Iyanla Vanzant Asks Detroiters: Who’s Loving You?

hen you're a spiritual leader and life coach, and have a long list of other occupations, you have the responsibility of nurturing, guiding and healing people. Your past is not your final destination and it doesn't have to be perfect. Your future means letting your past mistakes and lessons guide you to help and influence others. Lessons in life make great leaders, tough skin and resilience.

With this same resilience, determination and strength, Iyanla Vanzant launched herself into a healing place, showing people around the world how to find peace with their broken pieces — the title of her latest book, by the way. She believes it is her purpose and passion in life to help others.

"It's not a passion it's a purpose, I am a minister, I am a spiritual life coach and a spiritual technician," Vanzant tells BLAC during a recent visit to Detroit. "I'm a spiritual technician, a surgery technician needs someone to operate on, a dialysis technician needs someone to do dialysis. I am a spiritual technician, I need people to work on.

"So they show up, that is my purpose, I am a teacher, I am a coach, I am a minister."

People across the world have been and still are touched by the spiritual guidance and teachings of Vanzant. The author and OWN network host brought her lessons in love and relationships to The Reserve in Birmingham for Love's Holiday Weekend Luncheon: Who's Loving You? A Conversation With Iyanla Vanzant. She leads an important conversation on self-love, being a natural woman and healthy relationships.

Speaking to about 250 guests, a simple yet critical question was in the air: Who's loving you? February is a time for love between couples, but oftentimes, Vanzant points out, self-love can be overlooked, as many of us may search for an external source rather than the internal love we already possess.

"Find the things that make you happy," Vanzant says,  "and when you're happy, someone will come to bring you more happiness and share in your happiness. But when you’re down and dragging, don’t nobody want to be bothered with you."

Still looking for that special someone? Singles, Vanzant says, shoud find happiness within themselves first, which allows for God, the universe, whatever you may believe in, to bring Mr. or Mrs. Right into your life. When each partner within a relationship loves themselves and is happy with who they are, you have an ingredient to the recipe of a successful relationship.

From her own experiences in embracing what she calls a "natural woman," Vanzant teaches single ladies the importance of being a natural woman and defying societal labels.

"A natural woman doesn't allow herself to be limited by labels and definitions. She is the one who gets to define herself, because herself is going from the inside out — not the outside in," she says.

Vanzant is currently promoting her book "Peace from Broken Pieces" which is available via www.innervisionsworldwide.com, amazon.com and other bookstore outlets. Tune into Iyanla: Fix My Life on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) for more spiritual guidance and lessons on life and love.