Dear Student... 📣

Welcome to our Sunday Student Spotlight series, where every other week we share the story and accomplishments of a Rockwell student or graduate.

Our community is filled with extraordinary healers doing inspiring work in the world, and we're thrilled to share their stories with you. 

Meet Dr. Donna Lee

Chicago, Illinois | Class of 2025 | Doctor of Spiritual Medicine

Change your thoughts, change your life.

For Dr. Donna Lee, those six words are more than a mantra. They’re the foundation of her transformation.

After decades spent teaching and leading others, she realized that the one person she had forgotten to care for was herself.

The result was burnout, imbalance, and a deep inner calling to heal.

Her turning point came when she stopped searching for answers outside herself and began listening inward.

Prayer, meditation, journaling, and nutrition became her medicine.

The ninety pounds she released reflected a much deeper shift; one of faith, alignment, and renewed purpose.

“I didn’t just want to manage symptoms,” she recalls. “I wanted to understand what my body and spirit were trying to tell me.”

That search for integration between science and soul, led her to Rockwell.

“It isn’t just an academic program,” she says. “It’s a community that lives what it teaches.”

The Power of Surrender

Through Rockwell’s Doctor of Spiritual Medicine (DSM) program, Donna discovered that healing is less about control and more about surrender.

“I’ve always been a doer,” she says. “But one day during an energy-medicine module, I stopped analyzing and just breathed. I could feel the energy shift through my body. It was the first time I understood what alignment really meant.”

That moment changed her approach entirely.

“Healing happens when we allow, not when we force,” she explains. “It’s a relationship with God, the body, and life itself.”

Transformation in Practice

Out of her studies and lived experience came Donna Lee by Design, a holistic practice that blends life, business, and wellness coaching with spiritual principles.

Her approach unites behavioral science, nutrition, and accountability with mindfulness, meditation, and muscle testing, a method she calls “the body’s truth detector.”

“Muscle testing gives the body a voice,” she says. “It reveals what’s blocked or unbalanced long before the mind catches up.”

Donna envisions expanding her work to collaborate with medical professionals, particularly bariatric physicians, to bridge clinical care with conscious healing.

“I want to stand beside MDs to show that medicine and mindset can complement each other beautifully.”

A Philosophy of Alignment

Her philosophy is rooted in awareness. “Whether I’m helping someone lose weight, lead better, or rebuild confidence, it begins with reconnecting to the body’s intelligence,” she says.

“I don’t fix people. I help them remember who they are.”

The most rewarding moments in her work come when clients rediscover their own light.

“That instant when someone remembers who they are… that’s sacred,” she says. “It’s not just about one person healing; it ripples out to families and communities.”

One story that stays with her involves a mother who was anxious about her adult daughter’s choices. Through coaching and breathwork, Donna helped her shift from control to compassion.

“When the mother changed her energy, the relationship healed. Love doesn’t mean rescuing. It means trusting.”

Lessons and Vision

The most unexpected part of Donna’s Rockwell journey was discovering Human Design, a system that unites science and spirituality.

“It gave language to what I’d always felt about energy and purpose,” she says. “It’s not just a tool; it’s a mirror that shows us who we already are.”

Looking ahead, Donna envisions a global platform of coaching, writing, and retreats that help people reset body, mind, and spirit.

Her upcoming book, To the Brink and Back: How Changing My Thoughts Changed My Life, will share that mission with a wider audience.

Each morning, she begins her day in stillness, through meditation, prayer, affirmations, and journaling.

“It reminds me that I’m not the source of healing. I’m the vessel,” she says. And through every session, retreat, and written word, she continues to live her mantra:

“Change your thoughts, change your life.”

Ready to share your story?

Donna’s realization about the power of her mind led her to guide others on their own sacred journey home to themselves, grounded in faith, presence, and compassion.

We know you have your own story of evolution and growth.

Whether your journey led you from patient to practitioner, brought you to education and mentorship, or shaped your unique approach to clinical practice, we'd love to shine a light on your path and inspire our community in a Sunday Spotlight feature.

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