Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Odion Welch is an Amazon internationally recognized best-selling author for her novel Breakthrough. She is currently pursuing a doctoral of leadership with a focus in social justice. She holds a certificate in Business Management from Macewan University, a degree in Human Resources & Labour Relations from Athabasca University, a recruitment designation from the Association of Professional Recruiters, and a Master of Arts in Leadership at Royal Roads University. She has received the Fil Fraser Award from NBCC, The Community Builder Award from Edify, The Rising Star Alumni Award from Athabasca University and more.
Suffering from depression and anxiety all her life, she aspired to share her story to help minorities, particularly women and children. Odion’s vulnerability to show how she broke through personal struggles demonstrates that we are not alone. That there is hope when dealing with mental illness, and together, we can fight the stigma surrounding mental health. She uses vulnerability and conversations to empower women to overcome their struggles, whether family, finance or connections. Through her work and her book, she has created, supported and implemented panels, workshops, and organization rebranding. Not only that, she has engaged in a Western Canada book tour, hosted a panel at Edmonton Comics Expo and spoke at Kingsway’s International Woman’s Day Panel.
Although her accomplishments are vast at such a young age, she believes these come by finding a balance between persistence, perseverance and self-care. Her desire drives her to show the next generation they can become the person they needed growing up.