Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Ashanti Coleman . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Dr. Ashanti, thanks for joining us today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

In 2017 I awoke with a nagging headache that I could not shake. I proceeded with my day thinking it would go away. As the day went my symptoms progressed to numbness and tingling in my right arm, slurred speech, and difficulty walking. My husband called 911 and was able to get me to the hospital where I was diagnosed with a clot in my brain causing a stroke in my 30s. I was devastated to be in the hospital with difficulty speaking and an inability to use my left hand. As a healthy young wife and mom, I couldn’t understand what caused my stroke. After a full workup doctors found the cause was a result of birth control pills. Fast forward to 2019 when I was having headaches, neck pain, and similar symptoms to my stroke in 2017. I went to a hospital and was sent home with a misdiagnosis of migraines and a mini-stroke later requiring emergency surgery for a torn carotid and 50% blockage. Both of these incidents propelled me to not only become an advocate for myself but also for other African American women with cardiovascular disease through a partnership with MidSouth American Heart Association. I used Yoga as rehab and therapy which also encouraged me to become a certified yoga instructor and to create my women’s apparel line called 929.
Despite all the health challenges I’ve been blessed to regain my speech and ability to use my limbs and have begun teaching, seeing patients in the clinic, and being a wife and mom.
My faith, family, and friends have been my biggest support system in all that I have overcome. I’m appreciative to be alive and well and to be a voice for others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am most proud of being blessed to be a two time stroke survivor and advocate . I’m also proud to be here for my amazing husband and two kids . I am also proud to teach the next generation of nurses and being a holistic provider to patients in the clinic .

Lastly I’m proud to be able to provide a unique form of relaxing yoga . I teach a weekly yoga and CBD class at Your CBD Store in Collierville where my affordable quality unique womens athletic line 929 is also available .

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I could go back I would still choose the profession of nursing . I have always loved learning about how and why the body functions. Becoming a nurse practitioner not only allows me to understand the why but also educate, diagnose and treat my patients. Teaching future nurses allows me the opportunity to merge my passion of nursing and educating.

Nursing also parallels with yoga . Both are so diverse and offers something for everyone.

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

Life is not fair or always easy. My back story has many obstacles I’ve had to overcome from being told I would not get into nursing school to having two strokes and working on my doctoral degree and yoga certification simultaneously during the pandemic. I feel like I’ve always been the underdog but the grace of God has always prevailed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.929apparel.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/yogiashanti929?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/dr-ashanti-coleman-dnp-aprn-fnp-c-78580581