Meet Jamie Means of JMM Consulting Agency

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Means.

Hi Jamie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a public health consultant born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina where I attended Spartanburg High School and then matriculated to Converse University to pursue my bachelor’s in chemistry. After graduating, I relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue my masters in public health. Currently, I am pursuing my doctorate in business administration (executive coaching and consulting) from Trevecca Nazarene University. I pride myself on being a determined, motivational, and resourceful career woman, business owner, and mother to my daughter, Ava.

My start in consulting stemmed from seeing the inequities within the health system in 2015 while working as a medical scribe in my hometown. It was mind blowing to me to see how different one particular physician treated patients all within one shift. The patients ranged from being an older White woman, Black man, young hispanic woman, and Indian child. After seeing this and being mistreated myself as a Black woman,  I decided to leave the position and think of ways to help reduce these occurrences from happening within health systems. Soon after, I started engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations within academia and expanded to the fields of public health and healthcare. From there, I have been able to expand and work with small medical practices and large corporations, teaching them how to improve their organizations through an equity lens.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth. Initially, it took a lot of research and pushing myself to learn more about the business and how to stand out among other consultants in the area. I also had to learn how to market myself and use tools like social media to build my network.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
JMM Consulting Agency is a small consulting firm specializing in the public health and healthcare industries. Our consulting work areas are Health Equity, Health Policy & Management, Workforce Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health, and Curriculum Planning & Development.

We are different from our competitors in that we are client-focused and are engaged in conversations at the local and state level regarding public health and healthcare concerns in Nashville and throughout the rest of the state of Tennessee.

I am proud of the company’s ability to adapt and explore new business ventures and ideas, in addition to its ability to catch the attention of prominent community leaders and stakeholders.

I want your readers to know that the JMM Consulting Agency brand is geared toward helping others grow and improve themselves and their businesses. Aside from our consulting services, we offer professional development services for individuals looking to enter or transition within the workforce. Those services include resume writing, cover letter writing, and interview preparation.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
In entrepreneurship, it is important to take risks and to push yourself. By doing so, you are encouraging yourself to grow and develop as a person, leader, or entrepreneur. I enjoy risk-taking even when I do experience moments of fear. Risk-taking included moving to a city, Nashville, that I knew nothing about and had no relatives residing, 4 years ago to pursue higher education and to start a business. That leap of faith has been pivotal in my success and I do not regret it at all. I actually encourage my peers and mentees to push past what is comfortable to them, and get uncomfortable because you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Contact Info:

• Website: jmmconsultingagency.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecareerbawse/
• Other: https://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_m_means_mph_the_social_life_of_public_health

Image Credits
Danielle Epps