Julie Wilkes

Due to a congenital heart condition, Julie Wilkes was pronounced dead at birth. Then doctors told her she could expect to die by age 12. Now, Wilkes has overcome that life expectancy prediction and has healed her heart through positive motivation, fitness and surrounding herself with a strong support system. Wilkes now uses her 'second-chance at life' to inspire individuals to be their best.

Out of college, Wilkes worked as a business consultant and traveled the world, helping companies to be more efficient through business process changes. After 5 years of working in consulting, Wilkes realized that she had been given a gift - a second chance at life, with the healing of her heart, and so she dedicated her life to paying back that gift. Following her intuition and passion, Wilkes went back to school to get a Master's in Exercise Physiology, came back to the consulting firm that she worked for and spent 6 years proving the value of implementing a wellness program for the employees. After 6 years, Wilkes' programs have now been implemented to a workforce of over 30,000 people. She continues to grow her program - winning awards from the National Business Group on Health, Business First and Fitness Magazine over the past few years.

Wilkes also started her own fitness company and has starred in over 12 fitness videos, created her own motivational clothing line, and releases daily motivational videos on the web. Wilkes was named an ambassador for Lululemon. She is a master instructor and regional trainer for LifeTime Fitness, a trainer for Fitour and Shape Up Cleveland, the fitness director for Connect Online Fitness, and a motivational speaker for the American Heart Association and Make A Wish. Wilkes was named a a Top 10 Champion of Health and Wellness in 2010 by Fitness Magazine (next to Michelle Obama and Serena Williams) and was selected as one of the 2010 40 Under 40 award recipients from Business First.

Wilkes has spoken and presented across the globe, including at the Tower of London, the White House, the US Chamber of Commerce, TED Talks, Solutions at Work Live, Health 2.0, the National Business Group on Heath, International Women’s Day, and the US Department of Defense. In 2016, she was selected a one of “25 Remarkable Women” from Role Model Magazine and one of 12 ‘Women You Should Know’ in Central Ohio by the Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD) organization.