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

Hi Keiva, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Soon after receiving a type one diabetes diagnosis, I started developing my brand. When I tell people that I switched my major from computer science to public health, they still break their necks in shock. I have no regrets about that choice to this day. When I discovered that I would have to live the rest of my life with this chronic condition, I became immediately intrigued. The best approach to embrace this, in my opinion, was to study more about it, conduct more research, get more involved, and connect with others who have the same condition as myself. This approach truly helped me put things into perspective I had no idea how to launch a business, but I was certain that it was necessary. Being the daughter of a highly successful entrepreneur, I knew it was in my DNA and that I was capable of making it happen. I had nothing when I started, but I had faith in my idea. Four years later, my brand is now well-known worldwide, and I’ve worked with some of the greatest medical organizations, which has had a significant impact on how I manage my diabetes. Every morning as I get out of bed, I tell myself, “You’ve done a terrific job, but there’s still so much more to accomplish!” The feeling I had when I first started Diàmend is returning as I work to establish my own nonprofit, but this time I’m starting from experience rather than from scratch. In light of all of the above, I would like to announce that I will be hosting our first annual fundraising brunch event called titled Insulin and Mimosas in November in recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month. Our fundraiser’s primary goal is to increase awareness, but we also want to create a gathering space for our fellow diabetics and others with a connection to diabetes. This event will bring together a multitude of people who are interested in improving the representation of people with diabetes and raising money for patient assistance programs and upcoming community events. This event will bring together people who are or have been impacted by diabetes in order to raise funds for patient assistance programs and upcoming community events. The majority of my influence and effort have been done online, but it’s time for me to engage more directly with my community!

Keiva, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Meet Keiva Cheney, the CEO, and Founder of Diàmend LLC. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, is a professional model, social media influencer, and public health graduate student.
Diabetes literally changed her entire life. Despite her denial, newfound insecurity, and lack of knowledge about
diabetes, she wanted to educate herself further. As a result, she changed her major
from computer science to public health four months after her diagnosis. She then
created a brand and movement to represent this new phase in her life.

Diàmend was created to increase public understanding of diabetes and to inspire
people to be more outspoken and unapologetic about having this disease. The brand
promotes health and wellness while encouraging individuals to live life according to
their own truth. Keiva has established and built partnerships with many of the top
healthcare companies in the past four years. Diamend is dedicated to educating and
empowering people of all ages living with diabetes.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe my full transparency allowed me to connect with so many people within my market. Anyone with a connection to diabetes can relate to me in some way. I started sharing my experiences, my struggles, and even ideas to help manage my diabetes. Me recording a simple video of administering an injection, which I do every 4 hours daily, caught so many people’s attention. I think people were more shocked that I wasn’t being shy about it I was embracing it and giving living with diabetes a new meaning.

How did you build your audience on social media?

The best advice I can give anyone starting to build their social media is to be organic. People love a good brand and knowing who is behind the brand. Many people will connect with your more than your products and in return for that connection being established, they will support you and whatever you are doing. Be organic, stay consistent, and plan when and what you want to post. Also, you can recycle and repurpose content you don’t always have to start from scratch, you want to continue building on what you already have.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thediamend.com
• Instagram: officialdiamend
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialdiamend
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/diamend

Image Credits
Shot by Sed 22 Production