Hello Queen!!! We are pleased to have the honor of speaking with you today!! – Please tell us about your journey to becoming a nurse practitioner. Were you always passionate about helping others?

Thank you for the pleasure of this interview and for allowing me to share my story.

As a little girl, I was raised by my grandparents. At the age of 10, my grandfather was diagnosed with lung Cancer. Every morning, I visited him in the hospital and brought him breakfast. At times, he would be in so much pain, I would touch his hand or shoulder to comfort him, however, there was nothing I could do to help. I felt hopeless. This was the start to my desire to become a nurse.

The culture in Jamaica at that time was for us to graduate high school, then find a job. No preparation was made for college because our parents and grandparents could not afford it. This was the norm for most families. Fast forward to 2013, I graduated with my nursing degree, however, I did not want to be limited in my field. I wanted to practice at the highest level of so I could provide the highest and best level of care to my patients.

I wanted to hold my patient’s hands and offer them words of comfort and support during their time of illness, feeling of hopeless or when they had anxiety due to a medical scare of life altering diagnosis.

What is your take on the importance of health; both internal and external?

Good health is essential in every aspect of our lives. This includes our physical, spiritual emotional, social, and financial health. When we speak of health, most people focus only on the physical aspects, however being healthy should not be measured by how long we get to live, but also the quality of our lives. In order for us to care for ourselves, others and be productive members of society, It is essential that we do what’s necessary to maintain an overall sense of health and well-being.

How did you decide you wanted to make the transition from a traditional career to entrepreneurship?

My journey to entrepreneurship was multi-factorial. I love taking care of others and aim to educate, inspire, and empower them every chance I get. My role as a Nurse Practitioner is very rewarding and I truly love what I do, however, it’s hard work – physically and psychologically. There are times after a hard day a work, I would go homefeeling emotionally drained from the traumas, pain, and death I see so often in the ER.

In addition, there are only so much we can accomplish when dealing with chronic diseases.  As such, I want toimprove or enhance a person’s quality of life before they get sick.  I want to teach my clients how to live healthy lifestyles; how to love themselves, while empowering them to prioritize self-care time, which will revitalize their minds and bodies.

After obtaining my doctoral degree, I realize my salary in my current field is capped and I would not be able to live an abundant life working to pay bills, taxes, and student loans. I would not be able to have the flexibility I need to travel and see the world or retire and have the lifestyle I worked and studied so hard to afford myself and my family. This made me realize that working for another person, with only a single source of income was not what I desired. What if my husband or myself got sick and unable to work – how would we survive? This realization forced me to go back to the drawing board to learn how I too can obtain the lifestyle I desire. If the rich can have it, so can I. We were all given gifts, talents, and a functionalbrain. It was now up to me to make the change and so I did.

Why “Rejuvenére Health”? – How did you come up with the name of your Brand & Business? How also did you decide on your color scheme and services offered?

Deciding on a business name for me was personal and very stressful all at the same time.  I wanted a name that emits a feeling of peace and tranquility with the word health because this aspect of care is important to me. After intense research I came across the word Juve, which stem means new.  Rejuve means renew.  Therefore,Rejuvenére Health & Aesthetics medspa, LLC was my final pick.  When clients come in for service, not only should the name mean renew, but I want them to leave with the feeling of being rejuvenated and revitalize – ready to take on life’s challenges again.

In regarding our color scheme, selecting our colors was just as important as selecting a name. The brand color is Blue and Yellow. selected Blue because it represents trust and I want my clients to know they can trust me with their health, insecurities, and skincare issues. Yellow represents hope, happiness, and fun – brightening the spirit.

At Rejuvenére Health, we mission is to we practice with integrity, utilizing evidence-based research at the highest level to ensure that our clients are provided with the safest, most efficient and quality service every time

Please tell us about your focus and passion for skin? What are some things that most people don’t know about skin, that you think are important for us to learn?

Working in the hospital setting, we are constantly faced with chronic diseases and sick patients who repeatedlyneed help to manage their disease.  To prevent people from living a life managing disease, I wanted to help prevent disease before they occur while also promoting beauty and self-care.  As a young girl into my adulthood, I did not feel pretty, I don’t recall ever being told I was beautiful until I was an adult.  This fostered a sense of low self-esteem within me which I carried around for almost 40 years.  I had to work hard at self-love and acceptance and to see that I was naturally beautiful.  My passion is fueled by the need to promote self-care, self-love and self-acceptance with other women like me.  

Therefore, our focus starts with skin because it is the largest organ of our body, that protects us from bacteria and viruses entering our bodies that can make us sick. The skin is highly neglected and the least respected organ, unlike the heart, lungs, or brain. When neglected, our skin is unable to provide the protection it was created to do. Neglected, under nourish, under moisturized, dry skin ages faster, causing us to look older, more wrinkled,and tired. In addition, dry skin wil crack allowing bacteria to enter in and sun damages caused by UV rays causesskin cancer cells to develop, among other diseases.

Our goal is to start at the basics and encourage skin care which one foundation of health care. When we take care of our skin, we will reap the benefit of less frown lines and wrinkles, of soft supple, youthful, glowing skin. We will begin to feel good on the inside, which will radiate on the outside. We will walk confidently in any situation, shoulders back, because we look and feel good. We thank our clients for trusting us to have their best outcome at heart.

Tell us about your product line!!! – What was the process like developing medical-grade products and what are some of the problems your products help to fix and prevent?

Our product line is called Juvenére Skin (trademark pending).  I wanted to provide our clients with medical grade skin care product which contains active, effectiveingredients they cannot get over the counter – at an affordable price.  

It was created with that busy queen in mind and works to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles by boosting collagen production, which is necessary for tightening the skin and reducing the signs of aging. Products currently available are cleansers, moisturizers, toners, serums for hyperpigmentation and wrinkle reduction, tinted sunscreenand anti-aging serums for all skincare types. My aim is to provide my clients with a skincare product that works, one that will provide consistent results, helping them achieve that younger more youthful, rejuvenated glowing skin.

What’s something that sets your business and services apart from the rest within your industry?

We are not just in the business of providing spa services, we are here to provide health services and we genuinely care about our client’s overall well-being. Our business is built on service, as such we provide clients with individualized customer experience coupled with amazing service. In addition, we want to ensure that our clients are healthy or taking steps to maintain both physical, emotional, and mental health. We provide education during consultations as well as through our email and social media platforms. Every client is treated like family,and we aim to exceed all their expectations. This sets us apart from others in the industry.

Tell us about your podcast, “Journey with Dr. Donna”! – What can we expect from that platform and how did it come about?

Working in the emergency room, I recognize that people are hurting emotionally and many struggles with mental issues not necessarily diagnosed or can be fix with a pill. This could be childhood traumas, relationship issues, abuse or feeling of Mental health is real and affects all of us, as such, Journey with Dr. Donna was born.

My desire was to have a space where women can feel safe sharing their journey/stories of pain or triumph. I wanted this to be a space where we can uplift and encourage each other women to recognize our worth, to think bigger and reach higher. We are beautiful Queens; therefore, we need to not only look like Queens, but feel like one also.

What’s your favorite thing about being a WOC? And what’s some advice you can share for Women of Color in the health and medical fields, as it pertains to self-care habits.

Being a woman of color is unique, it’s an experience.

Dr. Donna Patterson

Women of color are incredibly strong emotionally and physically. We are determined and we are focused. I love that through our struggles, we have grown to persevere against odds and succeed in areas our ancestors never thought possible. We have broken glass ceiling and can be found in every industry or job; we have made incredible strides and continue to succeed daily.

As a WOC, we are self-sacrificing.  Regarding our health, we tend to care about others and spend our waking moments taking care of someone else, while neglecting our own personal health.  However, as a WOC, we are faced with health concerns passed down through our genetics such as high blood pressure.  We have the highest risk of developing high blood pressure than women of other race or ethnicity.  As such, I want to encourage other women – whether you are in the health care industry or otherwise, to practice self-care daily.  This can be in the form of meditating, journaling, walking/exercising, spending time with friends, having a spa day or whatever we choose to do, do it for your health, do it for your mental health, your emotional health, and your physical health. Self-care is essential, your health is essential, you are essential.  

Is there anything additional you’d like to share with our readers? And how can we get connected to your news and updates, as well as the products and services you have to offer?

Absolutely, I love encouraging my fellow sisters to love on themselves.  At Rejuvenére Health & Aesthetics Medspa, allow us to love on you because you are important.  Our services include skin rejuvenation, anti-aging treatments, IV hydration, PRP for skin and thinning hair, B12 shot, Micro needling, facials, and non-invasive body contouring services.

In addition, we have exciting plans to bring you additional services, collaborations, our ecommerce sites, and ourmentorship program which we will be launching soon. We can hardly wait to share with you. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or LinkedIn@rejuvenerehealth and my personal IG page @donnap_np to follow our journey and get additional information regarding your health, beauty and wellnessneeds.