Daily Inspiration: Meet Emem Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emem Brown.

Hi Emem, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My parents placed extreme value on the importance of obtaining a formal education as they personally grew up in a region of the world where access to a continuous and consistent formal education was usually available only to those who could afford it financially. They were willing to sacrifice their personal pursuits in order for their children to gain access they themselves did not always have. I was born in Nigeria, moved to Houston, Texas when I was ten years of age with my immediate family and while in Houston, I attended middle school, high school and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Houston where I received a bachelor’s degree in Health. I then moved to Vallejo, CA where I attended graduate school in turn attaining dual degrees: A Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies and a Master’s in Public Health. I had practiced as a physician assistant in primary care for ten years when I started Emempowered Health & Wellness in 2017 as I felt the need to provide coaching and advocacy for clients outside of my clinic work that would be comprehensive and all-inclusive as it relates to wellness.

I recognized that primary health care had a great focus on physical health and in order to address balance in life, complete wellness had to be addressed which includes our mental, social, environmental, spiritual and occupational health, not merely our physical health. I realized in clinical practice that additional time was needed to truly provide the style of care I wanted to provide and as I would not be allotted the time to do so in clinical practice, I decided to create and manifest what that would look like from my perspective. My current health coaching and wellness advocacy style allows me to uncover all the different branches of wellness to clients in order to illuminate a better understanding of our total body functions. I place an increased focus and emphasis on self-awareness and wholeness as my goal is to have all clients begin to understand the significance of addressing our health as a whole.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been speed bumps along the way. I moved to California and was a very young adult in my early 20s and did not have any family here as everyone resided in Texas. I had to quickly create and rely on close friends I would make in school who until this day have been instrumental in my growth while living in California. I was also 1 of 3 African American students in my graduate school class of 50 students and coming from Houston, Texas, a beyond diverse multicultural city and where I attended a university at that time that was classified as the most diverse institution in the nation, was substantially different. There were several adjustments that had to be made quickly as from that point the level of pressure and the expectation to succeed grew exponentially. And still until today in my profession as a physician assistant, only 3.6% of us are of African American descent.

Another movement I have created is called Reshaping the Color of Medicine, where my goal is to increase the number of people of color (POC) in medical professions where diagnosing and treatment is a focus. It is important that when healthcare is delivered, patients and clients see someone that looks like them as it increases adherence, compliance and overall participation in the care being provided. In creating my own business, a main obstacle is that for the first time in my life, I had to create something without having a blueprint as in my opinion going to school, taking standardized tests, attaining the degree is a blueprint that can be followed. With creating a business from scratch as an entrepreneur, there is a lot of continuous trial and error, with more errors than not. I have quickly had to learn to accept multiple failed attempts at numerous ideas. However, my thoughts at this point are the failures I experience serve as learning lessons and add more to my foundation of what I still envision to be my ultimate goal for my spread of health and wellness for all.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have been a physician assistant for 13 years practicing in a federally qualified health care center for my entire career. I provide care to a predominantly uninsured and underinsured population. It has taught me to learn and develop resources for patients that sometimes may not be readily available in order to provide the most comprehensive health care. I manage multiple chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, & thyroid disorders in adults alongside general routine childhood screenings and geriatric concerns. Most individuals I have come to know are mostly familiar with my work for over a decade as a physician assistant. I have been known for a while by many as a healthcare practitioner, a primary care clinician. However most recently, I have vowed to expose my creative side to all.

In 2017, based on health concerns I was personally dealing with, I had to create products I could use myself on my skin that did not have toxic chemicals in them. I created a body butter and lip balm made from 100% shea butter mixed with numerous organic oils which ended up being carried and sold at a local farm store for a 2-year period. I also taught myself to sew and created limited edition bags and accessories using 100% ankara cotton fabric sustainably sourced from Nigeria and other African countries. With both products, I created campaigns to raise money for two local nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, CA in December of 2018 (Wells Bring Hope & A Place Called Home) and donated 50% of the proceeds of sales. I have also created compassion kits where I sewed a bag and added numerous items and passed them out to those currently experiencing homelessness in the community. The kits included most importantly three pairs of socks (the most requested item in homeless facilities), toiletries and snacks. I created and gave away over 20 of these bags and had several individuals across the country purchase the bags and give them. The homelessness crisis has been a problem particularly here in southern California and potentially may be an even worsening problem in 2021 due to the pending evictions from the pandemic and job losses. My hope in the future is this movement can continue on a broader scale.

Most recently, I created a gift box called Compassion by the Minute and passed them out at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in November 2020 to individuals at the local farmer’s market. The box included a journal, pen, body butter, lip balm and most importantly a refrigerator magnet which had four crucial pillars of health I believe to be vital during this pandemic: diet, fitness, sleep and stress management/intention setting. I gave away 25 boxes in exchange for people’s stories on how the pandemic has affected them and what they have done to remain healthy during this time. It was wonderful not only to meet new people but also to be inspired to continue to do work that may help expose the stories of others. I am also a mentor for POC who desire to enter the medical field. In the past, I have helped cultivate the best application for medical and graduate school admissions and provide close guidance on what to do to better improve a graduate school application for admission.

I am most proud of the feedback I often receive from individuals who often write to inform me of how my help has inspired them and/or changed their life for the better. The joy I experience when I receive this feedback is reassuring and helps me continue to do the work that I do. I believe if you change the life of one, you change the life of many to follow as this type of inspiration I believe works in a domino effect. What sets me apart from others is my innate ability to connect with anyone I meet and listen without judgment to their life story truly taking in and learning from their experiences. I have learned over the years that we all want to be seen, heard and know that what we say matters and whenever I am around others, I make a concerted effort to learn something new from them and about them. We all individually have a unique story and are waiting to tell it to anyone with a listening ear.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I believe personal growth does not occur without a measure of risk. Risk taking also involves the idea that one must be vulnerable and be willing to accept the unknown that comes from risk taking. The first risk I remember taking was moving over 3000 miles away from home at 23 years old without family or friends around to help provide a cradle, comfort and some stability for the possibility & protection from failure. The most recent risk I took was betting on myself in 2017 by choosing to create and develop a company and lifestyle, leaving the comfort of full-time work recently as I believe that although the path is less traveled and not defined, the idea of the fearful unknown adventure is intriguing enough for me to continue to take a risk and bet on myself. I do not subscribe to taking all risks at all costs without any analysis, but I believe in a cost-benefit analysis where risk is present and making an educated decision based on your personal comfort. Personally, if the scale tips towards the benefits only slightly, I usually take the risk and leap forward. It may not always turn out to be what I expected but the wisdom I gain from that experience far supersedes the idea of not participating in the risk.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@emempowered.org
• Website: https://www.emempowered.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emempowered/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emempowered
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/emempowered
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2NsJceYEANZofjWC8bYWw
• Other: https://docuchix.libsyn.com/

Image Credits
Jenner Aguilar Haven Brown Akan Ekpenyong Leslie Lopez Alexis Murray