About VelHir

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Christie Welch is a dedicated entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, educator, yoga instructor, and advocate for social impact, sustainability, and community empowerment. With a career grounded in equity, trauma-informed leadership, and a deep commitment to collective healing, Christie has built a reputation for leading purpose-driven initiatives that transform lives and create lasting change.

She is the Founder and Principal of VelHir, a mission-driven collective of social enterprises in Louisville, Kentucky, dedicated to creating healing-centered, community-empowered, and environmentally sustainable businesses. Through VelHir, Christie advances an ambitious vision: to prove that commerce can be a tool for social justice, economic empowerment, and environmental regeneration.

Since 2021, Christie has served as Deputy Director of 2X Game Changers, working alongside Executive Director Christopher 2X. In this role, she helps lead citywide efforts to advance early childhood education, parental engagement, mentoring, and community development. Her work is centered on addressing the root causes of violence and poverty by connecting individuals and families with critical resources to foster long-term community safety and resilience.

At 2X Game Changers, Christie has helped design and deliver programs that mentor youth, support trauma recovery for families affected by violence, and strengthen partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, and local government. She is known for her thoughtful, collaborative approach to leadership and her commitment to amplifying community voices in shaping solutions.

Christie is the owner and founder of Pressed & Unstressed Laundry, a social enterprise providing high-quality laundry and cleaning services while employing women impacted by domestic violence. This venture goes beyond a standard business model, offering trauma-informed employment, stable income, and meaningful work that restores dignity and opens paths to financial independence.

She is also the founder of Gene Isis Farms, an urban agriculture business in Louisville dedicated to regenerative farming, sustainability, and food sovereignty. Gene Isis Farms integrates no-till gardening practices, aquaponics systems, and a community farm stand. Christie's vision includes building an aquaponics café that merges local food, environmental education, and economic opportunity.

Her work in entrepreneurship is driven by the belief that businesses can and should address systemic inequities while creating generational wealth for historically marginalized communities—especially Black women and survivors of violence.

Christie holds a Master’s in Non-Governmental Organization Management from Johns Hopkins University (2024). Her graduate studies strengthened her expertise in nonprofit strategy, program development, grant writing, organizational leadership, and evaluation—equipping her to lead social change initiatives with rigor and impact.

She graduated cum laude with Honors (2019) from the University of Louisville with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Pan-African Studies and Humanities, with minors in Philosophy and Religious Studies. As a Woodford R. Porter Scholar, Christie received a competitive full-tuition scholarship and annual stipend, and was an active member of the University Honors Program.

During her undergraduate career, she explored the intersections of Black history, social justice, ethics, and cultural production—building a foundation for the work she does today to address structural racism, promote healing, and foster community-led development.

• Kosair for Kids Leadership Development Program (2023) – Completed intensive training designed to strengthen nonprofit leadership, with a focus on equity, sustainability, and outcomes-driven program design.
• 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) – Completed training through Yogast8 (2023) with specialized study in trauma-informed, accessible yoga.
• Chair Yoga Teacher Certification (30 CE Hours, 2025) – Focused on making yoga more accessible to seniors, those with mobility challenges, and community groups in need of adaptive wellness practices.
• Data Analytics with Power BI Certificate (2024) – Strengthened skills in data-driven decision-making and program evaluation for nonprofit and business contexts.

Christie continually invests in learning to bring cutting-edge, community-centered approaches to her leadership and teaching.

Christie is a passionate and certified yoga instructor committed to making wellness accessible and culturally affirming. Through Black Beatnik Brand Yoga, she offers trauma-informed classes designed for mental clarity, stress relief, and holistic well-being. Her teaching is rooted in principles of body autonomy, ancestral wisdom, and community care.

She has also taught Chair Yoga classes through partnerships with local government, parks and recreation departments, and community organizations—meeting students where they are and helping them cultivate practices that support healing and self-awareness.

Christie’s commitment to social change extends to storytelling and media production. She was Project Coordinator for Fire and Heart: A Blueprint for Liberation (2021), a documentary directed by Joan Brannon that explores Louisville’s history of civil rights activism in the wake of the murder of Breonna Taylor.

She also served as Assistant Producer for Surviving Two Pandemics: COVID-19 & Police Brutality, directed by Tytianna Ringstaff, capturing the voices of youth navigating the intersecting crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism in 2020.

These projects reflect Christie’s belief in the power of narrative to inspire action, deepen understanding, and create social change.

Christie currently serves as Chairwoman of Sacred Earth Community Garden in Louisville, where she supports programs that teach urban gardening to youth, address food insecurity, and promote healing through connection to the land. She has helped secure funding for the garden through city initiatives like the Love Your Block program, activating underutilized lots into thriving community green spaces.

Her work at Sacred Earth reflects her commitment to local solutions, intergenerational knowledge-sharing, and sustainable urban development.

Christie’s leadership is guided by core values:

• Healing-Centered: Creating spaces that support trauma recovery, mental well-being, and collective care.
• Equity-Driven: Building businesses and programs that offer meaningful opportunity for historically marginalized communities.
• Sustainability-Focused: Prioritizing regenerative agriculture, environmental stewardship, and long-term resilience.
• Community-Empowered: Centering local voices, partnerships, and collective ownership in all that she does.

Outside of work, Christie is an avid gardener and houseplant enthusiast who tends a personal greenhouse filled with edible crops, herbs, and ornamentals. She enjoys crafting crystal jewelry, spending time in nature with her dog Bane, and exploring ways to integrate art, spirituality, and sustainability into everyday life.