Pastoral Counselor, Coach, Teacher, Speaker, Writer
Samantha is a servant of Jesus Christ. She is a recent graduate of Moody Bible Institute/Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies. Upon graduation, Samantha was the first woman from Moody to ever be awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence in Pastoral Studies. She is grateful to be a part of the NuWell family, as well as the Moody Radio family.
Samantha grew up in a home with verbal, mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and sexual abuse. As a result, she made regrettable decisions as an adult including delving into drugs, pills, alcohol, and promiscuity. While suffering internally, she felt the need to succeed professionally to be worthy of love, so she obtained a B.S. in Agriculture and an M.S. in Animal Science from Illinois State University. She completed all requirements for her Ph.D. (apart from her dissertation) in Animal Science/Beef Cattle Nutrition from Texas A&M University. While in her Ph.D. program, God made His presence and love fully known to Samantha. It was here that she realized she could no longer teach nutrition/biochemistry, and thus left to pursue a new career path.
Samantha was working at a home for sex trafficked children when she recognized her call was to be in ministry – counseling, coaching, teaching, speaking, and writing. She met her former husband during this time, who was a Christian radio DJ attending Bible School. Dating long distance, she found out upon marriage that he was addicted to alcohol, methamphetamines, and crack-cocaine, was often intimate with both men and women, was prostituting himself for drug money, and was abusive verbally, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Her journey through separation and divorce was what led her to Moody, as it is the times of affliction that cause us to produce our best fruit.
Since this experience, Samantha has worked with domestic violence, all kinds of abuse and addictions, sexuality, identity confusion, gang violence, homelessness, poverty, divorce, mens’ prison ministry, children in abusive/traumatic situations and/or with behavioral issues, depression/anxiety, and all kinds of trauma. She started and is head of a women’s ministry at her church (New Life Community Church Midway in Chicago, IL) called Soul Care. She teaches weekly at Soul Care to offer a new perspective on hope, healing, and freedom found in Christ. She teaches women how to cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ, employ spiritual discipline, and live out faith practically.
Samantha is a counselor, coach, teacher, speaker, and writer. She yearns to help others with the pain she has experienced. She would love to serve you with her gifts, partnering with you in your journey towards a healing that is found only in and through Christ.