Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This is the all one nurse podcast where we are bridging the gap between the stethoscope and the soul and getting back to the human side of healthcare.
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Welcome to the all one Nurse podcast where I'm your host, Nurse Chanel, and I have a wonderful speaker here with me today, Doctor Ashante Coleman. Welcome, Doctor Coleman.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Thank you for having me, I appreciate it.
[00:00:46] Speaker A: Yes, thank you for being on this episode of all one Nurse. It is an honor to have you here on this platform because you have published your own work with Tennessee Nursing association and been featured in the Memphis Voyager, Cannabis Rebel, Memphis Health and well, health and, excuse me, Memphis Health and fitness, and the Business Insider, which we will find out why in this episode of all one nurse. So welcome. Before we start this conversation, I kindly ask my listener, yes, you, my listener, to open up your hearts to receive this impactful information that we are about to discuss. We will be delving into Doctor Coleman's world, including her professional journey, her background story, challenges, motivation, patient perspective, educational insights, and experience as a two time stroke survivor in her thirties. We'll also explore Doctor Komen's entrepreneurial ventures such as her 929 apparel and rejuvenate 901 clinic. Stick around as we have a lot to uncover here and you will also find out how you can connect with Doctor Coleman and her awesome services. And with me, your host, Chanel, here after this episode to keep the conversation going. So, Doctor Kovit, how are you?
[00:02:02] Speaker B: I'm well. How are you?
[00:02:03] Speaker A: I'm doing good. I'm just excited to have you here.
[00:02:06] Speaker B: I'm excited to be here. I honestly am. I love this.
[00:02:09] Speaker A: Yes, yes. So, getting right to it. Tell us about you. Who are you? What's your origin story?
[00:02:15] Speaker B: My origin story? Oh, gosh.
I am the third child from both of my parents, which is ironic. My dad has ten children, my mom has four, and I'm the third from both parents. I was originally born in Toledo, Ohio. Spent first ten years there, and then we moved to Illinois and spent the remainder of my life there, where I met my high school sweetheart and married him. And we moved to Memphis, Tennessee. We had our rainbow baby. Our oldest, um, is 19 years old. And then our youngest is 15. Well, she'll be 19 in September upon her age already. Okay, so we. We just had our oldest graduate from high school. And I'm just like, not, not feeling all about her graduating because that time flew by. I started my journey in healthcare, actually, as a unit secretary. I knew I wanted to become a nurse, but at the time that I was trying to get into nursing school, there was like, ten year waiting list. Very frustrating. I had been to multiple schools for different things that they were offering as far as informationals about the programs. And I was actually headed to one particular school, college in Illinois. And I was looking into radiology. I knew I wanted to do something in medical. Nursing was my first choice, but, you know, with a ten year waiting list, I just work. Okay, well, I gotta get into the medical. Yes.
On the way to the college, I just felt defeated. I mean, went to the information. I was just still the same information. It's ten years away.
God, just please tell me what you want me to do. Tell me. I literally just show me a sign. And that was the clearest sign I had ever gotten in my life. Today we were on the highway, and there was a car in front of us, and literally the license plate said, hello, rn. I kid you not. And ten years, it literally did take me ten years to finish school, which I was considered a non traditional student, because by the time I got in school, all that time I was trying to get in school, I had no children. So God was being very funny.
When I did get into nursing school in Memphis, Tennessee, actually, I remember calling University of Memphis to see about the requirements, and the lady on the line told me, she asked me what my grades were in certain courses. And so I did explain to her I did have some c's on my transcripts, and she told me I would never get into their nursing program with those temper grades. Yes. So I tried anyway. I tried. I applied anyway. Applied to University of Memphis, said, okay, God, this is the last time. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm gonna try University of Memphis. And then I tried. I applied at Ut dental hygiene, and it's like, whichever one you put me in, God, that's where I'm going to go. That's where I'm going to take me. I had my son, my youngest, 2009, of february, 2 weeks after he was born. I literally was sitting there nursing him. My husband brought the mail in. I had an acceptance letter from University of memphis. Lo and behold, I do have that acceptance letter. I kept it because I thrive off people telling me I can't do something. So that is my motivation. That letter was signed by the same individual that told me I would never be in their program.
So I still have that. I can literally put my hands on that letter to this day. So I use that as motivation a few, but that's how I started as a unit secretary. I became a nurse extern and then worked my way through to become a registered nurse and then transitioning into a nurse practitioner. I did not take a break in between BSN and MSN. I knew I was an older student, and I knew that was my ultimately goal at that time, practitioner. So I finished school in 2012 and University of Memphis, my husband got promoted. We ended up moving to Detroit, so spent about two years there. And all the while I was networking. I was creating relationships to identify my preceptors. I was in school, so I finished board July of 2012, enrolled in MP school September 20. Twelve. And I graduated from MP school May of 2016. And I was done. I was like, I am not going back. I literally been at school all my kids lives. I told you, when I started undergrad, I had an infant and a toddler, so that was rough. And it's like, everyone there's anyone that's been through nursing school knows how difficult it is. But with that combined was very difficult. And my husband worked crazy, crazy jobs. Like, not crazy jobs, but a crazy shift. He worked for railroads, so literally, we would be swapping out kids in a parking lot so I could go run upstairs to be on time for Clinico's. That. I mean, that was like, yeah. And at that time, we had no family to help us, so it was just me and him against the world. Literally.
[00:07:21] Speaker A: That was gonna be my next question. Like, go ahead, where do you find time to rest? Like, y'all didn't even have any time, but y'all, we endured.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: We endured. We just. We knew it was an ultimate. We've always worked well together, and because of our. I just. Our track record of being together for so long, we knew what each other's goals were, and so he kind of laid low and. And worked while I got through school. And, you know, and during our time with graduate school, we were boyfriend in graduate school at the same time. We actually graduated the same time, so he graduated.
He graduated in May, I think I walked in, like, June or July of 2016. We got our master's degrees. At one point in time, we weren't in school together, and we just. We made it work with the grace of God. And then, of course, just knowing what each other's goals were and getting through that. At that time, I had no desire to go back to school, but I had a medical situation occur, and that is what prompted me to go back and get my doctoral degree. That's okay.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: That was very inspiring. You made it work and you didn't give up, and you still went on to get through school, even with children. But I think that's having a good support. You and your spouse being a good support, that just says a lot, and that speaks volume. What would you say one of your biggest challenges were? Coming through nursing school, like, from degree to degree, especially your BSN to your MSN. What would you say your biggest challenge?
[00:08:47] Speaker B: My biggest challenge, I think balancing. Balancing wife, mother. I think that. And still, I still have that mom guilt because there were times that I met, I literally, my youngest child in undergrad, Austin, his first birthday, I had books that his Chuck cheese. I was studying for an exam.
Literally, like my birthday, my big 30th birthday, I was studying. Like, I didn't get to enjoy some of those things. I had to miss out on things.
So a lot of that mom guilt and even not being able to do things with my husband, so we try to make up for it now.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Got you. Got you. How do you feel? Like, when you went from BSN to MSN, did you also work at the bedside?
[00:09:34] Speaker B: Yes. Idea. Yes, I worked. I started off in an ER, which that was not my choice. I wanted to go into l and D, but nursing has a lot of gatekeeping. That's the word.
[00:09:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: There's a lot of gatekeeping and nursing. I wanted. I just knew I want to be an l and D nurse, but I never could get into it. So I started off in the ER, which is crazy, because you would think that ER is more complex than L and DA, but they took me in l and D, and then from there, I transitioned to dialysis urgent care, and then I floated. I was a float pool for outpatient clinic, and that's how I worked my way to networking with different doctors to create my preceptors, because in graduate school, you do have to find your own, identify your own preceptors. And I'm huge on network. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a big networker. I connect people. I find ways to get. Yes. So, yes, working. I worked part time while I went to school part time. I was like, for graduate school, I wanted to still have some quality of life. Consider I had just went through a tedious undergrad program, so I still want to have some kind of quality of life. I feel like I was able to accomplish that by doing part time. So it took me three years to finish their program as opposed to two, and I was okay with that.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: Gotcha.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: Yeah. And now, like I say, me and my husband came out together, so that's pretty cool and fun. I still have our caps with our tassels hanging up in the living room because we both graduated. That was. That was a big thing for us. We came out together.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: Got you now, and this was your master's.
[00:11:10] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:10] Speaker A: And then what did he get his. His degree in, if you don't mind me asking?
[00:11:14] Speaker B: MBA. He has an MBA.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: Business. Okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. Yeah.
[00:11:19] Speaker B: He's a transportation logistic business person, and that's how. That's how we work so well together in the clinic because he has that component.
[00:11:28] Speaker A: Okay. Got you. Y'all just a. Just a good duo. Just. Just a power duo. I love it. Now, what would you say your. Your biggest motivation is? Like, what motivates you?
[00:11:40] Speaker B: What motivates me from day to day? My kids, my family, definitely my children, my husband. And honestly, naysayers, I use that as few. And I'm still down to my kids. Tell me I can't do something or I'm not gonna get it done, and I'm gonna find ten different ways to do it, and I'm gonna show you the ten different ways I got it done. You're gonna be scratching your head, like, man, I probably shouldn't have told her that.
[00:12:05] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:12:06] Speaker B: That is a really big thing for me. Like, please tell me I cannot do something or I'm not going to get it done because it's gonna happen.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: You are such a go getter. You are such a go getter. And I admire it. I think, from me, my motivation has been lately is just having a made up mind. Having a made up mind. And I've been quite the opposite. Somebody say, well, how about you do this? And I'm like, I mean. I mean, why should I do that? Or, I mean, I don't do that. And I'm like, well, why don't I do that? You know? So it's like, go for it. Don't be afraid.
And have my mom made up.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: I get it from both my parents. My mother was. She's one of eight that was the only one that graduated with her college degree, that grew up in the projects in Chicago, and she was a teen mom, but she got a college degree. The only one of my grandmother's eight children. My father was a black panther, and he actually was a bodyguard for Fred Hampton. So I have the militants and the tenacity and the go getter come from a combination of both of my, yes.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: Oh, so inspiring and motivational. Like, I see you as the person where if I'm trying to get motivated, don't come to you. I need to be already motivated before I approach you about it.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: I know I'm gonna. Not, even if you, even if you, even if you're not motivated, I feel like I can still help motivate, even with my students.
They, you know, they get worn down, they come from different walks of life and I enjoy instilling that into them as well. Just like my kids. My son came home one day, was like, mom, I'm 8th grade, I'm not gonna learn all these states and capital and I'm like, why aren't you? Yes, why can't you? And when he saw that he did it. I still use that story today to help him through difficult things where he thinks, like now he's preparing to drive. It's like, I'm not going to get my. Why not serve? Right? Yes, yes. Remember that time when. Yeah, so that's good.
[00:14:02] Speaker A: Now, you mentioned students, so tell me what you're doing now with students teaching.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: I absolutely love teaching. I love giving back because people important to me. So, and we're. Honestly, you're, you're not going to be able to be in your position forever. You have to pass the torch. I ran track, I coached track and I'm, that's what it reminds me of, running a relay. You running that relay race, you can only run it for so long. You have to pass that baton to the. So it's passing now to the next generation of nursing leaders and nursing professionals.
And end of the day, even with my medical condition that I had my situation. And just in general, I have older parents, I have children. Me, myself, when I seek healthcare, I want to be able to look up from the bed and see that there's a good healthcare professional taking care of me. And if I know there was one of my students that I taught, I know for a fact, oh, yeah, I'm in.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: Good, good. Yeah.
[00:14:58] Speaker B: So I have, that's why I tell people I'm selfish when it comes to teaching. Also, yes. I have an alternative model for you to be a great teacher, a great nurse, so that you could take care of me and my family and your family as well. So, yes, I'm selfish. I want you to be a great nurse for those reasons.
[00:15:16] Speaker A: Oh, that's good. Yes. Now, what group of students are you teaching right now in nursing school?
[00:15:21] Speaker B: Currently I have two schools that I'm teaching at.
T Cat Tennessee College, applied technology. Teach the senior LPN students, which this is a great time to be teaching them because I'm not picking about what type of nursing students I teach. I don't care at the undergrad graduate level, because I've taught across curriculum at some point. I've taught both at the same time, undergrad and graduate. It's a great time for the LPN students because they're reintroducing them back to bedside and hospitals here, which I think is amazing. We honestly never should have phased them out, in my opinion. But introducing them back to the bedside specifically in a hospital setting, is great. And when I started taking, as soon as they were so motivated, so enthusiastic, excited to be in that environment, just pumped up and just ready to go and eager to learn. So it was because I had never taught lpns before. This is my first time. But of course, being a teacher in general of nursing students, it was just, it was awesome to be a part of that. And they were the first set of students at this particular hospital. So we kind of, like, made history in a sense. So it was really good. And then I also teach graduate MP students at Arkansas State University, and a lot of that is mostly online.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: So that's my stomping ground. That's where I got my BSN. Yeah. In 2011. Yep. Arkansas State.
I think that's awesome. Even with the LPN students. And I have plenty of staff that come into my place of employment, and they always ask because they're not nurses, but they say, well, how do I get into nursing school? Or what's your thoughts? And I'm like, whatever works for you. You have the LPN program. And I said, start wherever it makes sense for you, whether it's an LPN program, because you can, can continue to build from there.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:17:11] Speaker A: So I think that's awesome. Thank you for sharing.
[00:17:14] Speaker B: You're still a nurse, yes.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: Yep. Still a nurse. And I said, we all work as a team, even from my patient care assistants or nursing assistants. I said, we are a team from the provider all the way down to the patient care assistant. We are a, and we all need to work together for safe patient care. And so.
[00:17:32] Speaker B: Yes, ma'am.
[00:17:33] Speaker A: You know, I tell myself I love people, and that includes us in every role, even from there to housekeeping, because we have to have cleanliness in order to maintain health in a hospital setting. So thank you for sharing that.
[00:17:45] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:17:46] Speaker A: Now, we've kind of talked about your motivation and your challenges. What has been your most complex challenge that you've had to overcome to date?
[00:17:55] Speaker B: My most complex challenge that I've had to overcome was assisting my daughter through the CNN program in high school. She has an invisible learning disability. So she has a learning disability. She's had one since she was four years of age, where she has difficulty processing information. She can learn anything. Just takes her a little bit longer to grasp the information. But her getting through that program was, like, amazing. Her confidence went through the roof, and it was just. Even my husband, my son was like, man, mom, you helped her do that. That was just so great. Like, she wants to give up. I want to give up. I literally was exhausted because I would teach at school all day, come home, and I feel like I was in nursing school again, because I'm teaching her, and I am nurturing, but I'm not. I think I'm more of a tough love type. Okay, so we gonna do this? We're gonna do this. Okay. I am more of a tough love type person with a little bit of nurturing mix in there, but more. More on the tough love. So it was times where we'll be grooving at that table at night, and my husband Marcel, will be like, man, just let her quit, mom. Just. Just let her drop out the program. Like, no, we're not doing that. We were getting through this, and she presented to us. The high school has so many different areas the kids can go into, which is awesome. And she originally was going to do culinary, but she came to us one day, was like, I want to do nursing. I never tried to put nursing on my children. I want them to make the decision for themselves. So when she said nursing, I perked. I'm like, okay, yes, come join mommy. Yes, we will do nursing. And honestly, she's the reason why we open our clinic.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:19:35] Speaker B: I want to provide employment for her as well, eventually for other people too. But for my children to have generational wealth and for specifically our daughter to have a safe place to be nurtured and groomed to work in healthcare. So she honestly was one of the bigger factors of us opening.
[00:19:56] Speaker A: Oh, wow. Awesome. And now tell me about the clinic. When did you open?
Open. Rejuvenate 901.
[00:20:02] Speaker B: So, rejuvenate 901 opened in March of 2023. And like I said, she was one of the factors.
Primary thing that got me to saying, I'm about to open my clinic, my own clinic. I got Covid. I got Covid, and I was on my.
I was in the be at sea, and that was my second time getting Covid. But I reached out to my director and told her, hey, I Covid, you know, I'm not. I'm not well. So I couldn't come on campus. I couldn't do anything with the student. And honestly, I felt like, crap. Like, it was worse than the first time. So this director called me and was like, yeah, I saw that you told. You said you have Covid. I'm sorry you're not will, but I need you to put those grades in. So that was okay. You're a nurse practitioner yourself, and you have no compassion at all. Because I'm a stroke survivor. You don't know what Covid. Even if I was. You don't know what Covid. You didn't bother to.
Am I in a hospital? You don't know what's going on with me. So there, then that. That was that little motivational spark that struck me, and I started writing my. My book. I came up with my name on my clinic, the colors of the clinic, and the services we were going to offer. I said, you know what? No, we're not doing this anymore. Wow.
[00:21:22] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:21:22] Speaker B: So that was the stepping stone. And then my daughter in the CNA program was another component of it. And then the services that we offer a lot. A lot holistic things, a lot of natural things, because I'm limited in some of the things that I can get as I age. So I want to offer some of those things to the general public as well.
[00:21:42] Speaker A: Got you. Now, before we dive into the details of rejuvenate 901, let's backtrack, because you said you got Covid twice, but after you had your stroke. And so let's backtrack to that time around. What time? Yes, your first stroke. Let's backtrack to that.
[00:22:03] Speaker B: And let.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: And tell. Tell me more about that. Tell us more about that.
[00:22:06] Speaker B: Okay, so my first stroke was 2017. I'm trying to remember 2017 in all transparency. I had just gotten laid off from a job. My husband had just gotten laid off. We were both super stressed, in a sense. And we actually were in a very heated argument about finances because of the situation when my stroke occurred. Literally, like, in the midst of me still trying to argue with this man, I'm having a full fledged stroke. And he's. I recognize the symptoms. He's recognized something is not right. And he's trying to tell me, hey, something. I'm like, don't worry about me. I'm still gonna win this argument.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: Jesus.
[00:22:46] Speaker B: In the midst of having this. Right. Exactly. So the day before I ran on. I was running on treadmill. I had just lost, like, 15 pounds. I was feeling great. Beside, I started a stress component from the finances.
Um, we were just having that heated discussion. I got. I had woke up with a headache that morning just on the right side of my head just throbbing. I'm like, okay, I generally don't take medication. That's not me. I don't like to take. If I don't have to, I don't take it. I'd rather just be in pain. Just stick it out. Went to Starbucks, got some Starbucks, dropped the kids off at school, came back, and we're having this discussion, and my speech started getting slurred. I had a numbness and tingling run down my left side of my arm. First speech, got Garbo. And then he's like, wait a minute, you. I'm trying to walk off from him. He's like, yeah, something is not right. And then my coordination, my legs went. I couldn't walk anymore. And so I'm on the phone trying to call 911 with this garbled speech. And he had to take the phone from me and tell the lady, yeah, I think she's having a seizure. I'm like, I'm still garbled. Seats. No, I'm not having a seizure. I'm having a. And so the ambulance came, worked me up, got me to the hospital, and sure enough, they found that I had a clot in my brain on the right side of my brain. Did a complete full fledged workup. Could not figure out why did this healthy 38 year old have a stroke. Don't eat beef, pork. I don't smoke. I don't drink. So I was fairly fit.
A month prior, I had switched to a new birth control. And that's the only thing that they can. Could have contributed it to, was the birth control. That was the only thing. There was nothing else. Literally worked me up for everything. They did try to get the clot out of my. My brain. They went and threw my grain, tried to remove it, but it was too small. So they went ahead and did the TPA, and it resolved. I had residual. I spent two weeks in ICU, then two weeks in Neuromat surge, and then I went two a weekend. I see a weekend on neuro medicine, and then I did another week or so and inpatient rehab. And this is right around Thanksgiving. I was very determined to get home for Thanksgiving. I was so ready to just be back home with my kids and my family. So I worked super hard in rehab. I had speech, occupational, NPT, really didn't have any religion. I was able to walk fine, no issues with that.
So the clothes on my right side, so my left hand I could not use. I could not open and close. I couldn't do anything with my left hand. I couldn't button up my pants. I couldn't comb my hair, anything.
[00:25:26] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:25:26] Speaker B: And then I had the left sided weakness, so difficulty talk. I could talk. I had a thick accent. I had a jamaican accent for six months.
[00:25:37] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:25:37] Speaker B: I had never been to Jamaica prior to that, and it actually, when I researched that, that is a rib. It's called Fasden foreign accent syndromes that some people. Their brains rewire and some people have a british accent. Mine was jamaican to the point where my. My speech therapist asked me, where are you from? And I'm like, I'm from Chicago.
So it was. Yeah.
[00:26:00] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:26:01] Speaker B: So I did. I did therapy so that I could get home, and then I had a couple. A couple months of outpatient speech, and then I. That's when I started teaching. Was that January? I started teaching, but, yeah, that's the. That was the first. That was a.
[00:26:16] Speaker A: So, wait a minute. So with the first stroke and with the TPA. So since they. They gave you the TPA, which is like a clock buster.
[00:26:24] Speaker B: Buster.
[00:26:25] Speaker A: Right. Did you immediately regain the.
The mobility in your legs after the TPA or.
[00:26:34] Speaker B: Yes. Yes, I did. And then my vision was. Was off also, because it's sad, but I laugh about having humor is my. Is my therapy. I remember being on my phone because I remember I said we had lost jobs. I was applying for jobs from my phone, or indeed, in the ICU. I could not see. My vision was off, so I was seeing double. And. And so, yeah, so my vision. I regained my vision back because I'm trying to text people I can't see. Yeah.
[00:27:03] Speaker A: Ma'am, why was you applying for jobs as a patient, we have to work.
[00:27:09] Speaker B: Like, we got kids to feed. We. We live in this big house. We got to pay for, like, that. That has always been me. I just. I don't know. So, yeah, I'm in the hospital applying for jobs, literally in the ICU, and.
[00:27:24] Speaker A: Realized your vision was off, too. Doctor Coleman, you are Miss go getter, right?
[00:27:32] Speaker B: The TPA did help. It did help. Um, and then from there, I. I just improved. My accent went away after six months, just miraculously. I should have recorded myself, so I had something to go back and reflect on. But my students were like, oh, my God, I'm not gonna be able to understand this lady. She got a big accent and. And ages went away. I think it was just because my. I was trying so hard to enunciate my words and not sound like I had slurred speech that it was coming off. Like, jamaican accent got you.
[00:28:04] Speaker A: Got you. Well, thank you for sharing that. Now, like I said in my introduction, you are a two time stroke survivor. So tell us more about that. What happened the second time?
[00:28:14] Speaker B: The second incident actually was a tia with a twist to it. So I had similar symptoms. I had been having a nagging headache and a right side, just like before. So I'm like, let me go back. Let me. I finally went to the hospital after I was trying to. Just a week of just, you know, having this nagging headache and taking things and nothing resolving it. So I said, let me go back to the hospital I went to before to have all my records. You know, they know I'm a stroke survivor, had previously had a stroke, went there. Er was popping. I literally sat for almost 6 hours before I got. I mean, they triage me, sent me back out there, lifted, looked at my old ct, of course that my is going to show, or they did a CT, but just going to show old empire, right? So they finally get me back to the. To the room. The nurse that comes in actually graduated from the school that I had been teaching at because I'm conversing with her, and she's just like, they're going to meet me. She never did an assessment of me, never put a stethoscope to my chest, never did neural exam, nothing. They're going to admit you. Okay, well, why are they admitting me? Well, they're thinking it's a Tia, and they want to meet you for observation. Okay, fine. Cool. Go ahead and admit me. And in the midst of all that, I'm like, my symptoms are getting worse. So I ended up. This is around Cinco de Mayo, 2017. I ended up seeing about four or five days in that particular hospital. No iv fluids, never got iv. You didn't even try to abort the headache I'm having, Sam, my symptoms are even worse. My head is just all on this side, just hurting. I told my husband, I said, I just learned to take my head off and set it on the table. It hurt so bad. And so the doctoral neurologist, this is all me, when I had my first stroke, came back again, and he. He came and he was like, well, you're just having migraines. I was like, I'm not having migraines. It's something different. I had to advocate for myself to get pain medicine again. I don't take medication. So it was so bad to the point my husband turned and looked at me once the doctors were going. He was like, are you sure you're in pain? I said, I promise I'm hurting. I'm telling you, I'm in pain. So at this point, my husband's doubting me. The doctors are not believing me. The nurses are not advocating for me. And at the time, I had. My really good friend was my primary care provider. She was actually off duty, but she was monitoring everything from afar. And she was like, um, yeah, you probably need to go to another hospital, because they. I understand why they're getting ready. They were getting ready to discharge me. So she asked the doc, why are you discharging her? Because she's not better. You didn't. You're not fixing anything. Like, she's still in pain. And he said, she doesn't look like she's in pain, and we don't. She doesn't meet criteria for us to keep her. So she told me, go to another hospital, not a problem. So people were wishing me well, wishes be well, but, you know, on social media, and one of my friends, who is a nurse, saw it. She's a neurologist MP. And she was like, hey, what's going on?
So I called her, talk to her to tell her what was going on. She was like, hey, if you're not better by tomorrow morning, come down to our hospital. Because we specialize. I'm trying not to say hospital name right. Because we. Because we specialize in what you know and what's going on with you. So I said, okay, fine. We home, went to bed, woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating, like, pain and, like, a tearing cessation in my neck.
[00:31:37] Speaker A: Oh, my God.
[00:31:38] Speaker B: Go to that hospital. Meanwhile, everything. I'm getting numbness and tingling down. Everything's getting worse, is worsening. My vision, everything. My friend drives me to the hospital, and they work me up. And the ER doctor used to be a teacher, and I looked at him, I said, do you believe something is wrong with me? He said, my job is. Yes. To believe something is wrong with you. And I'm working you up for the worst case scenario, and we're going to work our way down from there. They ended up doing. They did every scan. In addition to a doppler, they did a doppler, which the other hospital did not do. And when they did that doctor, they found that I had a 50% blockage in my right carotid artery, and it was torn.
[00:32:17] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:32:17] Speaker B: So that's why I was having those. I ended up having emergency enderectomy within 24 hours, which repaired instantly. Like, when I had the surgery, my headaches were gone.
[00:32:28] Speaker A: Right. And so in the endarctectomy is where they go into the carotid artery and they remove the, that clot, right?
[00:32:35] Speaker B: Yes, they remove the junk. All the plaque I had, they, the doctor told me I had so much gunk in my artery, it looked like it belonged to an artery of a yemenite older fat man.
[00:32:48] Speaker A: Wow. Wow. Did you, did you have any history of, like, high cholesterol, or did we think that some of your same pre like factors kind of put you at risk for it?
[00:32:58] Speaker B: No, it's real high cholesterol. But what was speculating was when I had my first stroke, and they tried to do the bromectomy.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:07] Speaker B: They ruptured my artery, and it created a flap.
[00:33:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes sense. That makes sense because the body tries to repair itself. So then you have platelets, and they all collect there. And what, they narrow that vessel. So, same way with cardiac disease. Yeah, same with cardiac disease. Okay, that's a story. Doctor Ashanti. Well, it's the truth, but. Doctor Ashanti. Oh. Oh, my lord. How long did you, long did you stay in the hospital after the endardectomy? And was the recovery different because it was immediately, like, the symptoms were immediately, like, resolved.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: I stayed in, I think, two days. And it's so funny because I was getting ready. I don't know, a job always has something to do with me doing in the hospital. I was getting ready to start a new job, and I had accepted a position. I had to call them. I literally called them boohoo. Crying like, I have to have emergency surgery. And they were so sweet. They waited on me. They sent me flowers to the hospital, and they were like, we will wait on you when you get a, you know, just take your time, recover, and we'll be here when you. And that was so awesome. Um, but, yeah, I recover was like, two days. I would, he actually was trying to, the neurosurgery was amazing. He was actually trying to kick me out. Before that. I was like, no, I don't feel comfortable going home yet. Give me a nut. One more.
[00:34:27] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: So, yeah, recovery was great. I was, um. You know, you can't see my scar anymore. I call it my war mark. I hit a scar. Yeah, I had a scar for the longest, and I was so self conscious about it. But that's the reason I'm alive, so amen.
[00:34:45] Speaker A: Because that's a medical emergency.
[00:34:47] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:34:48] Speaker A: A stroke itself is a medical emergency. So with a dissecting carotid artery, you are definitely a walking miracle to even survive.
[00:34:59] Speaker B: To tell the story and being a patient. And the funny thing is, they knew I was a nurse practitioner, too. When I came into the very first hospital, dismissed me as migraines, they didn't hear, in my opinion, all this. I was a black woman who said they were in pain, and because I was not cussing and fussing and crying and I was still functioning and on my cell phone, and, you know, you're not hurting. But we learned that in nursing, one on one pain is whatever the patient says it is.
[00:35:31] Speaker A: It's the patient's perception. You know, I remember asking you when I ran into you to even get to this opportunity to interview you. You know, I asked you, what was your one word? If you could tell me one word for why you do what you do. And you told me, advocacy. And so I think that is just so awesome. So awesome. And then to be a go getter, because you are my go getter. To be a go getter and to do it in a way that you're providing safe patient care and you're advocating for patients not only through taking care of patients yourself, because I don't know if you explained it, but you are a nurse practitioner. You're certified in family practice. Am I correct and so correct to take. To advocate for patients that you have of your own and to do so on the side of nursing because you're an instructor, that just speaks volumes that you're doing it from both sides.
[00:36:24] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:36:25] Speaker A: I got to do a year with nursing students, and I just wanted them to see, especially in clinicals, you may have one patient because they had to do their workup for their one patient, but I have all of your patients. You're working up under my license. And so I want you to take that initiative to go learn everything about that patient. And if you don't understand, come to me so we can have a conversation.
[00:36:48] Speaker B: Dialogue.
[00:36:49] Speaker A: Yeah. We got to be able to have. And I don't care if it's vitamins. I need you to write down what this vitamin is.
[00:36:56] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: It's not just a job. It's not just a job. We are taking care of human beings.
[00:37:03] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And I tell them to treat those patients like they're your family. How would you. Or if it was you laying in that bed, how would you want to be treated if that was your mom, dad, your baby that was laying in that bed?
[00:37:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Same. And I tell myself, even if you don't, even if you don't too much care about your mama, how would you want to be treated?
[00:37:24] Speaker B: Absolutely.
Absolutely. How do you want to be treated when you're not feeling well? And when we. I love getting those aha. Moments when a light bulb goes off with the students or I bringing in life experiences. Like, my father in law passed away in November, and he had Alzheimer's. So it was very triggering for me to go to the hospital and be with the students because we had patients that resembled. We actually had a patient that almost mimicked what was going on with my father in law. And they were just like, well, the family was refusing some kind of care, and I was like, I don't understand why they want to do that. And so I utilized my own personal experience to kind of explain why families might do that, you know, or might not want to do something just based on. But it was. It was difficult in doing it. But, you know, I do like when they are able to see things from a different perspective.
[00:38:17] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. So even being a patient yourself or having that patient experience, how does that affect you even going forward in your role as a advanced practitioner?
[00:38:29] Speaker B: I am much more vigilant about listening to my patients and pulling back those layers to find out what's going on. Why is this going on? If they said they're hurting, they're hurting. And not just not making assumptions, that is one big thing. Just not making assumptions about patients.
[00:38:47] Speaker A: And I think a good rule of thumb with that is a good dialogue as far as assessment. You have to be able to talk to your patients, and a lot of times it's not what the stethoscope tells you, it's what they say. And so, absolutely, I commend you for even taking on that role as an advanced practitioner.
[00:39:07] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:39:08] Speaker A: And all the other services that you provide as well at rejuvenate 901. Yes. With your experience, what advice do you have for young women, especially women of minority backgrounds?
[00:39:22] Speaker B: What advice do I have is listen to your body and advocate for yourself. And if you cannot get the care that you feel like you should be receiving, or if you have a healthcare professional that I don't listen to, you go to another healthcare facility that you are going to receive the care that you deserve. Everyone deserves to be heard, and everyone deserves adequate healthcare. So just like I had to do, even though them knowing I was a nurse practitioner, that meant nothing.
I had to leave and literally go across town to another facility. And I knew I should have went to that facility begin with, but it was just, it was a longer drive, but it saved my life. So.
[00:40:04] Speaker A: Gotcha.
[00:40:05] Speaker B: Listen to you. Bring people with you to advocate for you.
[00:40:08] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:40:08] Speaker B: You know, if you have struggling to do that yourself or you just not that type of person. But that's, that's my, my thing is making sure you speak up for yourself, listen to your body, take care of yourself. You have. Have a cup that you keep pouring into other people, but you can't have, keep depleting your cup to give to others. You have to have something for you so that you're not ending up sick and not well. And it's okay to be selfish and caring for yourself.
[00:40:36] Speaker A: Yes. And I see where you have helped to support heart month in February, which is, which is big, because I think a lot of times, people don't, don't really get the just of things until they hear numbers or until they hear statistics. And so I do have a couple of statistics here when it comes to just African Americans. And so, according to Dot Gov, African Americans are twice as likely to have a stroke compared to people that are non. And then among african american women, the stroke death is approximately 106 per 100,000 population, whereas for non hispanic white women, it's about this around 77 per 100,000 population. And so that's. That's a pretty. That's a higher number, 106 compared to 77. And then with even our black men, black men are 70% more likely to die from a stroke than non hispanic white men. And so it definitely affects the african american community even.
And so I think that that's just so important to advocate for ourselves. But on the front end, we also have to be healthy. But as you're, you're the proof that you were perfectly healthy in your thirties and you still had a stroke and you had two, and your outcome is probably a lot better because you were healthy on the front.
[00:42:04] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:42:05] Speaker A: By the grace of God. And then I do want to share when we talk about stroke, because a lot of times, people don't hear of it, especially when they're non medical, until they hear that a loved one has had a stroke. And so I do want to share just the basic signs and symptoms of stroke when they use the acronym be fast. B for balance. If a person's balance is off. E for eyes if your vision is off, and then fast. F is for face. Right. Facial drooping. A is for arms. If one. Or if you can hold both arms out and one is drifting downward, you can just tell there's obvious weakness on one side. Am I explaining that in a way that you could pick it up? Okay. Absolutely. S is for speech. Speech. If someone's speech is often, it may, it may not just be garbled. It may not be garbled speech, but if they're trying to tell you to throw the trash away, but they're saying, throw the trash in the refrigerator, like, and it's just not making sense, then that could be signs and symptoms of a stroke as well. And then t we have to think of time because time is of the essence, because we think of it like a brain attack. Like there's something going on in the brain that we have to get them medical emergency as soon as possible.
[00:43:18] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:43:19] Speaker A: To a stroke certified center. And a stroke certified center is a center that can do a CAT scan on individuals that come there with signs and symptoms of stroke. So I did want to make sure I shared that with my listeners so that they will know, especially if you are non medical as a listener, those are important things to know. Do you want to add anything to that doctor?
[00:43:41] Speaker B: I think you hit her on the head. Just keep up with your preventative wellness visit. You should be seeing a doctor at least once a year. And if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol every six months, and just making sure you staying up on your preventative wellness cares, breast exams, the colonoscopies if you're around those ages, but getting. Getting physicals and getting checked out, getting lab work done yearly or more frequently, depending on your medical history.
With my weight loss that I do in my clinic, we draw labs and we. We found a lot of our patients that are pre diabetic or full fledged diabetics and did not know it because I was the first provider that had seen in years. And even though I'm family practice, I don't really do primary care. But my due diligence in making sure patients are safe and cared for, I have to, you know, you acknowledge that when you get those abnormal labs back and do what you need to do to take care of that patient. But that just goes to show, like, there are people, and I don't know if Covid has something to do with it, but people are not going to the doctors like that. So I recommend people, in addition to altering your lifestyle and getting that physical activity in 150 minutes per week, drinking water, covering those fruits and vegetables and meditating, finding something as a stress relief, whether it be your religion or whatever else, you might find that healthy lifestyle to help you cope with the day to day of life, it's likely life.
[00:45:21] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. I think for me, you know, of course I do a daily devotion, and so that that's my way of staying grounded. And then I used to do it more often. I used to love to do yoga. And I see that you were actually fun fact, a yoga instructor.
[00:45:38] Speaker B: I am, and we do a little cool yoga. I've slowed down on him, but I need to pick it back up again. My schedule is crazy yoga and CBD, which is really, really fun. It's a yin yoga, which is really soothing type of yoga that helps calm you down. And the CBD, of course, without the THC. And it helps, helps with calming your nerves, help with stress relief. And a lot of times after we have our sessions, people will text me and say I had the best sleep I've ever heard because I do it at nighttime. 715 ish is the time that we usually have yoga sessions. And it's right at the CBD store in Caryouville. It's called your CBD store.
[00:46:18] Speaker A: Your CBD store. Speaking of CBD and yoga, tell me more about your nine to nine apparel and rejuvenate 901 clinic.
[00:46:28] Speaker B: So nine to nine apparel is actually my women's fitness clothing line.
I'm a big yogi person. I love to do yoga, hot yoga specifically, and I was investing a lot of money into workout gear. I'm like, I might as well invest in myself because if I look cute when I'm working out, it makes me want to work out more. So I created a clothing line. The name 929 is actually my birthday, and nine is a significant number. Those numbers are significant in my life. So those are like my angel numbers and my favorite numbers. And the logo is a heart, my favorite color with the royal blue. And then the EKG tracing, which is significant of me being a stroke survivor. So that's how I created that. But I wanted some affordable clothing for women to work out in and feel good in and. And want encourage them to work out. Rejuvenate 901. I was like, you know, I need to stop investing into everyone else's business and invest in my own business. But that in combination with being a stroke survivor and creating services that offer a holistic, more preventative type thing for patients and in the community, like iv hydration or cryotherapy, I want to offer services that were more naturalistic, like the PRP services, the OSHA, the pee shot vampire breast lift, things of that nature, and of course, the weight loss as well. But things that can help people stay well and continue to live a quality of life.
[00:48:03] Speaker A: Got you. Now I know you do. Cryotherapy. Tell me a little bit about that.
[00:48:08] Speaker B: Cryotherapy is basically ours, is is mobile and it's targeted. It's not the chamber that some people are used to, but cryo has been around for quite some time now. A lot of athletes do it, but it's not just for athletes. Cryotherapy can be utilized for skin tightening, for fat reduction, and also for paint. The pain component, ages five and up, can utilize cryotherapy the best. Basically, it's cold therapy. Your body basically thermoregulates and it reacts to the cold therapy in the way that it needs to. Whether it be warden off inflammation and pain receptors, releasing those good endorphins so that you feel better after you've had the cryotherapy. With the pain component and then with the fat reduction component or skin tightening, it releases collagen to help tighten up the skin, make it look more youthful. And the fat reduction actually destroys and break down the fat cells. And you basically excrete that through your sweat, your urine, or your feces. So all those can potentially require multiple sessions. And of course, mixed with exercise and diet and eating right, those work tremendously well for the cosmetic component and with the weight, I'm sorry, with the pain component, it's just based on your body's way of healing. So if some people just require one session, like, I have a son that plays football and he gets banged up pretty bad sometimes, so we definitely utilize it for him.
[00:49:30] Speaker A: Okay, thank you for explaining that.
[00:49:32] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:49:33] Speaker A: Also, where can. Where is your clinic located?
[00:49:36] Speaker B: We are currently located at 364 New Bahalia Road, right across from Target. We are getting. We are under construction for a new location still here in Collierville, Tennessee area. We're going to be located right by the Walmart in Collierville as soon as we get clearance to get going. If you've ever done construction before in any capacity, whether it be for your home or business, you know, all of those dates are all in the air until you really, really have a concrete. We're hoping and praying that we are done by the end of this month and we am definitely by next month to get going, which is great because that's my birthday month. So that would be a kind of good birthday present to start the month off with in a new location.
[00:50:18] Speaker A: Okay, so with that, what advice would you have? Because. Because I've also seen, like, more nurses try to go into the business route or the entrepreneurial route as well with their licensure. What advice would you give them for.
[00:50:33] Speaker B: Nurse preneurs, as we like to call ourselves?
What I would recommend is finding something that you're passionate about don't find your own lane. Don't go with the status quo. Find things that you enjoy doing, things that you want to incorporate into your own clinic, and don't just look at whatever everyone else is doing. Do things that you enjoy. And to set yourself apart, that would be my, that would be my number one thing, to find things that you actually enjoy. That's literally what I've done. When I created my services for my clinic, I picked things that I enjoyed doing, that I was doing for other people and making money for them and figured out a way to do it for myself.
[00:51:13] Speaker A: Oh, that's awesome. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:51:15] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:51:17] Speaker A: Now, we have covered a lot in this episode, and I just really appreciate you, Doctor Ashanti Coleman, for even just giving me the time to be on this platform with me. And so what do you want the listeners to take away from this episode?
[00:51:35] Speaker B: So, first of all, thank you for having me on this platform and being able to voice my opinion and my experiences that I've had, not just as a provider, but also as a patient. But what I would like, my takeaways would be to advocate for yourself, not just for your patients and for yourself. If you've ever been on the other end of things where you were a patient and provider as well, it just gives you a better understanding of how healthcare should be. So advocate for yourself and your patients, your family, friends. If something doesn't seem right or doesn't feel right, seek out another provider. You are paying good money for your healthcare, and you should be comfortable with that provider that's providing that care for you or the healthcare facility. Seek another healthcare facility out if you have to. With my mixed diagnosis, that's exactly what.
[00:52:21] Speaker A: I had to do.
[00:52:21] Speaker B: And had I not done that, I probably would not be here speaking with you today. So, advocating for yourself. Invest in your health. Invest in your health, because what you're doing now is gonna, is gonna show later on down the road. You're not gonna be in your twenties and thirties forever. You want quality of life. You want you, you want to be able to do things with, with yourself that you were doing your twenties, you want to continue to still have a good quality of life. So I would say invest in your health. Your health is your wealth and make your health a priority. Prioritize yourself over.
Over everything. Honestly, in some instances, you do have to be selfish, and that's okay.
[00:53:00] Speaker A: I think I can't see her name. Ayanna. Ayanna Vanzant. She says selfish is really self full sometimes. Like, sometimes when you're selfish. You're really being self full after you can't empty cup, and so you can't. Awesome. So as we wrap up this, this episode, how can others connect with you?
[00:53:24] Speaker B: Um, they could connect with me via Instagram. My Instagram is, uh, rejuvenate 901 with the business. Um, Coleman Empire is my personal, um, Instagram page. Facebook is Ashanti Coleman. And on Facebook, rejuvenate 901 the same. I also have Yogi ashanti 929 for my nine to nine apparel. That's my other Instagram page as well. So any of those the clinic? If you go to the website, rejuvenate 90 one comm, you can. You can send us contact information. We get back to people rather quickly. So I'll be looking forward to hearing from everybody.
[00:54:04] Speaker A: Yes. And of course, you can find me or connect with me. Your host, nurse Chanel. At all one nurse underscore Chanel. S h e n e l l. On Instagram. All one nurse on Facebook. And at all one nurse on TikTok. And I'm coming to YouTube soon.
[00:54:24] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:54:24] Speaker A: And you're also on TikTok?
[00:54:26] Speaker B: Yes.
Doctor Shantay on TikTok.
[00:54:31] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. And then with your nine to nine apparel, do you also have specials? Sometimes we do.
[00:54:38] Speaker B: I do run specials, especially on September 29. I heavily discount on that particular day.
The clothing is really. There's nothing over $70 on the page. I make it very affordable because I know I'm cheap and I know what I would like to see, but it's high quality quality.
[00:54:57] Speaker A: Well, thank you so much.
[00:54:59] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:55:00] Speaker A: Thank you to my listeners out there. Until next time, let your light shine. And Dr. Ashanti Coleman, thank you.
