We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nyomi Barrick-Wommack a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nyomi, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I attribute my resilience to my upbringing. I grew up in a small town in northwest Oklahoma to a single mother. As a child, I experienced various hardships that were often not explained to me, so I was usually put in a position to figure out what happened and why we were moving again, or why I wasn’t seeing certain family members anymore. My first step-dad was a person who used drugs and living in this type of environment was very unsettling. He came into my life when I was 7 and by age 10 he died by suicide. At 10 years old I watched my mom grieve the tragic loss of her husband. Two years later I was the oldest of four younger siblings after my mom remarried and was expected to help care for them. Not only was home a place of uncertainty for various reasons, but I also come from multiple ethnicities. There wasn’t anyone that looked like me in that town and it wasn’t until college that I realized how much racism and microaggressions I experienced growing up. Despite all of these things I excelled in school and was very active in the community. It’s a confusing world to live in when in my heart I knew who I was and what I was capable of, but because of my circumstances people were always surprised by my success saying things like, “I just couldn’t imagine you’d be doing this.” or “We just never thought you’d accomplish these things.” Over the last few years, I have recognized the strength I held in those times. Those instances taught me to not let my circumstances determine who I am or what I can accomplish, but that I have the resilience to pursue whatever I desire no matter my circumstances. That has given me a lot of power over my life and it’s freeing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am employed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) as the Science Education and Outreach Manager. I have industry experience and a master’s degree in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. This background provides me a unique perspective on regulatory issues which I speak to regularly. Currently, I am working on educating staff about the industry and keeping them up to date on new and emerging issues. I work with various departments within the agency to ensure all information is accurate whether it is internal or public-facing. There are so many exciting things about what I do! I work in an emerging industry so I get to navigate novel issues and am encouraged to think independently about possible solutions. I am connected to a large network of professionals within various sectors of the industry and those conversations are always rich with debate leaving me feeling invigorated. At the end of the day, the most special thing about my job is that I know more and more patients can access accurate information about cannabis and be empowered to make informed and appropriate decisions about their health.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would say curiosity, courage, and adaptability were the three qualities that most impacted my journey. I have to highlight my science background as well. Cannabis is a plant with medicinal implications. Understanding the science behind that made me stand out because I can explain the “why” behind it. My advice would be to go back and remember why you started on this journey. There was something that triggered your interest or passion. Connect with that again and every so often as a reminder of how far you’ve come to accomplish your goal or meet a certain need.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
It’s my opinion that a person will feel more fulfilled in their work if they are in a place to focus on their strengths. It’s what you’re good at and the world needs experts. If you have a gap in a skill there are other people available to step in and help! That’s the power of community and teams. Everyone is fulfilled in their work and everyone is being utilized for their skills. As someone who has navigated through different titles, departments, and sectors of the industry, I was successful, but I wasn’t always fulfilled. I knew I could do more in a certain area, it just took time figuring out where that was exactly. I believe your journey will sharpen areas of weakness and that’s great as long as you’re heading toward an opportunity that allows you to flourish! <3
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cannabiswellnessgroup.com/professionals/nyomi-barrick-wommack/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyomibw
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Seller Studios
