Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Howell.
Hi Michelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey has been one of faith, perseverance, and purpose.
I became a single mother while I was still in high school. I had my first child at the age of 15 and my second at 18. Although I later attended college, life required me to put my children first before completing my degree. Raising two children on my own wasn’t easy. I didn’t always make perfect choices, but every decision I made came from a mother’s desire to provide, protect, and create a better future for my children.
Throughout my career, I have been blessed to serve in a variety of healthcare settings, including OB/GYN, Urology, Pediatrics, The Cancer Center, dentistry, and several other medical specialties. Each role strengthened my compassion, expanded my knowledge, and confirmed what God had already placed in my heart—a calling to serve others with dignity, excellence, and love.
Caring for patients and their families through every stage of life has been one of the greatest honors of my journey. It ultimately inspired me to found Hand & Heart Homecare Agency, where serving others is more than a profession—it’s what I do, and more importantly, it’s my ministry. We proudly provide personal care services for individuals of all ages, from birth through adulthood. We also offer behavioral health wraparound services, including Peer Support, NC 1915(i) services, and Community Living and Supports, helping individuals and families find hope, healing, independence, and a renewed sense of purpose.
In addition to my healthcare agency, I am also the owner of Extra Set of Hands, an event planning and decorating business. Creativity has always been my first passion. I enjoy bringing people’s visions to life by planning all types of events, including birthday celebrations, retirement dinners, family gatherings, weddings, and other special occasions. I also love interior and exterior decorating, transforming ordinary spaces into beautiful and memorable experiences.
My life is centered on faith, family, and service. I am blessed with three amazing children and four beautiful grandchildren who inspire me every day. I love the Lord with all my heart, and my faith has carried me through every challenge and every victory. I am proudly a mother’s girl and treasure the close relationship I share with my mom. I also have two incredible sisters whom I deeply love, and I cherish the special bond we share.
Serving my community, especially older adults, is one of my greatest passions. I enjoy creating opportunities that remind seniors they are valued, seen, appreciated, and deeply loved. I believe every season of life has purpose and that every person deserves to know their life still matters.
I am also a passionate advocate for mental health. I have witnessed firsthand how grief, trauma, setbacks, and addiction can affect individuals, families, and entire communities. Those experiences have strengthened my commitment to walking alongside others with compassion, encouragement, and practical support. I want every person I meet to know there is hope, healing is possible, and that with God, no situation is beyond restoration.
When I’m not working or serving my community, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, decorating, and finding new ways to express my creativity. I am also currently back in college to finish what I started years ago. Watching each of my children earn their degrees has been one of my proudest accomplishments. Now it’s my turn. As I often say, “My children received their degrees… now it’s Mama’s turn to receive hers.” I truly believe it’s never too late to pursue the dreams God has placed in your heart.
My life is a testimony of God’s grace. Every obstacle has become an opportunity, every setback has strengthened my faith, and every blessing reminds me that God is faithful. My prayer is that my story encourages others to never give up, trust God’s timing, and remember that our greatest purpose is found in serving others with love, compassion, and an open heart.
I am living proof that your past does not determine your future. Through faith, hard work, and God’s amazing grace, every challenge can become the foundation for your purpose. My prayer is that as long as God gives me breath, I will continue to serve His people, uplift my community, and leave every life I touch a little better than I found it.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road. In fact, many of the greatest lessons in my life were born out of some of my biggest struggles.
Becoming a single mother while I was still a teenager meant growing up much faster than I ever imagined. I had to balance raising two children while trying to build a future for us. There were times when finances were tight, opportunities seemed out of reach, and I questioned whether I was doing enough. I made mistakes along the way, but each one taught me valuable lessons about resilience, responsibility, and God’s grace.
There were moments when I had to put my own dreams on hold so my children could have the opportunities they deserved. I postponed finishing college, worked long hours in healthcare, and often sacrificed my own needs to provide stability for my family. Like many families, we experienced seasons of grief, disappointment, and unexpected setbacks. Through it all, I learned that God doesn’t waste our pain—He uses it to prepare us for our purpose.
Starting a business brought its own challenges. Building Hand & Heart Homecare Agency from the ground up required faith, perseverance, countless hours of hard work, and the willingness to keep moving forward even when the outcome wasn’t certain. There were obstacles, delays, and moments of discouragement, but each challenge strengthened my determination and reminded me that my calling was bigger than my circumstances.
Today, when I advocate for mental health, support families, encourage seniors, or walk alongside someone facing a difficult season, I do so from a place of understanding as well as compassion. My struggles have given me the ability to relate to others with authenticity and empathy.
Looking back, I wouldn’t change my journey because every challenge helped shape the woman I am today. My faith taught me that setbacks are often setups for something greater. Every obstacle became an opportunity to trust God more deeply, and every victory became a testimony of His faithfulness. I truly believe that our greatest purpose is often born from the very struggles we thought would break us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Throughout my professional career, I have been blessed to serve in a variety of healthcare settings, including OB/GYN, Urology, Pediatrics, The Cancer Center, dentistry, and several other medical specialties. Each position strengthened my clinical knowledge, expanded my leadership skills, and deepened my compassion for serving others. More importantly, every experience confirmed what God had already placed in my heart—a calling to care for people with dignity, excellence, and love.
After more than two decades in healthcare, I realized that I wanted to make an even greater impact on the lives of individuals and families. That vision led me to establish Hand & Heart Homecare Agency, where our mission is simple: “Hands That Give, Hearts That Care.” We provide compassionate personal care services to individuals of all ages, helping them remain safe, independent, and comfortable in their own homes.
Recognizing the growing need for mental and behavioral health support, I expanded our services to include behavioral health wraparound programs, including Peer Support, NC 1915(i) services, and Community Living and Supports. My passion for this work comes from seeing firsthand how mental health challenges, grief, trauma, and addiction affect individuals and families. I believe everyone deserves access to compassionate care, hope, and the opportunity to live with purpose and dignity.
In addition to healthcare, I am also the owner of Extra Set of Hands, an event planning and decorating business. Creativity has always been one of my greatest passions, and I enjoy creating memorable experiences that bring people together to celebrate life’s special moments.
Beyond my businesses, I am deeply committed to serving my community. I enjoy working with seniors, encouraging families, mentoring others, and advocating for mental health awareness. Whether I am caring for a client, planning an event, or volunteering in my community, my goal is always the same—to leave people better than I found them.
Today, I continue to grow both personally and professionally. I have returned to college to complete the degree I postponed years ago while raising my children. Watching each of my children earn their college degrees inspired me to finish what I started. As I often say, “My children received their degrees—now it’s Mama’s turn to receive hers.”
My professional journey has never been just about building businesses or advancing a career. It has always been about answering God’s call to serve others. I believe true success is measured not only by what we achieve, but by the lives we touch, the hope we restore, and the legacy of compassion we leave behind.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success, to me, is not measured by titles, wealth, or recognition. I define success by the lives I have impacted, the relationships I have built, and whether I have been faithful to the purpose God has placed on my life.
As a mother, success is watching my three children grow into successful, educated, and compassionate adults. Seeing each of them earn a college degree is one of my greatest accomplishments. Their achievements remind me that every sacrifice, every late night, and every difficult season was worth it. Today, I have returned to college to complete my own degree because I believe it’s never too late to pursue the dreams God has given you.
Professionally, success means creating opportunities to serve others with compassion, dignity, and excellence. Through Hand & Heart Homecare Agency and our behavioral health services, I have the privilege of helping individuals and families navigate some of life’s most difficult moments. Knowing that someone feels seen, supported, and encouraged because of the work my team and I do is far more rewarding than any financial achievement.
Personally, success is remaining grounded in my faith, loving my family well, and using the gifts God has entrusted to me to make a positive difference in my community. Whether I am supporting seniors, advocating for mental health, planning an event that brings families together, or simply encouraging someone who has lost hope, I want my life to reflect God’s love in everything I do.
At the end of my journey, I don’t want to be remembered for what I owned or what I accomplished. I want to be remembered as a woman of faith, compassion, integrity, and service someone who loved deeply, gave generously, and left every person and every place a little better than she found it. To me, that is the true definition of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://HANDANDHEART.LOVE
- Instagram: MHOWELL_226
- Facebook: MICHELLE HOWELL
