How 3 Strangers Met Inside the Public Health Club and Won a $75K Contract

Ready to Land Your First or Next Consulting Contract? Enroll in Subcontracting to 6 Figures! 

This episode is proof of concept. Shambria Davis and Kristi Brown had never met before the Public Health Club. Shambria spotted an RFP posted in the consulting opportunities board, reached out strategically to Kristi and a third club member, Joniece, and in two weeks the three of them built and submitted a proposal to the Alabama Department of Public Health — winning a $75,000 contract. Dr. Des sits down with both of them to break down exactly how the partnership came together, how they divided the work, how they navigated money conversations up front, and what Kristi had to say about landing a second contract simultaneously — one she found in the PHC opportunities board and brought in her own subcontractor for.

In This Episode, You'll Learn

• How three PHC members with complementary skills found each other in the consulting opportunities board and won a $75K state contract
• The strategic way Shambria vetted and selected her partners — and what almost went wrong before the team clicked
• How the trio divided proposal responsibilities under a two-week deadline (and who pulled the 24-hour all-nighter to get it across the finish line)
• Why talking about money early is the vetting move nobody tells you about
• How Kristi landed a second contract — a quality evaluation specialist role in Wisconsin — and turned around and hired one of her coaching clients as her subcontractor
• Why Kristi landed contracts without ever taking S26F, and what she says she'd do differently knowing what she knows now
• What Shambria says to anyone who's tight on money and still on the fence about investing in themselves

Resources Mentioned

• The Public Health Club Consulting Opportunities Board — where the $75K RFP was found:  https://www.publichealthclub.com
• Subcontracting to Six Figures — https://s26f.publichealthclub.com/
• CEO Circle — https://www.publichealthclub.com/publichealth-ceo-circle

https://www.drdesshow.com/

https://www.publichealthclub.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome back to the Dr. Dez show. I am Dr. Dez, and today we have two amazing guests that are public health club members. And y'all, they banded together and won a $75,000 contract from the Alabama Department of Public Health. So I am super excited to feature both of them. We have Shambria Davis, who has actually been on our podcast before. And then we also have Christy Brown. And I'm super excited and proud of both of them. Christy is actually one of our career coaches in the Public Health Club, too. So definitely full circle moment. Super excited to have both of them here to be able to just share their journey and how they landed that contract. What did that look like? How they were able to leverage the public health club and all of its resources. So I'll give a brief background on both of these ladies, and then we'll just dive into this conversation. So Shambria is a public health consultant, health communicator, and storyteller with expertise in translating complex public health issues into meaningful strategies that drive impact. So she's been able to partner with nonprofits, uh community leaders and public health initiatives across Alabama, the Midwest, and beyond to strengthen health communication efforts. So then we have Christy Brown, who is an award-winning healthcare leader, consultant, and coach with more than 20 years of experience in healthcare and public health. So she specializes in quality improvement, evaluation, leadership development, and patient experience. She's also the founder of Christy Brown Coaching and Consultant, where she partners with healthcare organizations to improve outcomes, um, to improve outcomes, strengthen um teams, and drive organizational performance. So welcome, ladies. I am super excited to have you both here today.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

No problem, no problem. So just wanted to just dive in to tell me um just about how both of you got started in consulting. Just give us that journey. And Christy, you can just take it first.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Okay, yeah, of course. So um I mean, I'm just gonna be real and cheesy. So um I obviously have a lot of experience in healthcare. And um, about three years ago, while on maternity leave, um, I kept getting consulted, right? I kept getting asked, hey, Christy, I know you're on leave. I need this advice, I need this career advice, I need this leadership motive. And so I decided to take a leap of faith, get on Instagram for the first time, um, and launch a coaching business. And so did that for the last three years. And then you, Dr. Death, for you know, karmatic purposes, came across my Instagram and I was like, ooh, like the energy here. What, what, who is she and what is she doing? Um, and so your page came just by happenstance. And so continue to watch you and follow you and see what you were doing. And um, you know, I thought I have a lot of knowledge in addition to just career coaching. And so let me explore this space. And so I joined your public health club and it's just been an upward trajectory from there. So um very fortunate to have landed this contract and one other, and you know, there's no stopping me now. So that's kind of how I got my toes wet. So I'm swimming now.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

Yes, I love it. And Shambria, you can go ahead too.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Yeah, so I honestly wasn't even thinking about consulting. Um, it wasn't until I was at one of my former employers and they asked me to come back and work as a consultant on an initiative I had started with them. And even in that, I was like, um, okay, well, that's cool. But the same thing with Christy, it wasn't until I actually joined the public health club. And I don't even, I think I mentioned it in the last episode I did with you, Dr. Dis. I don't even remember how I saw your page, came about your page. I just know I came and I never left. So I I joined a public health club and never left. And it was from there when I really started to put the pieces together, what consulting looked like, what it looked like for me, really niching down on what it is I focus on. And because I have background in communications and journalism and public health, I was like, okay, that's the space that I need to like hone in on. So all of that to say, initially I wasn't thinking about consulting. By the time I joined the public health club, I was like, okay, I know what I need to do to continue on with that journey.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Awesome. I love it. And Shamrael, you were one of our first subcontracting six-figure students. And since then, you've just been like taking off and you've been doing all the things, and like you're you're very like number number one, you're also my um social media and community engagement manager, but also in that, like, you know, you've just been like behind the scenes, recruiting people, applying to contracts. I'm like, you're doing like some amazing things. So just tell us a little bit too about um your experience in subcontracting the six figures and kind of how it even helped you to kind of see like what was possible in the public health consulting space and just how it, you know, influenced your your journey to now like landing contracts.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Yeah. So when I got into the public health club, I know it was something that you know you you mentioned and you talked about launching. And honestly, for me, I was like, I don't know. And even at that time, it was not expensive, it's not expensive now, but it wasn't expensive before. And I just knew that I wanted to try something different, I wanted more for myself. And I think at that particular time, if I wasn't Yeah, I think I found that I was pregnant around that time. So I wanted something more for myself. I wanted to get some of that time back. And I know you talk a lot about, you know, you have to bet on yourself. And I was talking to my fiance, and he was like, Shimbril, like, what can you lose if you bet on yourself? And that's exactly what I did. So I bet on myself and I joined the the course, and just how you had everything lined out, laid out, and not only how you had everything laid out, you just you it it it was just everything that those who are interested in consulting who needs like the foundationals and even to build upon that, like you laid it out very strategic, very in a way that you know us that are taking the course can understand it. And so once I went through the course and I realized, okay, well, you need to go this way to establish your LLC. Well, you need to, you know, make sure you do this and you do that. And so by the time I was able to really go through the course and even go back to some of the different like episodes within the course, um, it helped me realize, okay, these are the steps that I need to take to actually formalize myself as a consultant as opposed to just somebody that's just doing work on the side, which is nothing wrong because sometimes some people start out like that. So ever since then, um, I've just like you said, I've been behind the scenes and I've been looking at different contracts. I'm like, I don't know, I don't know, I've never done that before. I I've tried my hand at certain things. I'm like, I don't know if this is really going to work. So it wasn't like as soon as I finished with subcontracting the six six figures that I landed a contract. It was like time after the fact, but I appreciate that incubating moment because it allowed me to continue on learning. I still have access to the course, and from there, I was able to refer to those lessons that I had learned and be like, okay, I can apply for this RFP, and just so happened, we made it happen.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Yeah, so how did y'all meet? Like, how did this this this partnership happen? I know you have one other member in the club too that you all partner with. So in total, three of y'all um that went after this contract together from the public health club, but how did this come about? And any one of y'all can take it. Christy, you can go first.

SPEAKER_00 7:55

Okay. Um, so what I really like about um the public health club is that you have an entire section and you are constantly posting RFP opportunities. And so, you know, as members, we're we can go through there at our leisure and scroll and read and learn. And so this one just happened to be one of those. And um, as members, we have the capacity to drop in and say, hey, I'm interested in this. This is kind of like high-level how I can, you know, benefit anyone who wants to partner, who's interested. Let's talk offline. And um, you know, the three of us just decided that had we had all done the same thing, kind of like, hey, this is how I can be a great partner who's interested. And the three of us met offline at Chambrietta, coordinated that. And uh it we just clicked. All of us just had the right skills and the right gaps um for what this RFP needed, and we all perfectly f filled those. It was just like a puzzle piece that came together. And uh I think what was so funny too is it was last minute. It was like this RFP was due like in two weeks, and we just went hard together and we were all, you know, engaged, professional, and just we really just like a fit together, and we're so fortunate because um, you know, there have been other collaboration potentials and uh they haven't felt like this one does now. So um, yeah, that's how we match. Andrea, you add.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Yeah, you said a lot. I will say for me, um, from just my perspective, um, the same thing like Christy said, it was, you know, people that were coming and saying, I'm interested, I'm interested. And I was like, okay, well, let me try to reach out. So the the person that initially um said that they were interested, I reached out to that person, but I never heard anything back. And so then I kept looking, I said, okay, I don't even know Christy, but she has healthcare. And she put her email information on there with Jonice. Oh, Janice is in Alabama um as well. So outside of the club, her and I are in an organization together, Toastmasters. And I knew just from what she said in the club, and then also too from when I talked to her at Toastmasters, she's into healthcare as well. And I don't have a healthcare background, I have a communications background. So in my mind, I'm thinking to myself, I'm zoning in on Christy, I'm zoning in on Jonice, and I sent them an email. And like Christy said, once I sent that email, we went from there. And I know there were a lot of people that did come in on there, but for me, it was because we had the short turnaround time, and so that's how we kind of jailed together. We once we did meet, we had individual tasks that we had to do. I mean, it was around like the holiday time. I don't know if it was like, I can't remember if it was like Christmas or whatever, we had to hurry up and get it in, and we all played our part. And it wasn't until the very last thing, I think Christy we had everything done, and then Christy uh messaged me. She was like, Yeah, Shambri, it's just a format. And I we got everything done, and it's just the formatting. So for me, I was like, okay, well, this is under, it's under SNR consulting, which is mine, because this is based in Alabama. And so I was like, okay, I I gotta pull an all-nighter. So that's exactly what I did to make sure, like, because we didn't come this far just to come this far. So I was like, okay, Christy did her part, Janice did her part, we gotta, we gotta bring it on home. So I I stayed up for 24 hours um to make sure that everything was in place and me and AI chat GPT ethically, because we had already done the work. Um, we went back and forth to make sure everything was good, everything was formatted properly, how it needed to, because it wasn't nothing else that needed to be done that we hadn't already had done. And so once we got it in, even from the Sam.gov, which is all this stuff you learn in subcontracting the six figures, might I add. So all of that to say it was a time, it was a time constraint, but we got it done and we made it happen, and obviously it showed.

SPEAKER_02 12:03

Oh my god, both of y'all like this, yes, like yes, yes, yes to everything that y'all mentioned. So, first, like Christy, when you were talking about just like identifying the partners and then Shamria, like both of y'all are talking about that. And that's one thing I want to really hold into is like good partnerships. So, as a part of um, you know, during the time that we're recording this, like we're still in public health consulting week inside the public health club, right? One of my strategy sessions was around partnering, and that's one of the things that you all mentioned, like, you know, it's so many people that will comment on an opportunity and say, Yeah, I want to work, I want to work with you, but they don't have the skills, or they may not like have exactly what you need that complements your exact skills. They may have all the skills, but they it just doesn't complement yours. So I love how all of y'all were able to come together and just complement each other and the skills to build a strong application, and that's the major thing that I always tell people like, I'm like, yes, you can find people to partner with inside the public health club, and this is great. But the goal is you want to build a strong RFP, you want to build a strong proposal, and in order to build a strong proposal, you got to make sure everyone's skills complement everyone, like everyone else's. And I love that um that you all were able to really find that and do that, and just like Shambhere, you were able to be strategic about it and be like, okay, I reached out to Christy, I reached out to Janice. Like, here's my people who I'm gonna go into it with. And then also mentioning, like Shambra, you mentioned like staying up for 24 hours. Like, listen, I know the struggle, okay. And I want to always put a caveat because I talk about public health, you know, entrepreneurship and consulting a lot, but like it is work, right? Like it is work and it takes it can take a lot, right? Like to do this, to keep going, like to weather the rejections, um, and keep going. So I don't ever want anyone to think that, like, oh, I'm gonna sign up for subcontracting the six figures, and then immediately I'm gonna win a contract. Because if you do the work and the steps, eventually you will win a contract. Um, but you have to put in the work behind it. Like, I can give you the entire blueprint, but I've always like heard people and I I see it to be true. Like, literally, I can give someone the entire blueprint, but if they don't take action on it and actually implement the things and figure out what works for them, what doesn't work for them, and put in the work behind it, then it's not gonna happen. Like it's just it's just not gonna happen. Like, I can't give you the drive, right? And you ladies, like y'all have the drive, and you are able to go after the contract. So can you tell me a little bit? And either one of you all can take it, like, tell me a little bit about the contract and what services they want it.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Christy, if you want to, you can take it.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Yeah, sure. Um, so actually super excited about this one. And I think again, just to reiterate, this is why we are a great trio. Um, and so it is for the state of Alabama, and so they're looking for um an organization, a consulting firm to come in and provide trainings across the state in eight different districts to clinical care providers, clinical care staff, um, all about how to better communicate or best practices for communicating information to patients so that they can have safer discharge and safer information that they need in taking medications or anything necessarily related to their discharge. And so we are going to create our own educations in partnership with the stakeholders of Alabama and provide in-person trainings across the state. Um, so I think again, because of my experience in um healthcare, I have a lot of experience with pharmacy and working with clinicians and driving initiatives in this fashion. And Jonice is the same way. And then Chambria with communication, we're just like the perfect trio. This was our RFP. Not to, you know, put down anybody else, but I think this was just our perfect one. And so that's the work that we get to do. And Chambria, I don't know if I missed anything you want to add. You did.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Oh my God. That was amazing. Christy, I love what you said. Like that was your RFP, like you could tell. And I've had conversations um with people, and you know, they their conversations stemming from like, you know, well, I do all of this stuff in public health or in healthcare or wherever. And I'm just not sure, like, you know, what I should focus on as far as like my consulting business or the things that I offer or things like that. How did you decide, like, okay, here's all my experience that I have, but here's like the actual services that I would want to provide to an organization?

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Chamber, you want to go first? I feel like I keep going first. No, go ahead. Okay. Um, I would say, you know, as someone who hasn't yet taken your course, um, and I say that I'm gonna answer your question, but to sidebar the reason why I say that is, you know, I've been in the club for a little over a year and a half, and I've landed um a couple contracts and I haven't taken your course. And I'm realizing now that there are some aspects of me that could be more polished in the way that I'm doing these things. And so I think that whether you take the course right up front, which I recommend you do, but um, or taking it now is is beneficial no matter what stage you are in the RFPs. Um, but I think your course could further help with that for those who might have that question. But for me, it it took practice in applying for some of these RFPs. You know, how did I feel afterwards? Did I feel like I did a good job there because I aligned with the skills or did I not? And so it's it's taken a lot of time of reading through what kind of contracts are coming through and doing some like internal work, like what am I good at? And you know, what resonates? Like what doesn't feel so exhausting to me doing these RFPs? You does that make sense?

SPEAKER_02 18:17

So Yeah, and that's that's exactly what in the course, the first module in the course is all about because that's the you're like literally saying the exact things that I'm like, this is exactly what like why I created this course because you get in there, you see all these RFPs and you see all the possibilities, right? But then it's like you know, I love that you ask yourself, okay, how did I feel after submitting that? Like, let me do a check. How did I feel after that? And for me, like I know that when I first started, like I applied to a lot of RFPs, right? Um, I landed the first one I replied to, I landed. But after that, like I was applying to things, I got so many rejections, right? Um, I landed an I did land another one um and a couple others, but like in that, like I had to figure out, like, okay, Des, like, what do you actually like doing in public health? Like, you can do evaluation, you can do data analysis, you can do like all of these other things, but what are the things that actually bring me joy when I'm working in public health? Like, what are those things? Because I want to do more of the things that really bring me joy um in working in this area. And that's like the first module. We're figuring out, okay, what are what are your services that you could offer based on like the in-demand services that people want, based on what I see out in the market? Like, what are those exact services that you can offer so you can stop wasting your time with RFPs that like don't even align with what you can do or what you're like in a even in alignment with like winning? So I think that that's like that's that's one of the major things that I see a lot of people kind of get tripped up with because it's like, well, I can do this, I can do that. Um, should I consult on it? And you know, a lot of times the answer may be no, because you know, if you don't like doing it, you are gonna get so burnt out with like a client or whatever, like it just doesn't make sense for me. If I'm starting my own business, why can't it be the things do the things that I like to do? So yeah, Shamria, did you want to add to that one?

SPEAKER_01 20:14

Yeah, I just agree with both sentiments. For me, like I said, my background is in communications and journalism and public health. So it only made sense. And with this particular RFP, as I was going through it, I was like, okay, I'm I'm not gonna lie. I was thinking, okay, Shambri, where are you gonna fit in in this? Like you do, you don't have any healthcare experience, but at the same time, you know how to communicate. You've done trainings on, you know, implicit biases and healthcare, I mean health literacy and all of those things. So I had to say to myself, okay, I know how to communicate. I had to, I had to break it down. Okay, I know how to communicate. I have experience with health literacy, implicit biases, and all of those things, but I also need individuals who know this space. And I would go back again. I I give Christy and Jonice like their flowers, even before we really just dive into this this um RFP because like I told them the last time we met, or even initials, like you all are like the the forerunners in this. Like, yes, it's under SNR consulting mind because it's in Alabama, and so they wanted somebody that was Alabama-based, but you all have that healthcare experience. So I'm like, take range on this, and I can come in on the supportive role and you know, put in some communication efforts in that as well. So I knew my strengths, I knew my limitations, and with those limitations, it wasn't a thing to shy away from. Like Christy said, and like you said all the time, Dr. Dez, it's about filling that gap, and these two ladies are definitely well qualified to fill those gaps. So I love that so much.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

And you know, my my first contract that I had, um, I applied for it and I wanted myself, but then I got into doing the work and I realized, like, you know, I'm still working. Full time at that point. And I was like, I need help with doing like the evaluation of this needs assessment I just developed. So I called on one of my friends, um, Daphne, and I said, Hey, like, could you do this needs assessment for me, like under my business? I bring you in as a subcontractor, and bam, like that was my first ever partnership um for my particular business. I'd actually um had another colleague who I partnered with uh before under her business um to do some, I think it was like qualitative like coding, and we use the deuce to do some stuff. And she called me in in her business. So that's why I even thought about it. And so I called her in, and that was my first experience with partner. And I'm like, oh, I can go and make money with my friends. Like we can like over brunch, we can talk about making money, like and applying for contracts uh together. So I was like, my mind was blown after that first one, and I'm like, what else could we do together? Because I'm like, we all have these amazing degrees, amazing background, and we're already talking together, anyways. Let's just build contracts. And that was one of the things, like with the public health clubs. I wanted to foster is like for a community for people who don't have those colleagues, right? That you can go in and and do a contract with so now you can find them like you all did in the public health club. Um, and then really like, and and with the caveat, like you know, you all kind of vetted each other, right? Like really making sure that you vet the people and making sure they're complimentary and can and can really fill gaps um within that.

unknown 23:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

And I know oh, go ahead. No, I wanted to add to um, because you kind of get into that point with the vetting. And I know one of the resources that you dropped, and even in your podcast, you talked about like the MOU. I know for us, we didn't, I didn't establish an MOU because again, those one of those things that I'm learning as well. But I think a lot of times when you partner with individuals, you have to be very um open and honest, especially when it comes down to budgeting, because when it comes down to money, like you you have to be completely honest in that. And I I I appreciate the honesty that lies within us because the only other time that I've done anything with like budgeting or of those things was when I was an intern in school in my NPH program. And so I had to do a little bit of budgeting when it comes down to a grant. And when it came down to okay, what does it look like when it comes down to pricing? And I know Christy, and this stuck with me, and she was like, Well, from her experience, you know, it always seems like when a contract falls under this person and this sad person get about, and then the other people follow suit in this way. And I know Jonice, I think we all played a part in like the budgeting, but we all did like research in that. So I say all of that to say it's always good to when you partner with individuals, get to know them and being honest and being transparent because anybody can say, Oh, well, this person get this much and this person get that much. But again, with us, I like Christy said, we gel well together because we're open and honest. And Chrissy said, Well, from what I've known and experienced, this person gets this amount. And I'm like, okay, if we can be cohesive when it comes down to talking about money and talking about budgeting, then I only can imagine and know even more how we're going to thrive in this space. I just wanted to add to that. No, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 25:20

And I love that you mentioned that because yeah, like money can be a deal breaker for a lot of people. So talking about that and establishing that up front is always like one of the key things when you're partnering with anybody or you're doing anything, like making sure you know, like, if we win this contract, here's how much you're gonna get, here's how much we're gonna get. Like it is outlined in the budget, there's no surprises. Like, we're being extremely transparent on that, and we're working together on that too. And I think it's also like, you know, it could be a red flag if you like bring that up, and you know, there's a lot of like tension and a lot of like, so you may just say, Okay, I may not even want to do this because if you win this contract, then you know, you have to think about who you're working with, the type of people you're working with, and everything like that. And not everyone has that same like um like work ethic too about them. So I think that that's one of the things to think about. And I know um just reminded me of um one of the podcasts I did last year with Jamie and Prom Neat, and um how they like were, you know, two of my past students, and they actually found each other in the subcontract in the six figures course. They partnered together and they landed a $67,000 um contract um to do a strategic plan for a library. And with them, like they talked about um how they were they had to like make sure they found somebody who was as serious as they were. Um, because like these ladies, like they were serious, like they were like there was no doubt in my mind they were gonna land a contract and land one soon, um, just because of how much effort and work that they put into it, um, and their consistency was off the charts. And then like they were able to really work together, so they complemented each other's skills, um, and they were able to really kind of go after it. So I would say, like, vetting the people, knowing the people is is extremely important. And for me, like with my partnership with um my colleague that I had, like, I knew her work ethic because not only I don't think we didn't go, me and her didn't go to um school together, but we actually worked together um at uh the Department of Health in Florida. So like me and her became colleagues, so I seen her work output, right? Already. So I knew that if I were to bring her on to do some evaluation for me, she would do a good job because she knows how to do evaluation. I know I know her work style, I know she's gonna submit things on time um to me, right? Like I know that about her. But if you don't know the person, then definitely um one of the things I can say is like um I think in the club, in the club, I did part, I did put drop in there during public health consulting week a partnership vetting toolkit. Um, so definitely like that's something I think I dropped it yesterday, yesterday, um, at the time of this recording, so Thursday, so the 11th of June, um, at the time of this recording, but it's inside the public health club, so you can really officially vet your partners that you have because I have heard about like relationships in the club like going not great, um, or partnerships like going not great. Um, I haven't heard it often, but I have heard it. Um, but yeah, you just want to make sure you're taking steps to like to vet people and to get to know them. So I love that you all um mentioned that and brought that up. And Christy, something you said earlier. Um, you know, you mentioned like you had landed another contract too. Tell us about that one.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Yeah, so um this is I'm I'm I'm so excited. This I think this is super cool. So um it is a contract to be a quality evaluation specialist um for an organization in Wisconsin. And so we will be doing work with Obi Hemorrhage. Um, and we've actually already started that work. And what's really cool about this contract is that I actually um a woman that I have been career coaching, I am so impressed with her growth that I asked her if she would be interested in being my subcontractor for this contract. Yeah. So um she was like, okay, like what is that? I don't know. So yeah, I explained it to her. We I created, I made the RFP, I put her information in there. Um we got the interview, and I actually walked away from the interview thinking, like, oh, I don't know if we landed it. She was like, no, we totally did. We totally did. Um, and so yeah, so we landed the contract and we've been doing that work for a month now. But I think what's really cool is not did we just land a contract, but now I get to under my business pay for her to join the club. So now she can grow and continue to build herself and her journey and her career. And it's all because I joined and started my journey and then helped her on her journey. So I don't know. I think that's just like one of the really cool things about the club. And I'm just so happy. Yeah. I'm gonna try not to cry, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:17

I'm like making faces, I'm trying to keep sound.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

Oh, makeup fall off.

SPEAKER_02 30:24

Oh my god, that is yeah, that's amazing. Oh my god. Okay, yeah, that is so amazing, Christy. I love that. And did you find that contract in the club or did you find it somewhere else?

SPEAKER_00 30:34

Nope, I found it in the club. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

I love it. I love it. I love it so much. So, like, literally, like, it's a testament to like even like you know, Christy, you've never taken subcontract into six figures. Like, Shambrilla, you took the course, like the public health club, like the goal of that community is for you to not only increase your impact in public health, but also increase your income. Like, that is the entire reason that I made the public health club because I was so tired of like people saying there's no money in public health, I can't do this, like you know, and everything like that. But I'm like, if you have experience, like if you have skills, then there are so many people that want that that need consultants and contractors, but it's just not something we're normally exposed to. And that was my entire thing because when I landed, like my I think when I was on my like third or fourth contract, I was like, why is nobody else doing this? Like, why are why am I the only one, like out of my friends, that are landing contracts like this? And I was like, you know what? I need to start teaching people how to do this because if you can like if I can expand my like my impact in public health, that is the one thing that I want to make sure that I'm known for. It's like helping people to see that public health can not only be work that we do to make others feel better and to make a difference and to make an impact, but it can also be be something that can generate wealth for us too. So that is that's that's one of the the major reasons, reasons that I even started um this community. So I love that. Like you ladies are are amazing. So I think my my next question to you all is just around like the RFP writing part of it or the proposal writing part of it, how do you all look at and like kind of tackle like saying, like, okay, I'm gonna write this RFP? Like, how are you? How did you all kind of look at that together as a group? Because I'm I remember you you all saying that like you kind of split out the different parts. Like, how was that?

SPEAKER_01 32:36

Um, I'll start by saying, I think, and Christine, when you say your part, you can correct me or of course add, I think it was one of the things where we just asked, like, who would want to take on like this particular role? And I know the biggest thing was within the RFP, it was certain sections. Okay, well, we need to answer questions about this, we need to get things together. And I think what it was for me, because it was going to be under my entity, my main focus was to make sure like everything was good with Sam.gov, everything was good with Alabama Bods, everything good for the business. So that was my main focus is okay, we can apply for this RFP, but we need to make sure that we are legit on paper, all of those, you know, business documents are taken care of. So that was my focus. And again, I think Jonice's focus was the budget. Um, and I think she volunteered for that. And I think Christy's um focus was like the packet and putting it together um at the end so that way I would just go through and scam it. So I think it was more so on like a volunteer who wants to do it. But Christy, you're more than welcome to add.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Yeah, no, I think um everything you said is spot on. I mean, again, because this particular contract did require someone um to be in the state of Alabama. And so it was either you or Jonice. And so I couldn't really contribute in that way. Um and so again, just to speak to the gaps, you know, you were like, I will take ownership of this one. This is what I'll do, A, B, C, R. Um, so that left Jonice and I and her, you know, we all have a great partnership. So Denise was like, I the budget is speaking to me. Uh, and I said, let it speak to you, girl, let it go. So it, you know, then I just took what the parts that were left. And then um, you know, because I had some experience with RFPs before, um, I do some of that in my nine to five world. So I just kind of provided that feedback as we went along and we were very collaborative and um, you know, held each other accountable to make sure that everything was done. So um I think again, I think we just all did our parts. And at the end, when everything needed to be final, we all shared honest collaborative feedback. And, you know, Chambria sealed it with a bow and sent it off.

SPEAKER_02 34:58

Awesome. I love that. I love that approach, ladies. Like this is this is amazing, and literally, like, I'm so proud of both of you all, and I'm so just amazed by the partnership and just the growth and everything that you all have been able to accomplish, even individually, it's just together, um, too. Because like I said, this is the entire purpose of the public health club. Um, so Shambria, I would say that like, you know, since this is going to air during the time that subcontracted in the six figures is open for enrollment. So if anybody is like on the fence or they've been thinking about the course, what advice would you give them?

SPEAKER_01 35:35

As I stated before, bet on yourself and join. Like, I know with this particular climate that we're in, like, money is is typed. And I want to acknowledge that because it's real, and that's a lot of people's sentiments when it comes down to this. But I know for me, and this is me being transparent, I use the credit card, and I'm not saying that you need to use your credit card because I'm listening I'm not saying that, but what I know for me just I'm going to use this credit card and I'm going to pay it off. And like I said at that time, it wasn't that expensive because I need to bet on myself because I want something better for myself. I want something better for my family. And I I I didn't think that what was going to come out of subcontracting the six figures was this was the partnerships, was the lessons. And I'm still learning, I'm still growing. And one thing I can say about you, Dr. Des is like you're continuing on to stockpile subcontracting the six figures, and even the club with so much information, you cannot tell me that you're gonna leave out the same way that you came in. And the great thing about subcontracting the six figures is again, I still have access to those different courses. So if I ever need a refresher, I can go back to it. It's not like, okay, hey, you in and then you over and it's like bye. It's nothing like that. So I would say for those, like really have a heart to heart with yourself and really tell yourself, is this something that I want to do? And just do it. Like if you can bet on a job that you don't know whether or not you're gonna still be at that job within a certain amount of time, if you can bet on the lottery and if you can bet on anything else, then you can bet on yourself. But also, too, when you bet on yourself, make sure you have the mindset, that mindship that you talk about, Dr. Des. And to know that Rome was not built in a day, but what's meant for you, and this is the philosophy that I go about, what's meant for you will always be for you, and it will not pass you by. And do not compare somebody else's journey to yours because somebody could be 10 miles ahead and you're just on mile too. But the mere fact that you're you're walking the mile, and along the way, you're going to be connecting with individuals that'll help you. So start, I it's it's a simple, the long drawn-out way to say, start bet on yourself. And I promise you, if you keep an open mind and a copa open heart, like you're gonna make something happen. I love that. I love that so much.

SPEAKER_02 37:56

And and Christy, um, if anybody's on the fence about even joining the public health club, like what would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 38:04

Oh man, it's I mean, similar to what Shane Bria is saying, um, is do it. I think that, you know, I've taken other business courses, I've taken other marketing, self-branding, um, you know, career coaching, you know, business coursework. Um, I mean, there's just so much out there um that I've taken and I've paid a lot of money for it. And I've walked away with so much regret. Um, you know, that what the val I didn't get any value. And I, you know, I walked away just in tears for some of these things that I paid a lot of money for and didn't get anything out of it. And I cannot say that I can say that about the P the public health club. You know, I think that I've gotten more like uh extremely more than I have ever paid for. Um and, you know, I have landed contracts that, you know, that is quadruple, quadruple, quadruple powered. Um, you know, what I've paid to be here. And, you know, it's not just financial uh, you know, value that I've gained, it's new connections. Chambria, you're stuck with me. Jonise, you're stuck with me now. Um, you know, so it's it's a new mindset. I have a new career journey. I'm mentoring people in a new way. I get to be on a podcast. Hello, you know, um there are there's just so much um that I've gained. And so, you know, if you've ever been, if you've ever taken a course or done something for you that you walked away and you felt like it wasn't worthwhile, then you know, take this and tell and then come and talk to me. I'm on the club, so you can tell me all about it, but just join. It's well worth it.

SPEAKER_02 39:53

I'm gonna cry. Sorry. No, like this, this is literally everything I wanted. So it's amazing. And and Christy, like, I I love that, like, you know, you are so intentional about investing in yourself, regardless of if those programs like worked out or not in the past that you've done. Like, you were intentional about investing in yourself, and I think so many people, and you too, Shambria, like, but so many people like they hesitate to invest in themselves, right? They'll invest in so many other things, like they will pay all this money to go to a concert. They will like say, Okay, I'm gonna go back to school, I'm gonna get another degree. Like, but it's just kind of like when you have an opportunity to invest in something for your professional development and your overall growth, a lot of people hesitate. Even if like the public health club is only $30 a month, like people are hesitant to even like say, I'm gonna activate my seven-day free trial and I'm gonna try it out. Um, and I try to make it as less risk as possible for people to just, hey, seven days free, like check it out, see if it's for you. If you don't like it, you can cancel. Um, but like, you know, I'm trying to be very intentional about that. But I love that you both are intentional about investing in yourself and your growth, and it's paid off. And that's one thing I tell people too like I've invested as well, like thousands of dollars in coaching, and it has paid off tremendously. Every time I invest in something, it pays off. And I will always give people the caveat of before you invest, do your due diligence, like ask people about it, like see if they have like reviews because I know in the world of social media, it's so much noise out there, right? So it's like you it's kind of hard to know who's legit, who's not legit. And I always say, like, before I invest in anything, always look at okay, who have they helped before? You know, some businesses may be brand new and you never know, but then that's when you listen to their story. Do they have a good, like, have they helped themselves get to that, right? Or are they just they're they just saying that, right? Do they have like something like a podcast, or do you have something like otherwise I can check out and really kind of get into their world, right? And see what they're talking about and see if it resonates with me. Or did I just see a really great ad on social media and now like I'm paying them $20 million and I'm wondering why I'm not making an investment, but I are making that ROI, right? Um, but I think like, you know, ask people, ask around, do your due diligence. And I feel like, you know, as we as public health professionals, we're taught to research, we're taught to to question things, we're taught to get into the rooms and really think about things. And I love that people are analyzing situations and and trying to really do their due diligence. But I will say, like, you get so much when you invest in yourself. Um, you get so much back, like tenfold, like when you really invest in yourself and your growth, especially from people who have been there before and have done it, because it's so many people that are just feeling their way around in the dark and like, okay, I'm gonna figure it out. And then they get burnt out and then they're tired. And then it's like, okay, I'm gonna put it on the back burner. But when you join like um the public health club, when you join courses like subcontract and the six figures that are exactly designed for you to land your first contract and really organize, get the structure of your business. Let's build your website, let's build out your capability statement together, let's do all of these different things together. So when you leave this course, you have a solid foundation of where you go next and how to apply to those proposals, how to market your business, how to do all the things. And it's up to you if you use them or not. Um, same with like the public health club, you have access to all of these RFPs that you're not gonna see anywhere else. Like you're not gonna see those compiled like that anywhere else other than the public health club. But you have access to it, and what you do with it is up to you. You have access to all these workshops, you have access to at this point over a thousand other professionals that are in the community there waiting to partner, to, to learn with you, to grow with you. But I say all that to say thank you, ladies, for trusting me and investing in me and my services and trusting me and just taking action on the things that are there because I think that's the main part. Like, I'm so proud of you both for taking action and doing the work and putting in the work to get the outcome that you want. So thank you both for for trusting me with that. And I don't take it lightly when people trust me to to help them with things. So I just want to say I'm appreciative of you both, and I'm just so so just inspired by you both too. Um, and I want to say thank you for agreeing to be on the podcast too. This was an amazing episode. Um, anywhere that people can find you both, how can people find you and connect with you? Other than in the public health club, they're both in the public health club, but how else can people find you and connect with you?

SPEAKER_01 44:38

Yeah, so I'm on um Facebook, Shambria Davis. Um, the same thing with um Instagram. Um, so some words on other things, but those are the two main places that you can find me. And then also too, um, you can email me at Davis Shambria at gmail.

SPEAKER_00 44:56

So and um for me on Instagram, uh my handle is Leadwithmargin. Um, so can find me and tag me on there. And thank to talk thanks to Dr. Des. I'll be working on my LinkedIn because that is an area of opportunity for me. And so in the future, you can find me there. So public health club or Instagram work.

SPEAKER_02 45:24

Awesome. Well, thank you both again. This was an amazing episode.