BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY AFRICAN AMERICAN " IYANLA VANZANT " IS AN AMERICAN INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER, LAWYER, NEW THOUGHT SPIRITUAL TEACHER, AUTHOR. LIFE COACH AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

  BLACK            SOCIAL         HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Iyanla Vanzant

Iyanla Vanzant
Born	Rhonda Eva Harris September 13, 1953 (age 61) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Inspirational speaker, lawyer, spiritual teacher, author, TV personality
Years active	1980-present
Website
www.iyanla.com

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Iyanla Vanzant (born Rhonda Eva Harris; September 13, 1953) is an American inspirational speaker, lawyer, New Thought spiritual teacher, author, life coach and television personality. She is known primarily for her books, for her eponymous talk show, and for her frequent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She can currently be seen on television as the host of Iyanla, Fix My Life,^[1] and as a frequently featured guest teacher of Oprah's Lifeclass on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

Vanzant was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 13, 1953, as Rhonda Eva Harris. She was given the title "Iyanla", which means "great mother", after being initiated and ordained as a priestess in the Yoruba tradition (as mentioned in her television interview on the Conn Jackson show). She attended Medgar Evers College and Virginia Union University. Vanzant holds a Juris Doctor degree, Summa Cum Laude, from the City University of New York School of Law. She currently resides in Upper Marlboro,Maryland.^[2] She is also an ordained New Thought minister.^[3]

In the year 2000, she was named one of the "100 most influential Black Americans" by Ebony magazine, which said that "Her books, lectures and television appearances have made her a multimedia high priestess of healthy relationships."^[4] In 2012, Vanzant was listed at #7 on Watkins' Mind Body Spirit magazine list of the 100 most spiritually influential living people."^[5] In 2014, she was co-speaker in Oprah's the "Life You Want Weekend" tour, which travelled to eight cities, also featuring Deepak Chopra, Mark Nepo,Elizabeth Gilbert and Rob Bell. ^[6]

Vanzant is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.^[7]

Filmography and bibliography

• Interiors: a black woman's healing--in progress. Writers and Readers, 1995. ISBN 0-86316-321-1.
• The Big Book of Faith. Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0-684-84999-2.
• The spirit of a man: a vision of transformation for Black men and the women who love them. Harper San Francisco, 1997. ISBN 0-06-251239-0.
• Acts of Faith 1998: Thought-for-a-Day. Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0-684-82411-6.
• Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace. Simon and Schuster, 1998. ISBN 0-684-85048-6.
• Don't Give It Away!: A Workbook of Self-Awareness and Self-Affirmations for Young Women. with Almasi Wilcots. Simon & Schuster, 1999. ISBN 0-684-85048-6.
• Yesterday, I Cried: Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving. Simon and Schuster, 1999. ISBN 0-684-87382-6.
• One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days And 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength And Personal Growth. Simon & Schuster, 1999. ISBN 0-684-87383-4.
• In the Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want. Simon and Schuster, 2000. ISBN 0-684-86581-5.
• Acts of Faith: Meditations for People of Color. Simon and Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-7432-2646-1.
• Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas. Simon and Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-7432-2647-X.
• Living through the meantime: learning to break the patterns of the past and begin the healing process. Simon and Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0743227107.
• Iyanla Vanzant. Simon & Schuster, Limited, 2001. ISBN 0-7432-2171-0.
• Until Today. Hay House Inc, 2002. ISBN 1-56170-924-7.
• Tips for Daily Living Cards: A 50-Card Deck. Hay House Inc, 2002. ISBN 1-56170-939-5.
• Every Day I Pray: Prayers for Awakening to the Grace of Inner Communion. Pocket, 2002. ISBN 0-7434-5074-4.
• Up From Here: Reclaiming the Male Spirit: A Guide to Transforming Emotions Into Power and Freedom. HarperCollins, 2003. ISBN 0-06-052250-X.
• Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women. Hay House, Inc, 2008. ISBN 1-4019-2188-4.
• A Woman Knows Things. Hay House UK, Limited, 2010. ISBN 1-4019-2192-2.
• Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through. Hay House, Inc, 2010. ISBN 1-4019-2822-6.

Television

• Iyanla (TV Series), Host (2001–2002)
• Starting Over, Life Coach (Seasons 2 and 3) (2004–2006)
• Oprah's Lifeclass, Lifeclass Teacher, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2011–present)
• Iyanla, Fix My Life, Host, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2012–present)

TV guest appearances

• Tavis Smiley (29 April 2004) playing herself
• Moesha (8 May 2000) in episode: "The Robbing Hood" (episode # 5.20) playing herself
• The Chris Rock Show (8 October 1999) playing herself
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (20 appearances from early 1998 through 31 August 1999)
• The Salt-N-Pepa Show (February 2008)
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (16 and 23 February 2011, discussing her departure from Harpo Productions in 1999)^[8]
• Super Soul Sunday (9 and 16 September 2012)
• Katie (27 September 2012)
• Anderson Live (9 November 2012)
• Joy Behar: Say Anything! (21 November 2012)
• The Dr. Oz Show (8 April 2013)
• Oprah Prime (29 November 2014)