We were lucky to catch up with Rahmatu Kassimu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rahmatu, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My momma ingrained a spirit of hustle in me. It was never anything that she explicitly taught me. She modeled it for me every day. My mother came here from Liberia when she was pregnant with me, seeking the American dream for her half Liberian, half Ghanaian baby girl. It was more a nightmare than a dream for her, at times. We were primarily homeless in homeless shelters in Oak Cliff and couch surfing for the first five years of my life. My little brothers came along, adding stressors to her life because she was not yet stable. She became a legal resident when I was ten due to hard work, perseverance, and tenacity. After that, she began building stability for my brothers and me. It was not always perfect; we often couch surfed, lived in single rooms, and spent a night or two in shelters. Despite this, my mother ensured that we were never without essentials and never felt unloved. She made sure that love freely flowed in my home, even in correction, because she wanted us to be better and to know that we always had a place of refuge that wasn’t tied to a place. I watched my momma toll. I watched her make a way out of no way, which was ingrained in me. This has served me on my journey through school, my career, and establishing and building my business. It bred tenacity in me. I may get delayed, take a detour, or take a break, but I will get it done. I will find a way. Momma raised a kind-hearted hustler.

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?

Health disparities affect African American/Black people disproportionately in our country. Much of the disparity is due to a lack of access and information—particularly a lack of knowledge of how to advocate for oneself effectively. I do the work I do to reduce these health disparities and increase the quality of life in POC, particularly African American/Black people. Additionally, I’ve seen many good ideas or writing projects be passed over or not receive the attention or reception they deserve simply because they needed proper formatting or assistance in executing their message. I coach in academic writing to allow these voices to shine through.

Dr. K.’s Health Minute is a labor of love. I’ve seen and heard of so many instances, particularly stories of Black and Brown people who have had health concerns diminished or ignored to their detriment. So many stories of Black women experiencing horrible health outcomes due to lack of access, lack of knowledge, systematic racism, discrimination, or lack of advocacy. As a platform, I created DKHM to educate and empower, for we are our keepers. I provide services intended to educate, advocate, and motivate.

I made DKHM to serve as a source of tailored health and wellness information free from jargon that can confuse or leave one feeling powerless to take charge of their health. They say that “health is wealth,” but advocacy and knowledge are the currency.

As a platform, DKHM provides easily accessible and digestible “Health Minutes” to thousands of followers, empowering them to take charge of their health and advocate for themselves.
As a public health consultant and public speaker, I have been featured on Black Girls Can Heal, Public Health Me, and “I’ve Been Waiting,” an upcoming documentary discussing Black women’s experiences with medical racism, among other projects.
The Workdesk, the Academic Writing Coaching side of DKHM, has completed over 75 editing projects, 25 dissertations, and coached 11 clients to PhinisheD.

I am set apart from others because I offer a client-specific and client-tailored approach to every project to ensure that goals are met, and clients walk away not only feeling that those goals have been met but that they are empowered to carry forth what they’ve learned to help others.

I operate on the principle of “Sankofa,” which means, “go and bring it back.” I want everyone to be able to bring back the knowledge and skills they’ve garnered back to their own communities to elevate.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn perfectionism. Growing up, my momma never had to push me to do well in school. I LOVED school. I LOVED learning. I was and still am a voracious reader, devouring books of interest in hours. Due to this, schooling mostly came easy to me. I didn’t necessarily have to work at it, at least not until I got to college. That was when I got introduced to Ethel, or what I’ve named my Imposter Syndrome. I was used to being able to do things perfectly on the first or maybe second try, and my first college test proved that I needed to pivot and adjust my mindset. It was difficult; it’s a mindset I had encompassed for 17 years. However, I still chased perfectionism. Even now, at 34, I chase it. I am, at heart, an achiever. How can I achieve if it is not perfect? However, I learned that my desire to be perfect was crippling me; it was at war with my desire for progress. I delayed launching Dr. K.’s Health Minute for so long because I felt like I and it wasn’t ready because it wasn’t perfect. I was utterly negating the fact that I could learn as I went. I’ve learned that people react to you when you’re true to yourself and your values. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be authentic.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I absolutely would choose the same profession and specialty. However, I would get out of my own way sooner. I’m still a perfectionist at heart, but now I’m more cognizant and aware of when this desire is not serving me. I’d like to have accelerated my career by simply telling my imposter syndrome to kick rocks sooner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.drkshealthminuteextended.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/dr.ks.healthminute
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKsHealthMinute
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rahmatu-kassimu-ches/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kinke_Queen
• Other: Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@dr.ks.healthminute

Image Credits
Jamie Denae Photography