Whitnee Coy

My name is Dr. Whitnee Coy, and I’d love to be a guest on your podcast. I believe my story—and the work I do now—could really resonate with your audience. I’m an award-winning poet, children’s book author, tribal college professor, and fierce advocate for culturally sustaining education and emotional wellness.

But more than that, I’m someone who’s lived a lot of life—and come out the other side with purpose and passion.

I was raised in Lexington, Kentucky, by a single mother and grandmother in a working-class, urban neighborhood. My early life taught me the importance of resilience, relationships, and storytelling. Over the years, I’ve worn many hats in education: paraprofessional, classroom teacher, district leader, college professor. I’ve worked in public schools and tribal colleges, and I recently finished my doctorate in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a focus on diversity and equity.

Personally, my journey has been shaped by both hardship and healing. I went through a painful divorce and survived an abusive relationship with someone struggling with addiction. That chapter of my life taught me a lot about boundaries, strength, and the messy, beautiful path to self-worth. I eventually met and married my soulmate, and we’ve blended a family built on healing, love, and laughter.

One of the most defining moments of my life came when I was pregnant with my daughter. At 29 weeks and 6 days, I developed HELLP syndrome—a rare and life-threatening pregnancy complication. My blood pressure spiked to 210/105, my organs were shutting down, and I was slipping in and out of consciousness. I nearly died. So did my daughter. To give you a sense of how serious this is: HELLP syndrome has a maternal mortality rate of up to 24% and a neonatal mortality rate of around 25%.

My daughter spent two months in the NICU. I became a NICU mom, living in the gray space between hope and fear every single day. That experience changed me. It deepened my empathy, reconnected me with my creative voice, and grounded my commitment to the social-emotional well-being of children and families.

Since then, I’ve fully stepped into the work that brings me joy and meaning. I’ve published multiple chapbooks of poetry, including Kintsukuroi, Cicurate, and the deep, wide, dark world, which explores my birth and NICU experience. My debut children’s book, Elsie’s Adventures to Brainy Cove, blends storytelling and neuroscience to help children understand their emotions. I also teach writing and education courses at a tribal college, where I focus on equity, Indigenous pedagogies, and storytelling as a tool for transformation.

Whether I’m writing, teaching, or speaking, my goal is to help people—especially women, parents, educators, and students—feel seen, connected, and empowered. I’d love to share my story on your show and talk about emotional regulation, surviving trauma, teaching through grief and joy, and how storytelling (in both poetry and children’s books) can build more equitable, compassionate communities.

There’s a lot of potential in what I’ve lived—and in what I still have to give.