Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Analyn Scott. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Analyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” This famous quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has become one of my favorites because I have been living it out since taking a giant leap of faith and leaving my successful, six-figure, 14 year I.T. Sales career in November of 2014.
That may not sound like much of a risk until you better understand the circumstances surrounding, leading up to, and following this decision. 2014 was the peak of my career, doubling what I made the year before. I was the primary breadwinner and was administering my husband Raymond’s dialysis treatments from home 5 days a week…which I continue to do today.
If you would have asked me at the beginning of 2014 about my future career path I would have told you that I was a “lifer” and planned to continue working in that corporate sales role that I had diligently built from the ground up for many more years, but thankfully God had another plan.
During the summer of 2014 I had a vision that was so vivid and profound that it could not be ignored. Raymond, our two children, and two mentors of mine were standing in front of me and I could see them clearly. Behind them were the silhouettes of millions of people as far as the eye could see and the message was “we’ve been waiting for you”.
My instincts were already telling me that a change was coming, but this was confirmation for me to draw a line in the sand. Despite the fact that it was my most successful year to date, I knew in my soul that this chapter was ending and I would be leaving my career before the end of the year to prepare for an unknown chapter to begin.
The urgency I felt necessitated my departure without a five year strategic plan, and what most people would find to be unwise or illogical – leaving without receiving my Q4 and end of year bonuses – and without an income to replace what I was leaving behind.
I’ve come to understand why I was given such a powerful vision. One, so I would have the faith and courage to leap. And two, so I would keep stepping and never give up!
Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that my faith walk would lead me to create a nonprofit organization; write a book; create my own production company; write, direct and produce a documentary; produce and co-host a podcast; create a solutions-based health & wellness company; and more. But God knew, and I followed His breadcrumbs as He directed my steps into a greater purpose and destiny that was also waiting for me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
A wise person recently shared something that truly resonated with me, “You can’t put a 5 talent person into a 1 talent position.” That was so refreshing because I think outside the box, and have always felt uncomfortable if anyone tried to fit me into one box.
If I had to narrow down my top 5 talents/attributes that have followed me throughout my personal life and in business, I would list them as: Solution Provider, Passionate Visionary/Creator, Social Entrepreneur, Collaborative Leader, and Advocate…or as my husband Raymond would affectionately call me “Bulldog”.
For as far back as I can remember I’ve challenged the status quo in areas that were either hurting people or at the very least stagnant and no longer benefiting them. As a teenager I knew that I would be a businesswoman – or more accurately a social entrepreneur. I envisioned having time and financial freedom that would allow me to serve people and effect positive change where my passions aligned with determined needs.
As a Solutions Provider in I.T. I was able to understand the needs and challenges that my clients had and work with our technical teams to help solve them. Simultaneously, Raymond and I were tackling his health issues and seeking solutions that would help him live life to the fullest and beyond the statistics.
Last month we celebrated 25 years of life since Raymond’s kidneys failed due to high blood pressure at the age of 29. However, it wasn’t until 17 years into our journey, and just a few months after I left my corporate career that we were made aware of some pretty important facts and shocking statistics about kidney disease that pushed me into bulldog mode.
At the time 26 Million Americans – 1in9 adults – had kidney disease, yet 90% didn’t know it! Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes. More people die of kidney disease than breast cancer or prostate cancer. Raymond was part of that 90% that didn’t know that he had kidney disease when his kidneys failed. He also wasn’t aware that high blood pressure was the second leading cause. We realized that the status quo was not working so we created our nonprofit, 1in9, to shatter the status quo, change the trajectory of kidney disease and save millions of lives through our key pillars of Awareness, Prevention, and Regenerative Medicine.
It became clear pretty quickly that we would need to create educational content in an engaging, empowering, and disruptive way in order to shine a light bright enough to bring kidney disease out of the shadows of silence. So it made perfect sense for us to create our own production company, Shining Light Productions LLC.
Inspired by our journey I wrote, directed, and produced the documentary “A Dance With Destiny” under Shining Light Productions, with all proceeds going to 1in9. In the film we share a gift from heaven that introduced us to a solution that proved to be lifesaving to Raymond and a game-changing puzzle piece in the fight against kidney disease. This solution inspired me to create Breakthrough Health Solutions LLC to share this discovery with the world and save more lives.
A portion of all revenue from Shining Light Productions and Breakthrough Health Solutions is donated back to 1in9 to expand our mission and reach the millions of people around the world who are waiting.
As a Social Entrepreneur, I’m most proud that I discovered and am walking in my purpose, and that across all of my businesses we measure success on the number of lives that we can positively impact.
Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?
When I left my corporate job in 2014 I was fortunate to have some money set aside as a cushion. Before 1in9 was even a thought I followed my instincts to be prepared to invest into myself, which meant investing into 1in9 once the idea and organization was birthed and continually at every phase of growth and development, even when my savings ran out.
I’ll share a story that your readers may find relatable and hopefully encouraging. In late 2016/early 2017 I was inspired to get on the road and spread awareness and our mission in key cities across the U.S. After investigating various scenarios it was determined that traveling in an RV made the most economic sense to travel as a family with Raymond’s dialysis machine, supplies, our two children, and a videographer. We made the sacrifice of having one main vehicle for our family, had the opportunity to finance a used 35 foot RV, took a driving lesson from the person who sold it to us, and hit the road!
We had a few family members, friends, partners and people along the way that helped with some funding and introductions to some key people and communities that we were able serve, meet with and interview as we trekked across the East Coast in March and across the West Coast the summer of 2017. Outside of one corporate sponsor that funded us having a booth at a large festival in Dallas, we didn’t have any other organizations sponsor us.
At one of our stops in Southern California we met with a successful entrepreneur who had recently launched a new company that focused on crowdfunding. During our conversation I felt comfortable enough to share some of our fundraising challenges and some of the “MacGyver” moves we had to make just shy of using a duct tape and chewing gum to pull off the RV tours. He laughed and then reassuringly said that we were exactly where we were supposed to be, and that he had no doubts that our mission and organization would be successful. He went on to say that he had seen many entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations get all the funding they needed up front to launch their business only to see it crash because they hadn’t set the right course. And that he had witnessed others that had to struggle to get funding, but along the journey they were able to test their plans and readjust or pivot as needed to get on the proper path and attract the right people and funding for growth, success and longevity.
I can honestly say the journey these past 8 years has been far from easy, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world! And I equate the investment I made into myself and 1in9 as getting a Ph.D in FAITH…but I don’t have to pay back any student loans.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
My husband Raymond is my primary business partner and we met on a blind date a little over 25 years ago. Little did we know that his kidneys would fail 3 months after we met and that 17 years later we would create a nonprofit organization to help others avoid a journey like his while also giving hope and options to those with kidney disease or kidney failure.
In marriage and in business we balance each other out and are better together. But when it comes to business, whether it be 1in9 or our other businesses, we know that we need the right people and organizations to collaborate and partner with to fulfill the vision and mission of each. And like marriage, there is a courting process with partners to get to know each other better, make sure we like each other, and build trust. Do we share the same values? Do our visions align? Do we value and complement each other?
What we also learned and created a hashtag around is that “It Takes A Village”. In 2019 we co-authored and published a compilation book titled 1in9 Tribe – Kidney Disease Warriors Beating The Drum of Hope and Change, and in 2021 created our 1in9 Tribe Podcast. But it goes beyond the belief and branding, we intentionally and organically attract our Tribe through our vibe.
Throughout the twists and turns of Raymond’s health journey we have continued to link arms and focus on putting one foot in front of the other. With a mission as large as ours to change the trajectory of kidney disease and save millions of lives we cannot do it alone.
Over time we have built our Tribe with other kidney disease warriors, their families, friends, individuals at risk, others taking proactive measures to stay healthy, business partners, collaborators, sponsors, and community care partners from all walks of life. All with a common vision to save kidneys and save lives…perhaps even their own!
Contact Info:
- Website: 1in9kidneychallenge.com
- Instagram: @1in9kidneychallenge
- Facebook: @1in9kidneychallenge
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/analyn-scott-8b97726
- Youtube: @1in9Tribe
- Other: [email protected]