Today we’d like to introduce you to Blossom Onunekwu.
Hi Blossom, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started off writing ever since I was a child, but I started making money off of my words during my freshman year of college. I needed some extra money to pay for school/textbooks, so I started writing on freelance platforms such as Upwork.com. I also was always interested in health and taking care of my body, so I put those two passions together and offered blog posts for health professionals. After working for a few doctors on projects, I realized that creating the content alone was simply not enough. So I learned more about social media marketing. This helped drive more traffic to these blog posts when my clients did not have the time to do it themselves. I graduated in May of 2019 with a hefty portfolio and a few clients under my belt, ready for the workforce…or so I thought.
My plan was to get a full-time job while still running my business. Finding a job after college was pretty tough as a public health professional without a Master’s degree. I went from interview to interview, from getting “No’s” to radio silence. I was applying for jobs as early as April of 2019 and still wasn’t getting any luck. So, I poured my energy into bettering my business and learning new skills, such as data science, to keep me both busy and up-to-date with the job market.
Unfortunately, I ended 2019 without a job. But I didn’t stop applying for jobs. I think I was applying for at least five a day at one point before I burnt out and took a break. Job hunting, as you probably know, is a full-time job itself. While my discipline was still running strong, my pockets were crying; I didn’t have enough clients to support myself. I swallowed my pride and picked up a part-time job a month or two before the U.S closed its doors due to COVID. Luckily, I was considered an essential worker, so I was still making money. I ended up quitting the job around May of 2020 and a few months later, I received a callback from a health communications specialist position that I had applied to the year prior. And from there, it’s history; I used some of my full-time job money to invest in my business. But soon, my business was making enough money for me to use the profits and reinvest it back into the business, and I could comfortably pay myself. We’re nearing the end of 2021 and I’ve had the pleasure to work with local health professionals, brands like EDEN Bodyworks, startups such as Elemeno Health, and even tech media companies like IDG and CIO.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Alexa, play “Hard Road to Travel” by Jimmy Cliff.
My journey isn’t over yet. But in the beginning, it was anything but smooth.
While I did have financial stressors, most of my obstacles targeted my mental health and self-confidence. I was “supposed” to be a doctor and yes, I’m totally aware of how cliche this sounds, but don’t worry, it gets worse. I’m the ada of my family, meaning I’m the first daughter and the third parent in a typical Igbo-Nigerian home. Also, the star-child, if you will. I made straight A’s with the occasional B from elementary to middle school, and I actually wanted to be a doctor. Or rather, I wanted my mom to continue to be proud of me. I knew she felt great joy telling her friends that her ada was accepted in a private school to pursue medicine and never have trouble finding a job.
But as I blossomed, I learned that my passions for becoming a doctor weren’t really mine at all. And it was hard for me to imagine putting myself through years of school, debt, lack of sleep, and seeing people die just so that my mother’s dream could live.
So imagine advocating for your right to study what you want to study while your education is predominately funded by your parents. Imagine sticking to your guns, not doing what the ‘rents tell you to do, and graduating with a 3.8 and trouble finding a job.
What’s that, I smell? The sweet, sweet scent of deprecation and shame.
I can’t count the number of times my mom would compare me to her friends’ children who were in med school or nursing school.
Or when she’d come out of nowhere to ask me when I’ll at least go back to school for my Master’s. If you’re new to the public health world, a B.S in Public Health is, unfortunately, almost worthless.
If it wasn’t about a Master’s it was about the MCAT.
I even remember there was a time she gave me her debit card to pay to register for the MCAT. I was 9 seconds away from using that card to purchase a human har 13 x 6 kinky straight frontal.
Can we talk about how illogical it is to push a debit card on someone to pay for a test they didn’t even meet the requirements to take?
And it’s not like I could escape the incessant med school banter. I lived with my parents.
When I was tired of getting no’s from the health comms and health content writer jobs, I started applying to any and everything just to get out of the house and have some extra money coming in. Right before the pandemic hit, I accepted a job in (gulp) retail. Staples.
At the time, I was actually embarrassed. I had a whole degree and was making less than $10 an hour. But as the saying goes, it is what it is. It’s just the way the cookie crumbles if your dream is becoming a disgrace (and “disgrace” is any profession outside of doctor, lawyer, or engineer to an immigrant family).
But I’m thankful to God for that job. It was income. When the U.S closed its doors to COVID-19 and riots formed across the nation in response to the modern-day lynching of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, I was still making money because I was an essential worker. My job was a safe space away from guilt, shame, and stress from my family. And I knew working there was a means to an end, and not my end. However, I ended up quitting after my manager shared that Robert E. Lee was a great war hero.
I poured my energy into my business. I was making several mistakes: undercharging, overworking, you name it. I remember one time I received and even responded to a text from a client at 10 pm.
Thankfully, it was only a few months later when I received a callback from a job I had applied to in 2019, the year prior. It was a health comms position. With the rise of COVID-19 came a rise in the need for public health professionals. I started the job in late 2020 while still committing to my data science learning and creating social media and blog content for my clients. It hasn’t been rainbows and sunshine since, but my business has been growing, and thankfully, so have I.
Mom is still on my back about med school, though. But at this point, I can’t help but laugh.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Blossom into Wellness is a micro agency that helps health businesses with their presence online so they can take care of the world offline. I create social media strategies and blog content that are fun and engaging.
What sets me apart from others is that my content isn’t boring. I’m full of light and energy and I use that when I create content for my clients. A lot of health information online is either wrong or it’s as bland as top bread. What do you think is going to go more viral? My genre is edutainment, so that’s educational content that’s also entertainment or engaging. I believe making health information more palatable by using simple language and memes is the key to fighting health misinformation and improving health literacy.
If you’re a health professional with your own business or you sell products that promote better health, it’s about time you build your presence online.
My Social Media Monthly package covers content strategy and creation for Facebook and Instagram. Learn more here: https://www.blossomintowellness.com/social-media-health-business-marketing/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=voyageatl&utm_campaign=voyageatl
But if you really want more bang for your buck, you’d ask about my Done For You Health Content Package. My team and I create the strategy and content for your social media, your blog, and your emails. Remember: the money is in the email list!
Facebook and Instagram can delete your account in 5 seconds (of course I’ll create content that reduces your risk of that) but your website and your email list are yours! If you’re a doctor who wants to be the next WedMD, or you sell products and want your website on the first page of Google, this package is for you. Here’s the link: https://www.blossomintowellness.com/done-for-you-health-social-media-email-marketing-content/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=voyageatl
What does success mean to you?
Success is being happy with yourself, being physically and mentally fit, and being financially stable all while enjoying the journey of becoming a better human being.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blossomintowellness.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/blossomintowellness
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/blossomintowellness
Image Credits
Carlos Guzman
