MEET LYNDA PAYNE
Speaker • Educator • Founder of Holistic Choices Center • Creator of CHOICES: The Experience
Lynda Payne is a speaker, educator, and founder of Holistic Choices Center, where she created CHOICES: The Experience—an interactive presentation that helps individuals and organizations better understand how perception influences the choices we make every day. Her life's work is dedicated to helping people reconnect with the power to pause, shift perspective, and make more intentional choices.
Growing up in Chicago's Humboldt Park community, Lynda learned early that our environment shapes the way we think, respond, and see ourselves. As a young athlete, basketball became far more than a game—it became a teacher. It instilled discipline, resilience, leadership, structure, and the ability to recognize that every decision has the power to change the outcome.
One of Lynda's greatest influences was her mother, Pamela Payne, whose unwavering faith introduced her to Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Long before Lynda understood the fullness of her calling, her mother's example planted the seeds of faith, compassion, perseverance, and trust in God that continue to shape both her life and her work.
Another foundational influence was her father, Joseph Freeman, who taught her the importance of paying attention—not simply to what people say, but to the patterns behind their words, behaviors, and decisions. He instilled in her the value of moving through life with awareness, wisdom, and respect for others—lessons that continue to shape the way she observes human behavior and facilitates the CHOICES Framework today.
By the age of twelve, Lynda and a childhood friend were playing on the boys' basketball team before helping establish Richard Yates Elementary School's first girls' basketball team. Rather than waiting for opportunities to be created, they helped create one—an experience that became one of Lynda's earliest lessons in leadership, courage, and the willingness to go first.
Basketball remained a defining part of Lynda's formative years. For nearly fifteen years, it shaped the discipline, resilience, teamwork, and perseverance that continue to influence her work today. After earning her Associate's degree from Wright College, Lynda transferred to Chicago State University as a nontraditional student, where she later completed her Bachelor's degree in Communications. Her educational journey reinforced a belief that growth isn't defined by a timeline but by the willingness to keep moving forward.
Chicago State University became the birthplace of two defining paths in Lynda's life. In 2011, she developed the earliest version of what is now known as CHOICES: The Experience, originally called Perception. What began as a classroom concept eventually evolved into an interactive presentation designed to help people understand how perception influences thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and the decisions they make every day.
At the same time, Lynda discovered another passion through WCSU Radio, where she began her broadcasting career. Under the mentorship of acclaimed Chicago broadcaster Troi Tyler, she refined her voice, strengthened her confidence as a communicator, and learned the power of authentic storytelling. She was also privileged to learn from legendary Chicago broadcaster Herb Kent, "The Cool Gent," whose remarkable career and commitment to serving the community reinforced the responsibility that comes with using one's voice to uplift others.
Lynda went on to spend more than a decade in radio as an on-air personality and Programming Director, using storytelling, meaningful conversation, and community engagement to educate, inform, and inspire diverse audiences. The lessons she learned behind the microphone continue to influence the way she facilitates CHOICES: The Experience today.
Her passion for service continued beyond broadcasting through her work with youth and adults navigating significant life transitions. As a Life Skills Educator at Lawrence Hall and later as a Career Specialist and Life Skills Facilitator at Safer Foundation, Lynda worked alongside individuals overcoming trauma, incarceration, and systemic barriers to opportunity. Through trauma-informed practices, coaching, career development, and education, she witnessed firsthand how awareness, environment, repeated behaviors, and belief systems influence long-term outcomes.
These experiences sparked an even deeper pursuit of understanding human behavior. Through years of independent study in neuroplasticity, human behavior, habit formation, emotional intelligence, and restorative wellness, Lynda developed a practical framework for helping people recognize how perception influences thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and ultimately the choices they make. Her work is grounded not only in research and observation but also in thousands of conversations with individuals seeking healing, direction, and lasting change.
In 2013, Lynda answered a deeper calling by enrolling at The SOMA Institute, where she earned her diploma as a Licensed Clinical Massage Therapist. What began as a desire to better understand the human body became a much deeper exploration of the connection between the mind, body, and spirit. Along the way, she became a Reiki Master, Chakra Educator, and Meditation Teacher, expanding her understanding of restorative wellness and whole-person healing.
As a therapist, Lynda experienced firsthand the power of therapeutic touch to support healing. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought hands-on care to an abrupt halt, it also created space for deeper reflection. During that season, she realized that while touch could help restore the body, lasting transformation also required addressing the mind—how people think, what they believe, how they perceive the world, and ultimately the choices they make.
The pandemic didn't change Lynda's mission—it clarified it. What began as healing through human touch expanded into helping people recognize the patterns of thought, perception, and behavior that influence how they live, lead, and choose.
In 2017 she founded Holistic Choices Center as the home for that vision—a place where education, holistic wellness, and spiritual growth come together to help individuals reconnect with the power God has already placed within them. Guided by the Holy Spirit, her work encourages people to pause, reflect, and make more intentional choices that honor the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.
Today, Lynda serves as the creator and lead facilitator of CHOICES: The Experience. First presented in its earliest form as Perception at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center, the presentation has continued to evolve into an interactive experience designed for schools, organizations, conferences, businesses, faith communities, and community groups. Through engaging storytelling, guided reflection, practical tools, and meaningful conversation, Lynda helps participants better understand how perception influences thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and the choices they make every day. Each experience invites participants to shift perspective, increase self-awareness, and recognize the power they already have to choose differently.
What began as a young athlete learning to read the game has become a lifelong mission—to help people change the way they see, so they can change the way they choose.
Bring Lynda Payne to Your Audience
Whether you're planning a school assembly, leadership event, conference, workplace training, faith-based gathering, or community program, CHOICES: The Experience is designed to leave participants with practical tools they can begin using immediately.
