About Inflamed Sisters Thriving

Catina is a registered nurse (RN, BSN) with over 23 years of experience in the healthcare industry while courageously battling multiple chronic illnesses. With her vast healthcare expertise and a business background, she’s embarked on a profound mission to uplift the chronic illness community and guide aspiring entrepreneurs toward their dreams. She is the CEO of Nurse Loves Essentials and host of Inflamed Sisters Thriving Podcast. Catina is currently an Executive MBA Student at Quantic School of Business and Technology.

Catina’s has an unwavering commitment to establishing nurturing environments where women can wholeheartedly pursue their goals without compromising their health. Through the application of proven mindset, self-advocacy, health and business strategies, Catina stands as your ally, helping you amplify your voice and flourish in both health and entrepreneurship. As a Community Architect, she excels in networking, forming invaluable partnerships, and fostering compassionate communities. Catina’s dedication extends to building strong alliances with organizations supporting those impacted by autoimmune diseases, supporting diversity and inclusion in research, and sharing her wealth of experience as an expert speaker.

Catina established the Inflamed Sisters Thriving non-profit organization to bridge the realms of health, entrepreneurship, and community, empowering women to thrive and advocate with unwavering confidence. This community will honor the boundless strength of resilience, where women’s aspirations and well-being harmoniously coexist, despite their health journey.

Ashley Nicole is the Founder, Master Trainer and Autoimmune Health Coach of RA Warrior Fitness. She’s NFPT certified specializing in personal training, fitness nutrition, endurance and strength training. She’s overcome many obstacles to maintain and improve her own personal lifestyle while managing RA (rheumatoid arthritis) and lupus.

RA Warrior Fitness was founded on January 27, 2020 with the mission to empower autoimmune women to improve their quality of life through faith, food and fitness. Ashley inspires her Warriors to reach their goals while achieving maximum results and making RHEUM to RISE!

Ashley loves Jesus, family, fitness, food, football and music! Ashley is a professional bodybuilding athlete with the Global Bodybuilding Organization and the Natural Fit Federation. She’s a native of Florence, Alabama and currently resides in Dallas, Texas. Just a Bama girl living in a Texas world and loving it!

Ekeyah Wallace is the CEO of Wallace, Johnson & Thomas Investments dedicated to helping others reach success as entrepreneurs. Specializing in empowering first-time entrepreneurs identify business needs and prepare for the joy of long-term success. Ekeyah has been in the corporate and health communities for over 20 years, the health/life insurance industry for over 7 years. Graduating with her degree in International Business, Ekeyah is passionate about encouraging others with the knowledge that she acquired. Attaining her Project Management certifications, (PMP, SCRUM, ITIL) and Insurance certifications opened new doors. As a qualified Project Manager, she worked for one of the country’s major Fortune 500 clinical laboratories while continuing to build her business.

After Ekeyah and her immediate family were diagnosed with rare autoimmune and terminal illnesses, life pivoted. The importance of health and life insurance became a common topic when educating others on how to become successful entrepreneurs. Service to others became the mission; sitting on the board of trustees for colleges, creating/leading several projects to enhance the quality of life for employees and assisting entrepreneurs in beginning their journey has allowed Ekeyah to impact her community. These actions led to opportunities to provide one on one consultations and encourage others through speaking events. Inspiring others to introduce their gift to the world is the goal of entrepreneurship. Ekeyah has found joy in encouraging others to reach this goal while finding efficient resolutions to motivate their progress and empowering others to lead.

Rana Rose is the owner of Accounting with a Purpose, LLC. She has been an Accounting professional for 30 years who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and an MBA. She has had the opportunity to work for small to medium-sized companies, publicly-traded to private companies, and government entities to nonprofit organizations.  During her last 10 years in corporate, she honed her accounting and budgeting experience with companies in the non-profit and local government sector ensuring fiscal responsibility while streamlining processes, increasing efficiency, and driving growth.  During her corporate career, she’s had the privilege of being the financial steward for budgets ranging from $10M to upwards of $280M. Due to the wealth of knowledge, education, and experience gained on her corporate journey, she decided to use her expertise by pivoting from corporate to becoming an entrepreneur.

With God’s blessing, she started her company Accounting with a Purpose, LLC. Passionate about giving back to her community, her company is based in the greater Dallas, TX area but serve clients across the US. She helps small businesses financially invest in themselves by providing bookkeeping, income tax, and consulting services resulting in revenue growth and tax savings. Her company not only provides businesses with their financial information but serves as their financial partner to guide and educate them to ensure they are equipped with the proper information to make sound business decisions.

Successful small businesses are the goal of her company with nonprofits being near and dear to her heart. It is an honor and privilege for her to serve a nonprofit whose mission and purpose is to help, educate, and advocate for the chronically ill. She looks forward to using her financial expertise to contribute to IST’s success story. 

As an accomplished HR professional with over 20 years of experience, I bring a proven track record of driving organizational success through strategic human resource management. My passion for fostering a positive workplace culture and aligning HR initiatives with business objectives has consistently yielded impressive results. I hold a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Management a minor in Human Resources Management and MBA from Strayer University and maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and best practices.

I possess a comprehensive skill set in employee relations, performance management, career coaching, employee development, and HR compliance, making me adept at building high-performing teams. My ability to implement effective recruitment strategies, streamline HR processes, and cultivate employee engagement has led to increased productivity and employee satisfaction across various organizations. My dedication to ethical HR practices, coupled with my strong leadership and communication skills, positions me as a valuable asset for any organization seeking to optimize its workforce.

I am dedicated to empowering women in their careers and spiritual growth, I strive to create a positive impact by merging professional success with faith based principles. I believe in giving back to the community through volunteering and mentorship. I am committed to driving HR excellence and fostering a workplace that empowers employees to thrive and have a sense of belonging.

Dr. LaShawn A. Weaver-Lee is a board-certified OB/GYN who currently practices in Kinston, NC, where she is Chief Medical Officer of the Kinston Community Health Center. She completed her undergraduate degree in Microbiology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She spent several years working as a marine biologist in Charleston, SC, but fulfilled her dream of going to medical school in 2000 at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She earned her MD degree there in 2004. She completed her OB/GYN residency in 2008 at East Carolina University located in Greenville, NC and has been board-certified since 2010. She has a passion for taking care of women and ensuring their maximal health – both in their childbearing and non-childbearing years.

Dr. Weaver-Lee was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where her family still resides. She is married and has a daughter and grandson.

While I love my work, I also face challenges due to a chronic illness that affects me physically and emotionally, which makes even simplest of tasks feel monumental. However, I refuse to let it dampen my spirit or redefine me. My role as a wife and mother also inspire me to take care of myself. I understand that in order to be there for my family, I must prioritize my own well-being.

Creativity is a choice, and I choose to live my life as colorfully, wholeheartedly and authentically as possible.