We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karleena Tuggle-McDaniel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Karleena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

When people refer to defining moments in their life or career, I believe that it is more common than not to assume that there was some extraordinary event or encounter that causes their world to shift and spin on its axis. I used to think that it would be obvious like a thunderous clap followed by a Morgan Freeman-like voice bringing clarity or direction to your existence. For me, it was almost the opposite. I felt nothing… but it was an obvious sign none the less. I have been a doctor for 17 years, and a practicing bariatric (weight loss) surgeon for the last 12. Since I was in high school I have studied and trained to take care of others, save lives, make a positive difference in the people I connect with. It was scary…but gratifying. Tiring…but exhilarating. Seeing the impact I had on others to make them feel better, or teach them about how to improve their health was my therapy…until the business of medicine started to encroach on my happiness. When the days I left work feeling unfulfilled out numbered the days I did, I knew something had to change. My husband Darian and I had started Problk Health Vitamins in 2019. At the time it was our company, but a side job for me after being a full time surgeon and an active US Army Reservist. Darian has over 30 years in the cooperate marketing space and was doing the lions share of the labor to get the company to grow in leaps and bounds. I was the face of the brand and the medical subject matter expert. That worked for a while, but as the business began to flourish there was an important element missing. That was me. The majority of my time was wrapped up in the frustrations of my hospital life, and army life and I had very little left to give to our baby Problk Health. Darian would send me the emails and reviews of people who have been return customers and discuss how our vitamins have started to change their lives. How they are feeling better and making being healthy a conscious decision. That was the feeling that I missed. It was not soured with the bureaucracy of working for a health care system. We provided a tangible product, with real positive effects that were influencing lives of people all over the country. Customers were getting their friends and family members on board towards the mission of being healthier. I realized I could impact people on a larger scale with Problk Health, compared to the those I treat one at a time as a surgeon. I started to shift my frustrated energy and time that was often fruitless, engaging with administration and insurance companies, to more productive endeavors like teaching and content for Problk Health. My presence and more focused attention have helped take our brand to the next level of growth and engagement with our audience. I can use my MD to help and inspire people on a much larger scale which is making my days fulfilling again.

Karleena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Black female surgeon who was raised in New York, trained in Washington DC (Howard Univ), and then migrated to Atlanta where I currently practice. The majority of my life has been living and working in predominantly minority communities. Every day I see and treat people who look like me or someone I know. I see the suboptimal health and circumstances that many Blacks and other minorities face. It is sad and disheartening to see people who are young in age and old in disease. I wanted more for them and us as a community. I would complain to Darian on a regular basis about how many of us use the ER as a primary care visit and wait until we are at extremes in disease before seeking attention. This is a multifaceted problem that stretches across socioeconomic, political and generational platforms. A common factor is lack of awareness. Without supplementation 92% of Black people are vitamin deficient. That is true even in my practice. Since we don’t have children we wanted to be able to cultivate a legacy that out lives us and can create positive change. We decided a vitamin line would be a great way to help. What makes us different is we would like to think of Problk Health as more than a vitamin company…its a movement. Its a mission to increase health awareness and consciousness to encourage people to make positive habitual changes in their lives that can benefit them for years to come. But that was not enough for us. We wanted a more influential impact. Starting our own non-profit at the time was over zealous. There are countless non-profits that are already doing the work to help eradicate health care disparities. We decided that 50% of our net profits will be donated to non-profits who have missions to improve the health of the Black community. An individual can invest in their own health, while investing in the health of the community at the same time.
Our target is anyone who is in a living body. We all have should maintain our health, but the mission is to awaken the curiosity and desire of those who currently do nothing or the bare minimum to maintain their well-being. We want to make discussing health and partaking in congruent habits ‘cool’. The number 1 reason people are not consistent with an activity is because they do not enjoy it or see the benefit. We want to change that mind set. I focused on finding comprehensive vitamin blends and formulas that are actually therapeutic, while not compromising on taste, color, or smell that may be a turnoff and therefore an obstacle for taking them consistently. We wanted to stand out from ‘our parents’ vitamins and created a brand that is lively with bright colors and fun names that are familiar and resonate with the Black community. It does not matter how good something is if it is not being utilized. So we had to make vitamins attractive.
We are proud to have opened the hearts and minds of innumerable people to take their health seriously. We want to get people to not wait until they’re are sick to be concerned about their health. Everyday customers reach out to us and tell us stories about how they are doing just that.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my business partner, Darian 10 years ago at a sports bar. Back then he was just a cute guy. Long story short we got married in 2018 and realized we are both ambitious and wanted to build something together that we could pass down to our nieces and nephews. Something that could create and inspire positive change that is far reaching and long lasting in our community. Having a spouse as your business partner has unique challenges. One such example is being able to discuss things from different perspectives without taking it personal. The term ‘this is strictly business’ often falls flat in these scenarios and cause strife in the business and the relationship. Really putting in the work to optimize productive communication is invaluable. We both have unique strengths that complement each other.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Being able to harness the power of being a good listener. Listening to your business partners, your customers, your mentors, your marketing analysis reports, your accountant…ect. You must pay attention to everything, and the more you know about your sector and your business the more conducive your interactions and choices will be. Some advice or decisions could be helpful and others harmful. Often the difference between them is a keen ear to the details and thoroughly understanding your business to know where they will land. Immersing yourself in the inner workings of your company can often protect you from relying too much on others to handle critical tasks and roles. It will help you better decipher if the value of something is worth the investment. No one is perfect, so I believe if you turn your mistake into a lesson, you will still go further.

Contact Info:

• Website: problkhealth.com
• Instagram: problk_health
• Facebook: facebook/problkhealth
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/problkhealth/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/problk_health