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.”

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

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 Cognitive Behavioral Mentorship

Alongside PraiseMoves, one of my greatest joys is mentoring Christian women through biblical mind renewal and brain retraining using:

Scripture
cognitive-behavioral tools
neuroscience principles based on Scripture

This work is not therapy or counseling.
It is a guided, structured process of transformation — helping women break free from fear, self-sabotage, emotional strongholds, and unhealthy patterns so they can walk confidently in their God-given calling.

Personal Transformation Program (PTP)

Since 2018, my 12-week Personal Transformation Program has helped Christian women experience clarity, confidence, peace, and emotional freedom through:

daily mind renewal
biblical reframing
neuroscience-informed practices
practical action steps
accountability and encouragement

👉 Learn more or book a complimentary Breakthrough Session at DrLaurette.net

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.

If you’d like to learn more about my Personal Transformation Program, Weightloss Without Willpower, consulting work, or to explore whether working together is a good fit, I invite you to visit DrLaurette.net.

There you’ll find program details, client stories, free resources, and opportunities to schedule a complimentary Breakthrough Session.

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

one day at a time.