We recently connected with Chanel Arrington and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chanel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I wear many hats as a wife, entrepreneur, and author but one of my most important roles is as a mother of two awesome girls–one daughter living with sickle cell disease. At the time our family began our journey of learning more about sickle cell disease, I noticed there were not many age-appropriate or inspirational stories shared about the condition. So, I decided to combine my career experiences along with my craft of writing to highlight an inspirational story about sickle cell disease. As I was creating this first project, Clemmie: Walter Clement Noel and the Discovery of Sickle Cell Disease, a children’s biographical book, my passion for sickle cell advocacy and education expanded. It was then that I created InspiHeard Now to serve as an advocacy platform for various issues, especially literacy advocacy and sickle cell education. My hope is for InspiHeard Now to inspire creativity (encourage people to create), enhance visibility (highlight inspiring people and their stories), and encourage connectedness and community through educational and inspirational content.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the founder of InspiHeard Now, an organization I created to inspire creativity, enhance visibility (of sickle cell disease & inspiring people), and encourage connectedness and community through educational and inspirational content. I am a wife, mother, entrepreneur, author and advocate. I grew up in North Carolina and graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to my entrepreneurial endeavors, my career path included years of experience with diversity in higher education. I worked many years at a medical school in North Carolina providing educational opportunities around cultural competency in medicine. I also have over 10 years of experience working with grassroots community organizations, focusing on community outreach, organizational development, and strategic planning.
In August 2021, I created InspiHeard Now and published my first children’s book, Clemmie: Walter Clement Noel and the Discovery of Sickle Cell Disease. I was inspired to write this inspirational true story by my youngest daughter, who lives with the condition. My family and I are on a continuous journey, learning about sickle cell disease while advocating for my daughter.
Since writing Clemmie, I have had the privilege of sharing with many around the world. Clemmie serves as an educational tool for patients, families, healthcare professionals, and the community. Educating others about sickle cell disease through literacy has become one of my greatest passions.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing how my works have inspired others. After starting my organization, one of my daughters stated that she wanted to own her own business one day and that really resonated with me. She realized that one day she can, and will, work for herself because I am serving as a real-life example for her in that way. It has also been rewarding beyond measure, to be able to teach others, especially children, about sickle cell disease. Growing a community of advocates for my daughter at a young age has been the most rewarding part of what I do.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been reaching out to organizations whose goals are to provide services to, medical care for, or education on sickle cell disease. Connecting to the communities of my target audience brings the most clients but also highlights the greatest needs. When connecting with individuals and organizations within the sickle cell community, I have been able to find out where there are gaps in education and get involved in those areas with my advocacy.

Contact Info:

• Website: inspiheardnow.com
• Instagram: @inspiheardnow
• Facebook: InspiHeard Now, LLC

Image Credits
Chanel Arrington