About Dr. Laurette Willis

DR. LAURETTE WILLIS
BIO & MINISTRY

DR. LAURETTE WILLIS

BIO & MINISTRY

Dr. Laurette Willis, Th.D., CBT

Founder of PraiseMoves® — The Christian ALTERNATIVE to Yoga

Christian Cognitive Behavioral Mentor • Author • Speaker

Welcome — I’m Dr. Laurette

For more than two decades, I’ve had the joy of helping believers become Healthy, Fit & Free… one day at a time — spiritually, emotionally, and physically — through Scripture-centered fitness, mind renewal, and whole-person transformation.

I’m the founder of PraiseMoves® Fitness Ministry, creator of Weightloss Without Willpower, and a Christian Cognitive Behavioral Mentor who teaches believers how to:

Renew the mind on the Word of God + retrain the brain using neuroscience principles and techniques based on Scripture.

If I don’t find biblical alignment, I don’t use it.

That commitment shapes everything I do — from movement and fitness, to emotional wellness, to teaching, speaking, and mentoring.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

I’m also the creator of the Christian MindCoach Method™: Renew the Mind on the Word of God + Retrain the Brain using practical neuroscience techniques based on Scripture.

Through four simple moves—See It, Say It, Step It, Stay With It—I help believers put God’s truth into practice and take purposeful steps toward greater freedom in their thoughts, habits, health, and God-given calling.

PraiseMoves® — How It Began

I founded PraiseMoves® in 2001 out of a clear conviction:
Christians needed a faith-consistent alternative to yoga — one rooted fully in Scripture, worship, and discipleship, not adapted from another spiritual system.

PraiseMoves is not Christian yoga.
It is a Christ-centered fitness and worship experience created from the ground up to honor the Lord in spirit, soul, and body in line with PraiseMoves' foundation scripture:

"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Today, PraiseMoves is taught on six continents by Certified PraiseMoves Instructors, women and men ages 18 to 80s, offering a wide range of Christ-centered fitness formats, including:

PraiseMoves • PraiseMoves Gold • PraiseKICKS • Power PraiseMoves • PraiseBarre • PraiseWAVES (Aqua PraiseMoves) • Praiselates • HipHop2Scripture • L.I.F.T. (Laughter-In-Fitness-Training) • MIRA! (“The Christian Alternative to Zumba!”)

Each discipline is designed to strengthen the body, renew the mind, and glorify God through movement and Scripture.

Dr. Laurette Willis, Th.D., CBT

Founder of PraiseMoves®

The Christian ALTERNATIVE to Yoga

Christian Cognitive Behavioral Mentor • Author • Speaker

I’m also the creator of the Christian MindCoach Method™: Renew the Mind on the Word of God + Retrain the Brain using practical neuroscience techniques based on Scripture.

PraiseMoves is not Christian yoga.

It is a Christ-centered fitness and worship experience created from the ground up to honor the Lord in spirit, soul, and body in line with PraiseMoves' foundation scripture:

Why I Speak with Clarity About Yoga

Before becoming a Christian at age 29, I spent 22 years studying and teaching yoga, beginning as a child and continuing into adulthood. I did not approach yoga casually — I understood its spiritual framework from the inside.

After coming to Christ, I recognized that yoga’s underlying spiritual assumptions could not be reconciled with Scripture. That realization did not come from fear or unfamiliarity, but from lived experience.

Rather than adapting yoga for Christian use, I was led to create something entirely distinct — a Scripture-centered alternative that allows believers to pursue physical wellness without spiritual compromise.

That conviction gave birth to PraiseMoves.

👉 Learn more about the "Truth About Yoga" here

Christian Mind Coaching: Moving Forward in Faith

Love the Lord, yet find yourself circling the same mountain? Alongside PraiseMoves, I help women and men renew their minds on God’s Word and retrain their brains through the Christian MindCoach Method™.

The Breakthrough Journey™ offers small-group coaching with biblical teaching, practical technique sessions, encouragement, and accountability.

The Personal Breakthrough Journey™ offers individualized, one-on-one coaching focused on your needs, goals, and God-given calling.

Whether you’re addressing old thought patterns, emotional weight, procrastination, or uncertainty about your next step, we work together to put biblical truth into daily practice.

I also teach through the Weight Upon the Lord Challenge, the 5-Day Wisdom Challenge™, and the TURN NORTH Masterclass—Scripture-centered learning experiences that offer practical ways to begin moving forward in faith.

Speaking, Teaching & Media

For over 25 years, I’ve been invited to speak and teach in a wide range of settings, including:

U.S. Armed Forces in Asia (with the U.S.O.)
schools and universities (over 1.5 million students)
women’s retreats and conferences across denominations
Christian television, radio, podcasts, and international media
the Smithsonian Institute
the National Governors’ Association Conference

I’m also the creator and host of two Christian television programs, PraiseMoves and PraiseMoves Kids, and the author of multiple Christian fitness and wellness resources published by Harvest House and Destiny Image.

You can read what pastors, women’s ministry leaders, conference organizers, and community leaders have shared about my work here:

RECOMMENDATIONS & ENDORSEMENTS

Speaking, Teaching & Media

For over 25 years, I’ve been invited to speak and teach in a wide range of settings, including:

U.S. Armed Forces in Asia (with the U.S.O.)
schools and universities (over 1.5 million students)
women’s retreats and conferences across denominations
Christian television, radio, podcasts, and international media
the Smithsonian Institute
the National Governors’ Association Conference

I’m also the creator and host of two Christian television programs, PraiseMoves and PraiseMoves Kids, and the author of multiple Christian fitness and wellness resources published by Harvest House and Destiny Image.

You can read what pastors, women’s ministry leaders, conference organizers, and community leaders have shared about my work here:

RECOMMENDATIONS & ENDORSEMENTS

A Foundation in the Performing Arts

Before founding PraiseMoves, God developed my communication gifts through more than two decades of professional work as an:

actor • singer • improvisational comedienne • playwright • director • voice-over artist

My first written production, The Betty Boop Show, premiered Off-Broadway in New York City, earning me the nickname “The Woman of 101 Voices.”

Through DoveTale Productions, I wrote, performed, produced, and directed dozens of original one-woman and ensemble productions — many commissioned by schools, universities, museums, and cultural organizations — bringing history to life through historical, musical, dramatic, and comedic storytelling (“everything from historical to hysterical”).

Selected works include:

Great Women of the Frontier
Great Women of the Oilfields: Women Who Shaped the Heartland
Emily Dickinson: The Soul’s Society
Thompson House, Indian Territory
Under the Cherokee Moon
Letters from the Heart: with Will Rogers
Great Women of the Bible

This background continues to shape how I teach — engaging heart, mind, and spirit.

Health, Fitness & Educational Work

In addition to founding PraiseMoves, I am a Certified Health Coach, Christian Life Coach, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapist.

I am also the creator of PowerMoves Kids™, the first classroom program to combine character education and fitness, endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and used in schools across the U.S. and Canada.

👉 Learn more about PowerMoves Kids

Author & Media Projects

I am honored to be the author of multiple health and fitness books with Harvest House Publishers and Destiny Image, and the creator of television programs, DVDs. and video-based discipleship resources through PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry.

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Christian Fitness Training

Live and Online Classes Worldwide

Christian Fitness Training & Instructor Development

As the founder of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry, I oversee the live and online training of Certified PraiseMoves Instructors who bring this Christ-centered alternative to yoga to churches, schools, fitness centers, and communities worldwide.

👉 Explore Classes | Instructor Training

Interviews & Media Appearances

I have been a frequent guest on Christian radio, podcasts, and television, and have interviewed respected Christian leaders and authors including Dr. Caroline Leaf, Gary Smalley, Stormie Omartian, John and Lisa Bevere, and others.

Ordination, Education

& Recognition

Ordained minister with Independent Assemblies
Bachelor’s, Master’s & Doctoral degrees in ministry-related fields
University-level teaching experience
Recipient of national leadership and excellence awards

Willis Ministries International

Willis Ministries International, established in 2009, is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry that serves as the umbrella organization for PraiseMoves and my broader teaching, mentoring, and outreach work.

Learn more at WillisMinistriesInternational.com.

Your Next Step Toward Breakthrough

What mountain have you been circling?

I invite you to meet with me for a complimentary 30-minute Breakthrough Session on Zoom. Together, we’ll explore the area where you desire change and identify practical, Scripture-based steps forward.

Following your session, receive your personalized Breakthrough Map—a clear guide to help you put those next steps into practice.

SCHEDULE MY FREE BREAKTHROUGH SESSION

Explore group and one-on-one Christian Mind Coaching at DrLaurette.net.

My heart remains the same: helping believers become Healthy, Fit & Free…

one day at a time.