Michelle Pennington Bio

Founding Director

Michelle Pennington is a small business owner, a recovery ally and holistic advocate.  She attended the University of Louisville, Ky where she studied Integrated Media with a concentration in Video-Production and Sociology. While in college as a non-traditional student in 2002, Michelle was diagnosed with several health issues that led her to needing to be on an arsenal of medications (some causing dependency).  In the difficult years that followed and as more diagnoses were revealed more medications were prescribed.  It had been known that a liver transplant was imminent but due to mental health issues she denied the process for quite some time. Her life absolutely changed when she moved to Fayetteville, NC.   She found her community, her holistic healing gifts and training, as well as the openness to accept the opportunity of a transplant from Duke Hospitals but with one caveat, she had to reduce her pain medications to almost nothing to improve the recovery from surgery.  

 

In 2019 Michelle had a successful liver transplant and continued to study Intuitive Energy Modalities. In 2022 she launched Soul Shine Healing Studio and in 2023 Soul Shine Animal Reiki.  Michelle understands the challenges people face and knows that there are many ways of learning to cope with pain on every level: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  She is passionate about the growth of healing and acceptance in our community and region. 

 

Michelle has been married to her wonderful husband for 28 years, in that time she has been honored to be a military wife and now the wife of a Retired Disabled Veteran.  The Pennington’s are animal people who currently only live with 2 cats but talk of their Topsy Turvey Farm with a mountain stream dream all the time.  In her free time Michelle loves to cook, kayak and be outside all while listening to audio books.