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and life coach, she is also Secretary of the Erie Policy and Planning Council, a member of the Board of Directors for the Erie Downtown Partnership, the Truancy Committee, General Electric’s African American Engagement Committee, Erie Times News Diversity Committee, serves on the Board of Corporator’s for UPMC Hamot and is a member of the Women’s Athena International Power Link.

She is a recipient of the General Electric Gerald L. Philippe Award, the 2013 Women Making History Award, where she received a Citation of Recognition from the Erie County Executive, the 2013 Phoenix Idea Women of the Year Award, the Martin Luther King Youth Impact Award and she has also been recognized by the Governor of Pennsylvania for her outstanding community leadership.

Shawntá recently founded Shawntá Pulliam Arise LLC, where she provides Inspirational speaking, life coach assistance and positive development programs for people from all facets of life. She has also worked as a facilitator for UPMC, a $10 billion integrated global health enterprise headquarter in Pittsburgh, PA where she provided inspirational and educational seminars and workshops for women. Shawntá has spoken at small group homes such as the former Gannondale residential facility for girls, to world recognized corporations such as the New York Times for the DANDI Awards in New York City and General Electric.

She has been coached by one of the best motivational speakers of all times, Mr. Les Brown who has also written the forward to her new book, Hell Bent Heaven Bound.

Shawntá not only ‘walks the walk’, but grabs other young women by the coattails and supports them, along on the path to success. She has never forgotten children and women who are struggling with the same issues that she had to overcome herself. Her message to young women “the only limitations you have are the ones you place upon yourself”, spreading her testimony and enlightenment around the world.

Shawntá lives her life according to the verse from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me”

Shawntá Pulliam Arise

Shawntá Pulliam ARISE LLC is a global corporation that exists to increase self-esteem, motivate, uplift, educate, and inspire, organizations, corporations, communities, neighborhoods and people from all facets of life, providing inspirational speaking through workshops, speaking engagements, conferences, as well as creating and implementing healthy lifestyle programs.