Licensed Clinical Social Worker, speaker, and serial entrepreneur Sharise Nance has spent more than two decades on the front lines of emotional labor—supporting social workers, educators, nonprofit leaders, medical professionals, and organizations through the silent epidemic of compassion fatigue and burnout. As the founder of Vitamin C Healing, co-founder of HandinHand Counseling Services, and creator of the SWAG Alliance Foundation, she has dedicated her life to one mission: “When we sustain the healer, we sustain the mission.”
It’s a message rooted in lived experience, clinical expertise, and an unwavering belief that the people holding our communities together deserve to be held, too.
A Journey From Silent Struggles to Systems Change
Nance wasn’t always the powerhouse speaker and wellness leader she is today. She started out as a shy child who watched carefully, listened deeply, and witnessed firsthand how families—particularly marginalized ones—often faced systemic obstacles when seeking help. Those early observations shaped her understanding of advocacy, empathy, and the need for structural support.
But it wasn’t until years into her professional career that she confronted her own limits.
She remembers one pivotal moment vividly. After a day filled with emotional-heavy client sessions, she sat in her car in complete silence, realizing she had nothing left inside her.
“I loved my work, but I was completely depleted,” she said. “That moment forced me to rethink what it really means to help from a place of wholeness.”
That breakdown became the breakthrough. It inspired her now-signature workshops, her best-selling book When Helping Hurts: Overcoming Compassion Fatigue, and eventually the launch of Vitamin C Healing—her wellness brand dedicated to helping helpers thrive rather than sacrifice themselves in service.
Leadership Wellness Through a Trauma-Informed Lens
Nance’s approach blends clinical knowledge, trauma-informed practices, systems thinking, and human-centered leadership. What sets her apart is the way she models the strategies she teaches.
“I don’t just talk about sustainable healing—I live it,” she said.
Her C.A.L.M. Framework has become a cornerstone for individuals and organizations seeking sustainable wellness:
C — Core Values
Anchoring decisions and leadership in personal and organizational truth.
A — Active Recovery
Prioritizing rest practices and intentional rejuvenation, not as a reward but as a requirement.
L — Limits & Boundaries
Learning to say no, set emotional limits, and honor capacity without guilt.
M — Mastering Transitions
Navigating seasons of change with awareness, grace, and strategic planning.
This framework helps people move from “surviving the work” to “serving sustainably,” a distinction Nance believes is critical in helping professions.
“Burnout prevention is only the beginning,” she said. “My work is about cultural and systemic healing. Wellness is a leadership responsibility.”
Building Movements, Not Just Services
Nance’s platform spans multiple organizations and initiatives, each amplifying her mission in a different way.
Through Vitamin C Healing, she offers workplace wellness consulting, leadership training, compassion fatigue prevention programs, and trauma-informed care workshops. She partners with universities, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and human service agencies to create psychologically safe environments where people can do meaningful work without losing themselves.
With HandinHand Counseling Services, she helped build one of Pittsburgh’s leading trauma-informed private practices—providing community-centered care to individuals and families.
Her nonprofit—the SWAG Alliance Foundation—champions social workers through the SWAG Awards (Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness), a celebration of the heart work social workers perform daily. The foundation is expanding into a national movement that provides licensure support, leadership development, wellness resources, and recognition for those who too often go unseen.
She is also the creator of the SIGH (Strength in Growth and Healing) Trauma Recovery Program, now used by organizations seeking approachable, effective tools for emotional restoration.
Her impact has earned her multiple awards, including induction into the George Westinghouse High School Wall of Fame, the Empower Pillar Award from the Brave Women Project, and numerous community leadership honors.
A Vision for the Next Chapter
Looking ahead, Nance envisions a future where healing professionals, leaders, and organizations experience a cultural shift—one that centers well-being, rest, and humanity.
She plans to expand Vitamin C Healing’s national reach, strengthen trauma-informed leadership programs, and grow the SWAG Alliance Foundation into a year-round support system for social workers nationwide.
“I want to help organizations build workplaces where people can lead, serve, and grow without losing themselves in the process,” she said.
Writing more books, speaking globally, designing leadership wellness curricula, and continuing to model sustainable living are all part of her next phase.
Why Her Work Matters Now More Than Ever
Compassion fatigue, moral injury, and burnout rates among helping professionals are at historic highs. Nance believes that the solution must be both individual and systemic.
“Not everything that weighs you down is yours to carry,” she said. “But healing becomes possible when people and systems work together to support the people doing the heart work.”
Her message resonates because she doesn’t offer quick fixes—she offers pathways. Sustainable pathways rooted in rest, ownership, intention, and alignment.
Call to Action
Organizations, universities, nonprofits, and leaders seeking to strengthen workplace wellness or reduce burnout can bring Sharise Nance in for speaking engagements, training, workshops, or leadership wellness consulting.
Connect with her at:
🌐 www.sharisenance.com
📧 sharisenance@vitaminchealing.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharisenance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharisenance
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharisenance
SWAG Alliance Foundation: https://www.swagfoundation.org
