We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Marshall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

My undergraduate degree was in Mass Media Arts with a concentration in television and film. I initially aspired to be a news anchor. After I graduated, I had a short stint working at a news station in Jackson TN as a production assistant making bare minimum wage. I hoped one day the producers of the show would give me a chance to move up, but that never happened. I was beyond discouraged, so I quit my job and moved back to Nashville where I’m from.

At that point in life, I was really confused about what I was supposed to do with my life, but I knew I loved helping people. I started volunteering for a program called ‘Young Brothers United.” A program which provided leadership skills, health referrals and services to African American Same Gender Loving Men in the State of Tennessee. My childhood friend, Christopher Goodwin, was leading the program at the time. A year later, Chris called to tell me about a new grant he was recently hired to lead. He asked if I would help him create graphics and flyers to help promote the program. Once he got the program up and running, he then asked me if I wanted to work with him as a Case Manager. I was a bit thrown off because I had no case management experience, but since I was not working at the time my curiosity peeked.
He told me I would be responsible to working with the black LGBTQ community who were young adults ages 18-35 who struggle with mental health, substance abuse, and those affected and impacted by HIV/AIDS. The program was called “Project UNO”. It was a collaborative grant between two black-led HIV/AIDS organizations in Nashville. The First Response Center and Street Works.

I was hesitant at first because I literally had no prior experience in this field, never thought beyond volunteering that this would be something I would ever do. Nonetheless, I said yes. If I’m being honest, my yes was based on the fact that I was unemployed and figured it would be fun working with someone I was close friends with. Little did I know that “yes” would literally propel me into my purpose in life.

During my time there, I gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by this community. I talked with young people who were kicked out of their homes because of their sexuality. I worked with individuals who were homeless, newly diagnosed with HIV, battling all forms of addictions. I gained a lucid understanding of the inequalities in the health care system which exacerbates the health outcomes of the black LGBTQ community. There were many individuals I spoke with who came to our program as a last resort before considering taking their life due to being ostracized, abused (mentally, verbally, and sometimes physically) by family members and from their church affiliations.

I found my voice working in that space. I was determined at that point to use my voice to advocate for the voiceless. To utilize the resources and connections I had to elevate the issues of this community. I was also inspired to get my master’s degree in Civic Leadership while working there. I wanted to learn everything I could to be successful in that role. Through my master’s degree program, I was able to create a job and skills readiness training program called “UNO University” to help equip this community with the tools to be gainfully employed.

My biggest takeaway from working this first job in this field was learning much about myself. Although individuals were coming to my program for me to help them, they were really helping me. Helping me understand who I was more. Providing a space for me to be comfortable expressing who I was and living my life unapologetically. It also taught me how to be resilient. Through all of the challenges this community faced, many of them never gave up hope. They would challenge me to approach things differently when I made mistakes. I understood that no matter how many degrees I obtain, I should always be committed to be a student. Always willing to learn from others. My first job in this field has literally shaped me into the person I am today and I am forever grateful.

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

My name is Brian Issac Marshall, aka BIM. I am born and raised in Nashville TN. I studied Political Science at Tuskegee University. Completed my bachelors degree in Mass Media Arts at Clark Atlanta University, masters degree in Civic Leadership at Lipscomb University, and my Doctor of Education in Leadership and Professional Practice at Trevecca Nazarene University. I am a behavioral and social health researcher/educator and a health equity champion.

I have accumulated over decade of experience in HIV program management and development, community health education program implementation, and working with public and private healthcare entities. I am the founder of MashUp! Nashville, a non-profit working to increase the visibility of health inequities and social injustices that impact the well-being of LGBTQ people of color. In addition, I am the Senior Program Manager in the Office of Health Equity at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In that role, I lead the development of education and training offerings focused on health equity and racial equality for learners, staff, faculty, and others. I also have the privilege of leading the Certificate in Health Equity for medical students at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, serving as a Course Instructor.

Prior to that, Brian I was the Program Coordinator for More to Me at Oasis Center (Nashville), a federally funded Ryan White HIV/AIDS initiative focused on linkage to care, community engagement, education, and empowering LGBTQ high school students of color. I also served as the lead Community Health Ambassador for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College, conducting research with YBMSM (young, black males who have sex with males) in Nashville, TN. I had the honor of serving as an overnight volunteer for Nashville Launch Pad, an initiative providing street free sleep to youth between the ages of 18-24. I have an ongoing relationship with the Nashville Metro Human Relations Commission as a facilitator for the Metro Nashville Police Department Mobile Diversity Seminar. I was appointed by former Nashville Mayor David Briley to the Nashville Regional HIV Planning Council where he previously served as Chair of the Needs Assessment Committee. In currently serve on the Board of Directors for Neighborhood Health as the Chair of the Quality Committee, and a Nashville Pride Board Member.

I received the 2019 Nashville LGBT Chamber Community Service Excellence in Business Award and was honored with the 2022 Human Rights Campaign (Nashville) Equality Award. I was the 2022 Honoree for Nashville Black Pride’s Brothers and Sisters United (BASU) Legacy Awards for 10+ years of volunteer and support services. My most recent accomplishment was being selected to participate in the Leadership Tennessee NEXT Spring 2023 Cohort.

Most people are familiar with the work I do with my non-profit, MashUp! Nation (originally MashUp! Nashville). MashUp! bridges the gaps between LGBTQ people of color and healthcare providers, provide resources, train and educate medical professionals on how to provide equitable care to LGBTQ people of color, and address discrimination and racism as a public health crisis. We do this through various avenues such as social media educational post and collaborative social events with local organizations who work with the same community. We also have an educational/entertainment sector of the organization known as MashUp! TV. MashUp! TV is the vehicle which we push our messages through interviews with leaders in the community, allow individuals to share their stories, and to promote and recap our in-person events,

We have a program called “Mindful MashUp! Transformation Program” which is designed and facilitated by licensed mental health therapist and certified yoga instructor (Ashley Shelley LPC-MHSP) seeking to effectively attend to any addictive behaviors (such as tobacco use) through intentionally focused mindful practices. Adult participants 18 and older will be treated in a safe, secure, and effective therapeutic environment in an effort to support their self-identified goals of group engagement. Interactive exercises will be offered as a method to attend to adverse behaviors, anxiety, stress, and depression and help sustain momentum towards positive outcomes. Mindful practices are designed to improve participants’ coping skills and overall quality of life through progressive intervention implementation.

MashUp! is in our 6th year of existing. I am most proud of the amazing Executive Team, Board of Directors, community partners, volunteers, and supports who believe in the work we are doing. There was a period of about 3 years when I was running MashUp! by myself. MashUp! currently four staffed individuals, who also work other full-time jobs but are dedicated to the vision of MashUp! A special shout out to the Chief Operating Officer Attorney Jerry Ivery. Our program manager, Chris Strawter, who was the first intern of the organization. Lastly, our Social Media Manager Coleton Wood.

I am proud of the diversity in our team and supporters. I am immensely proud of how we have been able to secure generous donors over the past two years who have helped us raise the necessary funds to continue doing the necessary work.

I ultimately want people to understand that it take a community, with a collaborative spirit, to work together to meet our common goals.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my business partner, Jerry Ivery, over 5 years ago through a group of people who all moved to Nashville from various cities. I was the only person in the group from Nashville. When I met Jerry, I was so impressed to learn that he was a young black man with a law degree who was so down to earth. I noticed how he was able to bring many people together from various background to fellowship in a safe space. Jerry had a way of giving wisdom that spoke to your soul. One of the things that really stuck out to me was how determined and focused he was in his professional career.

Around the time I met Jerry, I was operating MashUp! by myself for about three years. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it became even more challenging for me to do the work by myself. I went through a season of thinking I had reached my limit with the organization. One day, as I was sitting at home by myself, I literally heard the voice of God instruct me to ask Jerry to help me grow the organization. I admit, I was so scared to ask him. I didn’t know if he would say yes or no, or if he even had the capacity in his busy schedule to take on that role. For about a week, I couldn’t stop that voice in my head telling me “Jerry is your business partner. I finally built up the strength to call and ask him. He immediately said yes! I was estatic.

From that very day, God told me to not refer to him as a business partner, but my Partner in Purpose (PIP). From the moment Jerry stepped foot in MashUp!, it was like a fresh wind swept through and propelled us to higher heights. Jerry reminds me so much of my father, who has an impeccable business sense. He also keeps me in check when needed (which also reminds me of my father). lol Both of our unique gifts and talents have taken MashUp! to levels I never imagined. I am forever indebted to Attorney Jerry Ivery for not only being an amazing PIP, but an amazing brother is takes time to ensure my well-being is priority.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There was a time working in the field of addressing health inequities of the black LGBTQ community. It felt like there was a never-ending target against this community to stifle the progress of those working in the field to be successful. Especially living in the south, in the red state of Tennessee, it seemed like every time we made 10 steps in the advancements of our community, there was always something around their corner to hinder our progress.

This led me to experience burnout working with the black LGBTQ community. I got to a place where I felt I had done all I could do to help. It impacted me mentally to where I fell into a deep depression. I didn’t have the capacity to show up for people who looked up to me. I stopped answering the phones. I stopped showing up to community events. I practically felt like I had given up. I felt as if nobody would understand my pain, but still expected me to show up.

As I was in my depression, I still felt the urge to do something. I decided to pursue my Doctor of Education in Leadership and Professional Practice. This was something I had pushed off for many years. Partly due to me not fully believing in myself. Allowing myself to believe that I wasn’t smart enough to achieve such a goal. I even though back to when I was in middle school and the teachers put my in the lower level reading group. Everybody in the class were assigned a color based on their reading level. All the students knew what each color meant. I carried that with me into my adulthood, thinking I would be a failure trying to obtain a doctorate degree.

I took the leap of faith, enrolled and was accepted. When it was time to choose a topic for my dissertation, I thought it would be important to learn more about how burnout impacts those working in the field of HIV/AIDS. I wanted to know if there were others who shared my experiences. Being able to talk with healthcare professionals across the state of Tennessee, hearing about the challenges they faced and how they overcame them was the very thing that gave me hope to press on. From there, I begin hosting group sessions with individuals to be able to express their concerns and come up with ways to address it. I have since been able to do presentations across the state of Tennessee to help organizations implement effective practices for addressing burnout with their employees.

I now understand the importance of taking care of self, so I can be my best self working in the community I serve.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mashupnation.org
• Instagram: mashup.nation
• Facebook: Brian Marshall
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-marshall-doctorofeducation/

Image Credits
Credit @mashup.nation on IG