What’s your name and what do you do?
I am Felicia Mimms Kimbrough. I have been in nursing since 2001, and I completed my masters in 2007 to become a nurse practitioner. I then went on to get a doctorate in nursing practice in 2018.
What have been your challenges?
Working in a male dominated field as a provider has been a challenge at times as I am a black woman in a very homogeneous area, Southern Illinois.
What are your greatest accomplishments?
My greatest accomplishments are my family, nursing and working to be a better person daily.
Can you share an experience where you witnessed the power of sisterhood or community among women?
I’m a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc and I have been surrounded by sisterhood and community through them even when leaving KY and moving to IL.
I have also found a sense of sisterhood in a friend group here. I’ve been blessed with support as a mom, wife, daughter and health care provider.
How has mentorship played a role in your personal and professional development?
I have surrounded myself with some smart, strong trailblazing women in my field and other fields and we have grown together and continue to feed into each other.
What role do you think social media plays in promoting or hindering women’s empowerment?
I think social media can be a distraction and filled with false data. I think it as a tool that requires close attention. I much prefer personal relationships and communication outside of social media.
How important is self-care, and what practices do you adopt to prioritize your well-being?
Self-care is important but in my life it’s not spa treatments and such. I focus on eating well, getting rest and saying no to things that don’t allow me to rest and spend time with people I love and people who love me, that is self-care for me. Receiving and giving love to my family is my greatest self-care.
What legacy do you hope to leave for future generations?
I hope to leave a love of travel, education and investment in self for future generations. I have focused on teaching my sons to always ask questions, appreciate other people’s differences and learn that just because we have done it one way doesn’t mean we can’t learn a new way or at the very least appreciate it. Those things always bring wealth, a wealth of knowledge is limitless.
What are your plans for the future?
Well, I hope to teach healthy life practices and work to bring school-based health centers to areas that will benefit. Working in a school-based health center has been life changing for me. It’s lit a passion for a field I never knew existed until I moved to Southern Illinois!
How can people contact you?
People can contact me via email [email protected]
Any other information you would like to share?
I would encourage young people to focus on what they enjoy doing and move from there to explore fields using what they enjoy. If they don’t know what they enjoy quite yet, then I would start with what they despise and mark off fields heavily using those things. There are so many avenues young people don’t know but with some research and conversation there are so many things to be explored!
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