We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Janelle “The Curvy Doc” Simmons a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Janelle “The Curvy Doc”, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
The name of my company is The Curvy Doc Collective.
“The Curvy Doc” was conceived in the bathroom (I lot of my deep thoughts take place there). I wanted a catchy nickname; being that I am plus sized and have a doctorate in Higher Education and Adult Learning, I thought “The Curvy Doc” (which I have since trademarked) was perfect!
I originally used the name for my blog on another site, but decided to expand the brand (the “Collective”) to include not just blogging but modeling, public speaking; pageantry, writing…just to name a few.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I truly believe things happen for a reason. After 15 years working in higher education, I unexpectedly lost my job. I felt helpless, hopeless, and rejected. Nine months later I had a new job, which provided flexibility to try new things. My sorority sister encouraged me to attend a model call, which led to one opportunity to another. Never would I have imagined I would grace the runway, be published in magazines, compete in beauty pageants (and win!), direct my own pageant, create a blog, and most importantly, become a body positive advocate. I strive to help women be their best selves regardless of size.
I have expanded to writing, authoring “Waist Does Not Equal Worth: The Curvy Doc’s Guide to Positive Self Esteem”. Through sharing my personal stories, I provide seven tips on how to change your mindset from self-hate to self-celebrate. In addition, I am co-author of pageant anthology “She is The Ish: Crown Me Queen” and I’m currently the lifestyle editor for Queen Size Magazine.
I recently stepped into retail, serving as an authorized retailer for Sydney’s Closet, Mac Duggal, and Kiyonna Clothing. It is my goal to help women with their clothing needs, making sure they show up and show out for any occasion!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for me has been being transparent about my journey as a plus size woman in America. Sharing my story of how I changed my mindset from self-hate to self-celebrate has connected me to my clientele, who are primarily women either on their journey to self-love, or want to take their self-love up a notch or two, or three.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Working a second job, which I still have to this day. My day job is a senior program manager for a nonprofit, and like everyone else I have bills to pay. In order to start my business, I began working as a part-time online ESL instructor to children and adults around the world, and used some of those funds to get started. I’m a staff of one, but as my business grows, I hope to add a couple of people as I cannot do it alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: janellesimmons.com
- Instagram: janellesimmons.com/janellethecurvydoc
- Facebook: facebook.com/janellethecurvydocsimmons
Image Credits
Antoinne Duane Jones Tim Bowser Elizabeth Ashley & Co.