Iyanla Vanzant (born Rhonda Eva Harris; September 13, 1953) is an American inspirational speaker, lawyer,

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a spiritual movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy from ...

spiritual teacher, author, life coach, and television personality. She is known primarily for her books, her eponymous talk show, and her appearances on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

''. She can currently be seen on television as the host of '' Iyanla: Fix My Life'', on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

Life and career

Vanzant was born on September 13, 1953, in the back of a taxi in Brooklyn, New York, as Rhonda Eva Harris. She is the daughter of Sarah Jefferson, a railroad carmaid, and Horace Harris. Her mother died from breast cancer in 1955, when she was two. She was then raised by paternal relatives. Her first husband was physically abusive and she left him in 1980, taking her three children. In 1983, she was given the title "Iyanla", which means "great mother", after being initiated and ordained as a priestess in the

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

tradition (as mentioned in her television interview on the Conn Jackson show). She attended

Medgar Evers College Medgar Evers College is a public college in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY), offering baccalaureate and associate degrees. It was officially established in 1970 through cooperation between educator ...

and

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Richm ...

. Vanzant holds a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

City University of New York School of Law The City University of New York School of Law (CUNY School of Law) is a public law school in New York City. It was founded in 1983 as part of the City University of New York. CUNY School of Law was established as a public interest law school wi ...

and a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the

University of Santa Monica The University of Santa Monica is a private unaccredited graduate school in Santa Monica, California, offering masters of arts in spiritual psychology. History The university was founded in March 1976 by Roger Delano Hinkins, an educator, a ...

(USM), Center for the Study and Practice of Spiritual Psychology. She currently resides in

Upper Marlboro, Maryland Upper Marlboro, officially the Town of Upper Marlboro, is the seat of Prince George's County, Maryland. Aso of the 2020 census, the population was 652. although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger. Etymology Upper Marlboro was establ ...

. She is also an ordained New Thought minister. In 2000, she was named one of the "100 most influential Black Americans" by ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...

'' magazine, which said that "Her books, lectures and television appearances have made her a multimedia high priestess of healthy relationships." In 2012, Vanzant was listed at #7 on ''Watkins' Mind Body Spirit'' magazine's list of the 100 most spiritually influential living people. In 2014, she was a co-speaker on Oprah's the "Life You Want Weekend" tour, which travelled to eight cities and also featured

Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in alternati ...

Mark Nepo Mark Nepo (, in Brooklyn, New York), is a poet and spiritual adviser who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 40 years. Nepo is best known for his ''New York Times'' #1 bestseller, ''The Book of Awakening.'' He has publis ...

Elizabeth Gilbert Elizabeth Gilbert (born July 18, 1969) is an American journalist and author. She is best known for her 2006 memoir, ''Eat, Pray, Love'', which has sold over 12 million copies and has been translated into over 30 languages. The book was also mad ...

, and

Rob Bell Robert Holmes Bell Jr. (born August 23, 1970) is an American author, speaker and former pastor. Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, and pastored it until 2012. Under his leadership, Mars Hill was one of the fastest-g ...

. In 2016, Vanzant was named to Oprah Winfrey's ''SuperSoul100'' list of visionaries and influential leaders. Vanzant is an honorary member of

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...

sorority. On Christmas Day 2003, Vanzant's 30-year-old daughter, Gemmia, died from a rare form of colon cancer. Vanzant and her husband, Yemi, divorced in 2007.

Filmography and bibliography

* ''Interiors: a black woman's healing--in progress''. Writers and Readers, 1995. . * ''The Big Book of Faith''. Simon & Schuster, 1997. . * ''The spirit of a man: a vision of transformation for Black men and the women who love them''. HarperSanFrancisco, 1997. . * ''Acts of Faith 1998: Thought-for-a-Day''. Simon & Schuster, 1997. . *
Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace
'. Simon & Schuster, 1998. . * ''Don't Give It Away!: A Workbook of Self-Awareness and Self-Affirmations for Young Women''. with Almasi Wilcots. Simon & Schuster, 1999. . *
Yesterday, I Cried: Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving
'. Simon & Schuster, 1999. . * ''One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days And 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength And Personal Growth''. Simon & Schuster, 1999. . *
In the Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want
'. Simon & Schuster, 2000. . *
Acts of Faith: Meditations for People of Color
'. Simon & Schuster, 2001. . *
Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas
'. Simon & Schuster, 2001. . *
Living through the meantime: learning to break the patterns of the past and begin the healing process
'. Simon & Schuster, 2001. . * ''Iyanla Vanzant''. Simon & Schuster, Limited, 2001. . * ''Until Today''. Hay House Inc, 2002. . * ''Tips for Daily Living Cards: A 50-Card Deck''. Hay House Inc, 2002. . * ''Every Day I Pray: Prayers for Awakening to the Grace of Inner Communion''. Pocket, 2002. . * ''Up From Here: Reclaiming the Male Spirit: A Guide to Transforming Emotions Into Power and Freedom''. HarperCollins, 2003. . *
Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women
'. Hay House, Inc, 2008. . * ''A Woman Knows Things''. Hay House UK, Limited, 2010. . *
Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through
'. Hay House, Inc, 2010. . *''

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'' Guest appearance *Trust: Mastering The 4 Essentials

Television

*'' Iyanla (TV Series)'', Host (2001-2002) *'' Starting Over'', Life Coach (Seasons 2 and 3) (2004–2006) *''

Oprah's Lifeclass ''Oprah's Lifeclass'' (also known as ''Oprah's Lifeclass: The Tour'' in the show's second season) is an American primetime television show hosted and produced by Oprah Winfrey, which aired on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The series premiered on Oct ...

'', Lifeclass Teacher, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2011–2014) *'' Iyanla, Fix My Life'', Host, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2012–2021)

TV guest appearances

*'Tavis Smiley' (29 April 2004) playing herself *''

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'' (8 May 2000) in episode: "The Robbing Hood" (episode # 5.20) playing herself *''

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'' (8 October 1999) playing herself *''

'' (20 appearances from early 1998 through mid 1999) *''

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'' (February 2008) *''

'' (16 and 23 February 2011, discussing her departure from

Harpo Productions Harpo Productions (or Harpo Studios) is an American multimedia production company founded by Oprah Winfrey and based in West Hollywood, California. It is the sole subsidiary of her media and entertainment company Harpo, Inc. The name "Harpo" is ...

in 1999) *''

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'' (9 and 16 September 2012) *''

Katie Katie is an English feminine name. It is a form Katherine, Kate, Caitlin, Kathleen, Katey and their related forms. It is frequently used on its own. People Sports *Katie Boulter (born 1996), British tennis player *Katie Clark (born 1994), Briti ...

'' (27 September 2012) *''

Anderson Live ''Anderson Live'', known in its first season as ''Anderson'', is an American Broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that was hosted by CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper, who also served as executive producer in his first foray into daytime talk t ...

'' (9 November 2012) *'' Joy Behar: Say Anything!'' (21 November 2012) *'' The Dr. Oz Show'' (8 April 2013) *''

Oprah Prime ''Oprah Prime'' (formerly ''Oprah's Next Chapter'') is an American prime-time television series hosted and produced by Oprah Winfrey, airing on Oprah Winfrey Network. The series premiered on January 1, 2012, with a two-part episode featuring Aeros ...

'' (29 November 2014) *''

'' (26 April 2016) *'' Greenleaf'' (3 October 2018) in Season 3 Episode 6: "She Changes Everything" *''

Braxton Family Values ''Braxton Family Values'' (abbreviated ''BFV'') is an American reality television series that airs on WE tv and premiered on April 12, 2011. It chronicles the lives of the Braxton sisters—Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar and their mother ...

'' Two Episodes 2018

References

External links

Iyanla Vanzant Quotes
*
Inner Visions WorldwideInterview on The Mo'Kelly Radio Show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanzant, Iyanla American motivational speakers Women motivational speakers African-American non-fiction writers American non-fiction writers New Thought writers Writers from Brooklyn 1953 births Living people American spiritual writers Medgar Evers College alumni People from Upper Marlboro, Maryland African-American women writers Virginia Union University alumni Television personalities from New York City American spiritual teachers Life coaches American women television personalities Iyalawos CUNY School of Law alumni American women non-fiction writers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women