Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Tionna Jenkins.
Hi Dr. Jenkins, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
One of the primary reasons for starting my journey has to do with my desire to be part of a solution when we think about individuals, families, and communities achieving optimal health and wellness.
As a Doctor of Public Health, I have been a practitioner in the field for over 15 years and I have seen first-hand the need to have the knowledge, access, resources, services, tools & more specifically healthier food options readily available to improve health and wellness outcomes.
I have also seen the impact of not having these areas addressed and the lack of policies in communities that make health and wellness a non-priority and the negative impact as a result.
As a public health expert, and owner of Jenkins Consulting Services, which houses both O’nita Lee Foods & Products, our food product line, where we are licensed to manufacture (in small batches) jams, granola, and cookies, and Plate It Healthy, our health, and wellness educational and consulting platform.
The idea of working in health, and wellness came early in life as a child, and the food manufacturing industry came later in adulthood as a realized the tight connection between food, the environment, and our mental health has to our overall health and wellness outcomes. I’ve always had a passion and desire to see a better and healthier future for all communities.
How I got to where I am today is a combination of how I grew up and understanding the importance of family, connection, and ensuring that our loved ones have access to vital information and resources.
That is not always the case for some people. It is important that we address disparities, gaps, systemic challenges, and opportunities for change. It is also a combination of my professional experiences and connecting with very diverse communities, organizations, businesses, and people throughout the world.
They too must understand the role that they play individually and the policies that must be changed to affect entire communities to live healthier. And lastly, I believe it is extremely important that we see ourselves in all places and spaces. Especially, where we tend to not be well-represented in the health, wellness, or food manufacturing industry space. Although growing, up to being a black woman in this industry, there a very few faces and occupied spaces.
Having full representation breaks barriers within the industry and also provides a visual manifestation for others to see and to relate and say, they too can see themselves doing something similar or the exact same thing. It is my hope that what I have done and what I will continue to do can use your action steps as a guide or strategy to support others if needed.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? It really depends on how you define a smooth road. It has been a smooth road with regard to being able to apply my current skill, academic background, and experience in infusing public health into the food industry and wellness space. Yes, most definitely.
Yes, it has been a smooth road in using my STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) knowledge base and academic preparedness to support my efforts in working alongside food scientists when formulating recipes that are retail ready, licensed, and approved for distribution. Yes, most definitely.
Yes, it has been a smooth road in identifying successful mentors and advisors that specifically work in the industry or have the skill-set, expertise, and sphere of influence and connection you need.
At first, this may seem challenging if you are only researching in your current state or immediate circle. However, do not be afraid to broaden your sphere of research. Your mentors and advisors, may not reside in your state, and they may not be in the same exact industry, but again, they have a skill-set, expertise, or sphere of influence that you need to go to the next level.
I would say the challenges are around what most businesses say and they include identifying your niche market to know exactly who will be your customer, whether they are individuals or businesses or a combination of both, and exactly what you want to be known for; what is your area of expertise.
Other challenges are around building your network and affiliations with those entities that are really about their business and can really guide you in the right direction. This is something that you will always be doing; building, connecting & networking, but do it with strategic intentionality not just for the sake of being busy or networking to seem as though you are connected.
Another challenge of course is identifying and aligning yourself with funding streams that are compatible with what you are currently in need of. Additionally, making sure to diversify your funding streams and products to best meet your company goals for where you are and for when you scale is very important.
Lastly, it may seem challenging (at first) to locate all of your partnerships, vendors, and distributors. In my case, I work with quite a number of vendors, partners, and distributors not all located in one locale. However, once you begin to build out your network and contacts it will become smoother.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a public health expert, and owner of Jenkins Consulting Services, which houses both O’nita Lee Foods & Products, our food product line, where we are licensed to manufacture (in small batches) jams, granola, and cookies, and Plate It Healthy, our health, and wellness educational and consulting platform.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Yes, I love a lot of different blogs and podcasts, and resources, some of them include:
• How I Built This, Guy Raz
• Buy from A Black Woman, Nikki Porcher,
• Nicole Walter, Income Strategist & Entrepreneur
• Bishop TD Jakes, TD Jakes Ministries
• The Bible, King James Version
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki & Sharon L. Lechter
• Food Biz Wiz, Allison Ball
• Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff, Richard Carlson
• Sistah Vegan, Black Female Vegans Speak On Food, Identity, Health & Society,
• Dr. A. Breeze Harper
• The Political Action Handbook, A How-To Guide For The Hip-Hop Generation,
• Dr. Maya Rockeymoore-Cummings
• Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard, Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Pricing:
- • At O’nita Lee Foods & Products, we offer ready-made packaged food products, that are shipped nationwide. o Jams (8 ounces): $9.99 plus tax and shipping o Granola (1 pound or ½ pound), starting at $6.99 plus tax and shipping o Cookies (12 cookies or six cookies), starting at $15.99 plus tax and shipping
- • At Plate It Healthy, we offer a number of options, including, “on-demand” pre-recorded classes that you can take at your leisure. We also offer LIVE virtual & in-person cooking courses for both individuals, groups, and businesses for professional development, starting at $58.97 (per person) and up.
- • The cooking courses, through our Plate It Health Academy, focus on teaching health & wellness techniques and strategies with also teaching you how to prepare meals that are vegan, plant-based, vegetarian, raw foods, and fresh-press juicing.
- o Additional services include individual wellness consultations starting at $150.00 (per person) and up. o And customized reboot your lifestyle programs where you work with me 1-on-1 starting from 4 to 6 weeks or more starting at $699.00 and up (payment plans are available).
Contact Info:
- Email: info@onitaleefoods.com
- Website: www.onitaleefoods.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/onitaleefoods?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onitaleefoods
Image Credits:
Skyway Media
