BIOGRAPHY - Michelle Valentine
B.A., Psychology
TV & Radio Personality, Author & Columnist, Relationship Expert, world-traveled Motivational Speaker & Educator, Dating & Life Coach, Executive & Career Coach, MultiMedia Marketing Expert & Business Consultant, Philanthropist
TV & Radio Personality
Touted by the media as “Orlando’s Oprah”, Michelle Valentine has hosted her own relationship advice cable TV talk show since 1998 - the “Michelle Valentine TV Show” - and has now grown into a worldwide internet viewing audience. The Relationship Expert is known for dishing traditional (yet savvy) psychological advice during the “Dear Michelle Valentine” advice panel segments ("Oprah" meets "The View" meets "Sex And The City"), and she interviews celebrities, psychologists, marriage counselors, and romance novelists – providing viewers with educational information to use to enrich their life. Michelle Valentine also takes the show on the road, traveling to romantic restaurants, tours romantic bed & breakfasts, jump aboard hot air balloon rides, takes scenic boat tours, and interviews singles on the beach.
In addition to her hosting her own TV talk show, Michelle Valentine is a “media darling” and a highly sought-after guest for other TV shows and news programs. You’ve also seen her on national FOX TV on the Rob Nelson Show, discussing matchmaking, gold diggers, and her online dating book, on national PBSThe Matchmaker, a feature biography story about her life, as a relationship expert on ABC/CBS/NBC news affiliates including Good Day Orlando, and she’s provided on-air call-in relationship advice on BBC radio, Up All Night and WXXL’s Doc & Johnny Show and WTKS radio shows The Monsters of the Midday and The Drew Garabo Show.
Author & Columnist
Michelle Valentine is the best-selling author of the dating book, “How To Find Love Online: Secrets, Tips and Lists for Getting the Best Response” (ISBN 1-919925-22-0, 6x9, paperback, 124 pages, $14.95). Published in 2000 when online dating was a popular new way to meet singles, Michelle Valentine’s book continues today to be a helpful online dating book for singles on Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, and the United States library system. “How to Find Love Online,” is a 124-page book chock full of secrets, tips, and lists for getting the best responses from the millions of users of online personals. Through Michelle Valentine’s knowledgeable and witty voice, she guides you through an online personals journey. She teaches the reader to discover new things about themselves and how to make the changes necessary to look and feel better about themself - thus, more appealing when their Mr. or Miss Right comes along! Book signings include Borders Books, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Florida libraries, the Southeast Booksellers Association conventions, and the Publishers Association of the South convention.
Michelle Valentine received her book deal after successfully having over 100 of her “Dear Michelle Valentine” relationship advice columns published in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper (right next to Ann Landers’ advice column), in the Arts & Entertainment newspaper, the Orlando Weekly, the lifestyle Orlando Me Magazine, the cultural East-West Times newspaper, and the alternative St. Pete Weekly newspaper. In addition to her relationship advice columns, her “Singles” columns were published in the weekend Calendar section of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, providing a variety of unique things to do and fun places to visit in the state of Florida.
An aficionado of dining & wining, Michelle Valentine was a featured Q & A etiquette expert on the world's largest calendar of food, wine, beer and spirits events website, LocalWineEvents. With her knowledge of food & wine, she was eventually hired as a professional blogger for Tango Real Wines, produced by Goyenechea Vineyards in Argentina. An avid sports fan and excellent writer, Michelle Valentine anonymously wrote wrestling sports columns, “In This Corner”, which were published in Orlando Sentinel newspaper. The full-page columns included her insider knowledge of the wrestling industry; recaps of the WCW, WWE, and ECW matches; plus the “Top 10” wrestlers of the week, as provided by her readers. Michelle Valentine is an avid blogger and social media poster for her own activities, as well as for companies and clients that desire a professional writer for their blogs, websites, and social media sites.
Currently, her advice column, "Dear Michelle Valentine", is published in Orlando Woman Newspaper (found at fine locations such as Walgreens and Whole Foods Markets) and she is also compiling information and conducting research for her new relationship book.
Motivational Speaker & Educator
Michelle Valentine is a highly sought after keynote and motivational speaker. Whether talking to an audience of high school students, to 30,000 attendees during a convention, or to vacationers aboard a Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, or Princess cruise - Michelle Valentine is a dynamic speaker who inspires and motivates others to see themselves and the world around them in a new light. She speaks about and leads workshops on psychological and social issues ranging from dating dilemmas, relationship makeovers, work-life balance, and discovering new career paths & choices. Her speaking talents have made her a television and radio favorite as both a host and expert, and have created an international interest in her speaking services.
During her university psychological studies, Michelle Valentine worked for a United Way funded family services center in Detroit, Michigan, which had a mission of providing a caring and nurturing environment for the young children of Detroit as a positive alternative to the streets; providing young children with after-school programs that enrich their lives and encourage academic, athletic and artistic achievement, and gave children guidance in developing long-term decision-making skills that improved their quality of life.
As a lover of speaking and educating, Michelle Valentine currently represents top regionally accredited online Universities from across the nation via MindStreams, speaking to educators and administrators at various schools about the benefits of pursuing higher education. She has taught adults and children a variety of subjects within public school systems, and earned certifications: State of Florida Orange County Public Schools, District Teacher’s Certificate, Psychology; Seminole County Public Schools, Florida, Substitute Teacher Certificate; State of Florida Code of Ethics Training Certificate; JAG Specialist/Jobs for America, 37 Core Competencies (Self Development, Leadership, Job Survival, Job Attainment, Career Development); Professional Member of ACE/Adult and Community Educators of Florida and Orange County Adult and Community Education Association; and a Certified Modeling Instructor for Barbizon International School of Modeling.
MultiMedia Marketing Expert and Business Consultant
Michelle Valentine is social media savvy, from blogging, to Facebook, to Twitter.
She has over 10,000 social media fans, and understands the power of
using this new media to generate a buzz, build a brand, and generate
sales for clients. In addition, she is an expert at ezines, monthly (or
weekly) newsletters sent to clients' customers for consistent
communication and to generate sales.
As
a successful entrepreneur, Michelle Valentine has owned a television
production company since her mid-twenties, and gone on to produce 6
other television program series, one an award-winning music
entertainment TV show, and creating the Michigan Shopping Network.
Simultaneously for five years, she owned a full-service spa salon
(creating her own custom cosmetics) and an upscale women’s clothing and
jewelry boutique (coordinating fashion shows at Ford Mansion in Detroit
and variety of yacht clubs). For 10 years thereafter, Michelle Valentine
owned a successful international dating service, with divisions of
personal matchmaking, an online dating site, and social events.
Relationship Expert
Michelle Valentine earned her B.A. degree in Psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her studies included Psychology of Social Behavior, Human Sexuality, Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Adjustment, Physiological Psychology, Learning & Memory, and Child Development. She received professor accolades for her American Psychological Association-style term papers, “Negative Memory Bias in the Depressed Individual” and “The Relationship of Lower Adherence to Traditional Sex Roles and Atypical Career Choices”.
She founded Michelle Valentine International,
a personal matchmaking company, and was successful as a Matchmaker for
10 years, having created hundreds of marriages and relationships. Her
service of providing personal matchmaking to millionaires and educated
professionals, she used her psychological training to provide the most
appropriate matches to their needs and wants. Matchmaking services
included personal coaching and mentoring, as well as wardrobe and image
makeovers. She eventually created and populated an online dating site
similar to Match.com and MillionaireMatch.com, with bells
& whistles such as profile rating, extensive characteristic
information, and a unique matching system. Michelle Valentine was
well-known for her singles parties, especially her monthly galas held at
country clubs. She introduced Central Florida to the concept of speed
dating (and made local news) as her 3 Minute Matchmaking, and eventually brought Lock & Key
parties, as well. Weekly events included wine tastings, sporting
events, happy hours, and more. Over 1,000 events have been coordinated
and brought to singles across Florida and to California.
Michelle Valentine’s unique life experiences and her relationship expertise attracted the attention of producers for PBS, and a special feature about her life was taped and aired on national television titled, “Miss Matchmaker”. The final thought of the interviewee was,
“Driven
by a fear of failure, Michelle Valentine learned to light the spark of
passion, not just in herself, but in others as well. Her success in
creating a world-class dating service helped her to a clear
understanding of how to help others build powerful relationships of all
kinds.”
Dating Coach
As a life and dating coach, Michelle Valentine’s mission is to empower people to accomplish the goals that will enable them to achieve breakthrough performance in their personal and professional lives. She provides people the expertise and insight needed to reach their full potential.
As a result of working with Michelle Valentine as their life coach, people improve their relationships, set better goals, become more active, make better decisions, communicate more effectively, more fully use their natural strengths, and enjoy greater overall life satisfaction. As a Dating Coach, Michelle Valentine helps people improve their current romantic relationship or helps them find “Mr. or Ms. Right.” She also helps people improve their relationships and communication skills with their children, friends and other family members.
Executive & Career Coach
As a career and executive coach, Michelle Valentine helps clients find what they are best at doing, improve their skills, set goals, and get ahead in their careers. Michelle Valentine focuses on addressing the unique leadership challenges clients face within the entrepreneurial and corporate environment and helps them develop the skills necessary to excel.
As an internal and external business consultant to national and local companies, Michelle Valentine provides executive coaching, training and strategic organizational development consulting in areas including leadership development, conflict resolution, performance management, diversity, talent management, career management, mentoring, employee relations, and the psychology of sales.
Philanthropist
An active philanthropist and believer in giving back to the community, Michelle Valentine has volunteered her time to numerous charity benefits for fine organizations such as Toys For Tots, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, VITAS Hospice and the Humane Society. Honored as one of "Orlando’s Fifty Finest" in Orlando Magazine - given to prominent and influential single professionals in Florida- Michelle Valentine is active in the community and served as one of the Ambassadors for the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. She continues to be involved in charity benefits, especially ones focused on helping children and animals.
