About Michelle
Meet Michelle Marie Hernandez
My gifts of communication and creativity first came to light in my childhood. I spent hours drawing pictures, fashioning handmade presents, listening and talking to others, and writing stories. I assumed the role of teacher when my siblings agreed to be my students. You could even say I took on my first ghostwriting assignment at the age of eight when I journaled the stories my grandpa often told.
My high school art teacher had noticed my creative gifts and encouraged me to develop them. However, I doubted my own abilities. Anxiety and fear had silenced me. I had become so quiet, shy, and withdrawn that some thought I would get lost in the woodwork.
My Journey of Discovery
I chose to study something in college that seemed more practical and promising. I pursued a business degree at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). Waitressing at a local restaurant in high school had sparked my interest in business management. I majored in marketing, which still allowed some room for my hidden creativity.
Intrigued by the foreign language my grandparents spoke, I also took Czech language classes while attending UT Austin. I studied abroad twice in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. In 2000, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Czech studies as well as a bachelor’s degree in business administration. I moved from the Texas countryside to Silicon Valley in California to work as a marketing communications specialist at a Czech-owned company.
Within a year, I shifted to using my skills at non-profit organizations where I could advance meaningful causes such as Christian ministry and health care. Thanks to a manager who recognized my potential and asked me what I really wanted to do, I started writing grant proposals for Houston Methodist Hospital. I realized I didn’t have to be a nurse or a veterinarian (two other careers I had considered) to help the hurting and sick. I could use my words.
By the age of 26, I had discovered my need for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. The more I healed, the more fully I could communicate. God restored my creativity little by little.
I could no longer contain my desire to write and speak. In addition to writing for my day job, I started writing and editing non-fiction materials for ministers. Soon came ideas for my own books and inspirational messages. My advanced training in communications occurred on the job and as I attended workshops and conferences, studied the Bible, and volunteered.
Abiding Communications
I am amazed at how God transforms us into all He destined us to be. God gave me a second chance to do what He designed me to do, using the creative gifts He placed within me. He called me “bold, brave, and courageous” long before I saw myself this way. Eventually, I stepped out of my shell and moved forward with confidence to write, speak, and teach.
I launched my own writing and speaking business, Abiding Communications, in August 2009. I returned to my hometown of Taylor, Texas. Even though I had delivered the valedictory address at my high school graduation, the messages that poured from my mouth over a decade later surprised everyone, especially me.
In early 2012, I headed back to the Texas Medical Center in Houston. There I wrote development communications for Texas Children’s Hospital. The care and healing of children and women became my focus.
Shortly after buying my first home in 2013, I realized being a wife and mother is just as much as part of my destiny as writing and speaking. I married my husband in 2015 and changed my name from Michelle Flippin to Michelle Marie Hernandez. God has blessed me with stepchildren and grandchildren as well as a child of my own.
God nudged me to start my art in 2022. While creativity has always been a part of my writing and speaking, there is more. I have picked up where I left off in my high school art class. I have gathered canvases, easels, paints, paper, pencils, and other tools to express what is in my heart through visual arts and crafts.
The Lord has restored my voice and given me much to communicate through art, writing, speaking, and teaching. I share insight on building businesses and ministries, communicating verbally and in writing, creativity, health and healing, leading, and strengthening families and homes. I hope to encourage and equip you to grow personally, professionally, and spiritually, so you too can achieve your vision and fulfill your God-given purpose.
What Readers are Saying
“Michelle’s words are an art form (on a higher level), and she is the painter.”
– Rick, newsletter subscriber
“Michelle’s writing encourages and inspires me. She lives what she writes.”
– Eriko N. Valk, Ph.D., Houston Center for Counseling and Consulting, L.L.C.
“Michelle is a highly effective communicator and leader who employs practical and relevant wisdom that not only sets captives free but also helps to heal life’s hurts, wounds, and disappointments. She inspired many as she courageously navigated through one of the most difficult and challenging seasons of her own life, beautifully demonstrating the process of believing God and acting on His Word. She continues to motivate and mentor others walking through the battles of life.”
– Renee Branson, ordained minister on staff at Lakewood Church and director of Mountain Top Ministries