We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Katashia Partee Kendrick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dr. Katashia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me changed my life forever.

I almost flunked out of college my very first semester. I was carrying 18 credit hours and became incapacitated by loneliness. I missed home. I missed the comforts of home and the security it provided. College was new and different. It required me to step out of my comfort zone. Now remember, I was still dimming my light. Had it not been for Dr. Milton, she worked with the Black Cultural Center at University of Tennessee where I was a freshman, I would have suffered a huge L. There on the bench, she talked me through my tears, asked me to come with her. As we traveled to her office, we discussed my course load and ways to recover from my current setback.

With her guidance and lots of long nights, I completed my BS in Biology in 2000 (took one year off after college), graduated from pharmacy school five years later (I attended Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy) and rounded off my post-doctoral studies with two residencies after pharmacy school, a board certification and a health coaching certification. The road traveled wasn’t easy but it was certainly worth it. Daily small wins that ultimately add up to enormous results. However, learning from my struggles and failures allowed me to grow personally and professionally, to be patient but persistent and to never give up on my dreams.

The lessons I have learned have grown my prayer life and renew my faith as daily prayer is a must. It has allowed me to accept that there will be challenges but I am built for this. The W is mine for the taking. I believe people who are successful are those who are resilient. Mentoring others who are traveling the road I traveled is important to me. Dr. Milton did it for me. Now, I am helping others who are coming behind me,

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Have you ever been broken? Have you ever struggled with fear or grief? What about depression? I was all of those things; utter brokenness. This brokenness ballooned into paralyzing fear. Let me take you back to the beginning. When I was in the 5th grade, I overheard a teacher’s assistant say, “I don’t like Katashia’s voice.” My little mind could not comprehend how my voice had somehow moved this grown woman to feel so strongly.

Somehow that singular statement prompted me to dim my light; I became a selective mute. From that day forward, I dreaded having to speak in public. Even when I felt passionate about this or that, I still could not muster the strength to break through the silence because someone who should have been there to encourage me and help mold me into a powerful being had taught me, I was inadequate in some way. Throughout my formative years, I continued to dim my light well into adulthood.

During this time, my sense of self was further challenged as I lost my father, learned of my infertility struggles (endometriosis and fibroids), received a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and the coup de gras was the looming diagnosis of high blood pressure after I found myself weighing over 290 pounds. In that moment I had to fight through the fear and find my power. I talked WITH MY CREATOR and he showed me what I needed to do to heal both the physical and psychological wounds I endured. Now my scars tell a story. One of overcoming obesity through understanding gut health.

Today I am here having learned how to turn fear into FAITH, grief into GRATEFULNESS and depression into DETERMINATION. I knew I couldn’t keep this breakthrough for myself as a singular win. I knew I had to pay it forward. My story might just help someone else find their voice. Today, I have lost over 100 pounds without surgery. I want to share my journey with others.

I am Dr. Katashia Partee Kendrick best known as Dr. Katashia to my IG followers or the Gut Health PharmD. I’m an Integrative Health Practitioner, Health & Wellness Coach, Board Certified Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner in Ambulatory Care, Infertility Survivor & Advocate and Speaker. I am the Founder and CEO of Celebrate Health & Wellness Consulting, an online company that provides Integrative Health & Functional Medicine Services and Health & Wellness coaching to busy, professional women. Also, we just recently launched our CBD product line including creams, gels, gummies, tinctures and bath bombs. Celebrate Health & Wellness Consulting, LLC was birth from my own personal health challenges and today I’m living a healthier lifestyle and want to show others how they can possess the freedom I enjoy with better health. I have over 15 years of experience in ambulatory care pharmacy and I am very passionate about anything and everything wellness. My personal experiences have inspired me to 1) share my infertility journey to encourage women and couples to know that there is peace on the other side 2) assist busy, professional women to transform their gut health through holistic health coaching & functional medicine lab testing. I found my voice and my mission is to help others to find theirs.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” JK Rowling

I was taught to get my education and find a good job. I feared failure but I had to unlearn fear and taking risks. Life is all about risks. It was risky for me to think I could graduate from a four year college when no one in my family had accomplished this task. It was risky for me to move to New Orleans to attend pharmacy school knowing the degree of separation anxiety I had previously experienced being away from my family whom I am very close to. It was a risk to start an online health & wellness practice during COVID-19. However, its’ been said that without risk, there is no reward. The bottom line is I had to learn to do my homework and come prepared to always give it my best shot.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Other than training/knowledge, having the right mindset is most helpful for succeeding in this field or any field. Our mindset can either move us forward or keep us stagnant. From starting a business to losing weight, it starts on a mental level before we can really see it on a physical level. The key to remember is to believe in yourself no matter what.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drkatashia.com
• Instagram: @drkatashia
• Facebook: Celebrate Health & Wellness
• Linkedin: Katashia Partee Kendrick, PharmD, BCACP, IHP2
• Other: TikTok @drkatashia Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Sylvester Agbahiwe S.O.A. Digital Imaging