Spring 2005 BBI NxLeveL™ Graduate Sarah President sat down for a BBI interview conducted by Meka Davis. As part of BBI's 15th Anniversary Celebration in 2018, BBI continues to spotlight some of its notable alumni. Ms. President completed a comprehensive business plan for her Grace Oasis Personal Care Home during her time in the BBI NxLeveL program. On August 29th, she proudly opened her newest healthcare facility, Medicas Medical Clinic in Douglasville.

Where were you in life when you were prompted to attend Bronner Business Institute’s NxLevel training course? Me and my family had just moved from NY not knowing anyone. Subsequently, we were starting life over as we once knew it. I knew I wanted to open a business of some sort but wasn’t quite sure as to what, but I knew in order to do so it required knowledge on how to run one successfully. So, I decided to enroll back in school for my MBA. With no sense of direction in business, no mentors, and had not found a church home, I was at a crossroad. But God being God who already had my life mapped out, placed 2 strangers in my path. One whom would help orchestrate the journey of enrolling back in school and helping to find assistance with my children while attending classes and the other would be a chatty stranger who struck up a conversation with my husband in a laundromat about visiting her church Word of Faith. Upon visiting they announced about the BBI Course and a light bulb went off. Now how would I manage working on an MBA and a Business Course at the same time; no one could explain that self-inflicted insanity. And interestingly enough the BBI class was more of a challenge than the MBA program. I was able to complete them both successfully but will not undermined the hard work that went into doing both at the same time.

In your industry what big need did you see that caused you to start your business? As a Nurse Practitioner I am very big on training. I love to teach people how to take charge of their life journey, to learn about themselves of what’s working and what’s not. Imploring them to self-evaluate in asking the question of what do I need to know, to empower myself to make informed decisions to sustain this life’s journey. In my career I learned they seldom took the time to listen and explore a patient’s history. They would scribble a prescription but didn’t take the time to find out the root of the problem. I knew I could make a difference in people’s lives because I care and it’s a gift to give compassionate care to others. I don’t see this as a “business”. My mission is to inform patients, that as they get older things in your body begin to change and you shouldn’t have to make any apologies for why things ail us. I like to explore an order of events in your life that could be a contributing factor of your illness. I don’t’ want to just prescribe a pill. I find fulfillment in encouraging people. So, upon opening this clinic, I prayed that everyone that would cross the threshold of our doors, their lives would be transformed. The name of my clinic is Medicas Medical Clinic. And Medicas means healing hands. We at Medicas Medical Clinic want to seek a solution for the heart, mind, body and soul.

As a business owner what was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it or are you still overcoming it? Interesting enough it wasn’t money. The biggest obstacle I face is with people. It’s trying to get people to be on the same page with you. I found that trying to create an atmosphere where everyone stays positive is always an uphill challenge. Where can we find those people who share in the same vision that we have versus trying to enforce their own? And I’m searching for the people that don’t just want a job but want to work. I don’t think it’s a pill I could prescribe for that!

What drives you to get out of bed every morning? I love life and living and I’m grateful to God every day! When I get up, every single morning I say out loud, I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. I rise daily because I know I’m getting up to go and make a difference in someone’s life who may not can see past their ailment or current life situation. What good is it to stay at home and enjoy “me” instead of having a positive impact on someone else’s life. When we encourage people to help them see hope beyond their grounded view, that is a gift from God! I don’t just try to get my patients to see life from a different point of view but my employees as well. I let them know how much I care and appreciate them and this journey I’m on, I couldn’t do it without them.

If we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year it’s been for you, what would we be celebrating? We would be rejoicing that people showed up, lives were changed and employees and I, were a part of something bigger than ourselves. And that my employees understand that we are not just working to work but actually enhancing the kingdom of God through the work we have done. I have dedicated this practice to God and because it belongs to HIM, lives will be transformed!

After this course what improvements did you see in your business? Oh man, it was a lot to take in. But it forced me to take the time to think about my destiny, where I was going, who I am and how did I want to accomplish the things I learned. I was still alone here in Atlanta, but I had a better direction as to where I wanted to go. But with this course, 3 businesses were established. During the course I initially wanted to open a HOSPICE, I found out I couldn’t do that. So, I decided to surround myself with doctors and get to know what they knew. Dr. McKinley Bain help me to rethink my options and instructed me to research personal care homes that could eventually be my stepping stone to HOSPICE. And with a new direction from BBI and advice from Dr. Bain I was able to open a home for the Elderly and Developmental Disabled. From this venture and hiring CNAs for the home, I saw the gap with CNAs having a knowledge deficit by not being trained properly to perform simple skills with compassion. That impelled me to launch the JSP Training Institute.

What growing pains did you have that have shaped you into the person you are today? I’m not easily broken and with my upbringing I was not a stranger to hard work. This was my foundation. Being an immigrant not knowing anything or anyone, coming to this country did not mirage barriers for me seeking after what I really wanted. I knew I always wanted to become a nurse. But going thru the process seemed to become an unyielding encounter but I prevailed. The progression from a CNA to where I’m sitting right now as a Nurse Practitioner was a voyage that took faith, prayer and being dedicated to the outcome of that which could not be seen in the beginning.

Last question…. Describe a scene from a movie featuring you.  The scene that comes to mind would erect from Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise”. 

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

While working on my MBA, one of my peers tried to oil the pavement, making it a difficult journey to the finish line. The scene would begin with her self-assured posture of judgement, staring me in the face and unashamedly saying, “You don’t belong here”. No one prepared me when I packed my bags to come to this country that my accent would not be deemed as an exquisite accessory. But somehow in a country filled with a multitude of accents that the heaviness of mine stamped me “unqualified”. People will try to disqualify you in life because they can’t understand you. Thus, they employ their discomfort of the unfamiliar upon you by coercing you to believe you don’t belong. Don’t ever let anyone disqualify you because they are not the God of your life. Dr. Myles Monroe once said, “what’s on the inside of you has nothing to do with the outer shell, the color of your skin, your hair nor your accent but it has to do with the power that lies within you.” God bypasses the shell and looks at the inside. When HE uses someone, it has nothing to do with the shell of a man. The shell only houses what is most important in our lives, which is our gifts!

Interviewed conducted by Meka Davis