Meet Quisha Umemba

We recently connected with Quisha Umemba and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Quisha, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My work ethic is something I inherited from my parents. Growing up in a two-parent household, I was surrounded by their dedication to hard work. My dad was a school teacher and coach, and I can’t recall a single day he ever missed work. My mom is a factory worker, and even now, is one of the hardest working women I know. They instilled in me the value of hard work and the importance of taking pride in what you do.

This lesson has stayed with me throughout my life. I firmly believe that my work ethic is one of the key factors behind my success. I may not always be the smartest person in the room, but you can bet no one will outwork me. I’ve always been the one willing to start early, stay late, and go the extra mile to get things done, and that approach has consistently paid off.

However, there’s a flip side to this relentless drive. I often say it can be a blessing and a curse. My work ethic has led to me being a workaholic at times. I’ve used work to distract me from life’s stressors (which is not healthy or productive). So, while my work ethic has worked out for me, it also makes it easy for me to get burnt out. I’ve had to learn to set boundaries and make space for life outside of work, which hasn’t been an easy journey. Thankfully, I’ve scaled my business, learned to delegate more tasks, take weekends off, and travel as much as possible without my laptop. My motto is no longer “booked and busy,” instead, my goal is to “earn money with ease.” Overall, I still believe in “working hard, playing harder,” and I don’t think that will ever change.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Hi! I’m Quisha Umemba (pronounced KweeSHUH OOOmemBUH), a wife, boy mom, fur mama, Nurse, Public Health Practitioner, Non-Profit Founder, Social Entrepreneur, and Author.

I worked as a hospital nurse for ten years and then transitioned to public health, working in local and state health departments for five years. During this time, I witnessed firsthand the power of preventive care and education in transforming lives and reducing health disparities, so I embarked on a journey to bridge the gap between healthcare systems and the people they serve.

I launched Umemba Health to support public health agencies and healthcare systems in educating their workforce, empowering their leaders, and expanding their community presence through culturally competent engagement. Since 2019, Umemba Health has pioneered innovative training programs that empower individuals with practical skills for real-world impact. To date, my business has provided high-quality training and skill-building workshops, curricula, and training resources to over 3000 members of the public health workforce representing over 300 organizations.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 45% of businesses fail in the first five years. We’re excited to celebrate our fifth year this year and are still going strong. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished and our impact over the years. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself because I’m “living the dream.” I get to wake up every day and serve meaningfully, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

After seeing some success in public health consulting and learning that it is possible to navigate the intersection of purpose and profit while addressing health and social issues, I decided to write a book about the topic. This year, I released my first book, “Public Health Entrepreneurship: Navigating the Intersection of Purpose and Profit,” which serves as a resource for public health professionals interested in public health entrepreneurship. I also launched PublicHealthPreneur™ Academy, a group coaching membership that helps public health professionals start, grow, and scale a profitable public health consulting business through content, coaching, and community so they can achieve consistent growth in their business while making impact and income.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Failure, resilience, and perseverance were the three essential qualities that got me where I am today.

Throughout my life and career, I have faced numerous challenges and setbacks. But instead of letting them defeat me, I have used these experiences as opportunities to learn and grow. Failure has been a constant companion on my journey, but it has also been one of my greatest teachers.

I learned early on that failure is not something to be feared or avoided. It is an inevitable part of any path towards success. Every time I failed, whether it was a small mistake or a major setback, I made sure to take the time to analyze what went wrong. This allowed me to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments in my approach. Umemba Health is my third attempt at business; the other two businesses failed miserably, but if I didn’t fail in those two businesses, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.

Being resilient in the face of failure has also taught me the importance of perseverance. It’s easy to want to give up when things don’t go as planned, but I’ve learned that success is not a linear path. There will be ups and downs, but it’s essential to keep pushing forward and never lose sight of your goals.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

My biggest area for growth and improvement over the last 12 months has been my ability to set boundaries and practice consistent self-care. I think that most helping professionals have difficulty with this. We’re accustomed to caring for others, and it feels natural for us to “pour from an empty cup.” I did this before and after entrepreneurship. It was only after having a bout with depression earlier this year that I realized how much I needed to prioritize my mental, emotional, and physical health and set boundaries around the things that jeopardized them. I’m proud to say that I’ve done this and outside of my immediate family, nothing comes before my mental and physical health. I feel better than I have in years and it even allows me to run my business better. It’s taken me a long time to get here, but it’s a lesson I’m glad I finally learned.

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