Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Williams.
Marissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Trinidad and Tobago and grew up as a military kid, so home has meant a lot of different places throughout my life. I’ve lived in Panama, Italy, Turkey, and different parts of the U.S., but I’ve called the Raleigh area home for about 20+ years.
I’m a mom of three, a pharmaceutical professional, and, more recently, a content creator (Again, I took a break) – although I still laugh a little when I call myself that.
As I approached 40, I found myself wanting to be more intentional about rediscovering the things that made me feel like me outside of all the roles I play every day. I wanted to explore more, try new places, support local businesses, travel, read, have fun with fashion again, and document more of the life I was actually living.
That’s really how my page @becoming.marissa started. I didn’t have a big strategy behind it. I just wanted a space to share the things I genuinely enjoy—from discovering a great local spot or small business to an outfit I love, a trip, a book, or one of the random everyday moments that make me laugh.
Since then, it’s grown into something I genuinely love and has allowed me to connect with people and experience Raleigh in a completely different way. I’m still figuring it out as I go, which I think is part of the fun.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not—and I’m not sure anyone’s road really is.
One of my biggest struggles has been learning how to make space for myself while balancing all the different roles and responsibilities in my life. I’m a mom of three, I have a demanding career that requires me to travel, and like a lot of women, I spent years becoming really good at taking care of what needed to be done and showing up for everyone else. Somewhere along the way, it became easy to put myself at the bottom of that list.
There have also been seasons where life simply felt heavy. I’ve experienced loss, relationships have changed, plans haven’t always worked out the way I thought they would, and I’ve had moments where I’ve had to stop and really ask myself, “Okay…what do *I* want now?”
Turning 40 became a bit of a turning point for me. Not because I suddenly had everything figured out…quite the opposite! But because I started giving myself permission to figure it out. I’ve had to learn that choosing myself sometimes isn’t selfish, that starting over doesn’t mean you failed, and that you’re allowed to change your mind about what you want your life to look like.
Even putting myself out there creatively again has required me to get out of my own way. Social media makes it very easy to compare your beginning to someone else’s middle, obsess over numbers, or convince yourself that everyone else has already figured out what you’re trying to do. I’ve had to remind myself that I started this because it brings me joy.
I’m still very much a work in progress, but I think I’ve become much more comfortable with that. There’s something really freeing about realizing you don’t need to have your entire life figured out to enjoy the life you have while you’re figuring it out.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My “day job” is actually very different from what you see on my Instagram page! I’ve built my career in the pharmaceutical industry, and today I work as a Senior Field Reimbursement Manager focused on helping healthcare providers navigate access to medication for their patients.
Right now, my work is focused on HIV prevention and helping providers navigate access to PrEP, which is medication used to prevent HIV. I’m especially proud of the work I’m doing in this space because Black women are disproportionately affected by HIV. As a Black woman, that makes the work feel a little more personal. There’s something really meaningful about knowing that what I do every day can help make prevention options more accessible, especially in communities that look like mine.
What I love most about my work is knowing there’s a real person at the end of everything we do. My name may never be known to the patient whose care I helped support, but knowing my expertise may have helped remove a barrier for someone is incredibly meaningful to me.
I think what sets me apart professionally is my ability to connect with people. I understand the technical and analytical side of my job, but I also know how to take complicated information and make it feel a little less complicated. I genuinely enjoy building relationships, educating others, solving problems, and being someone people trust to help them find a path forward.
I’m also proud that I’ve built a successful career without feeling like I have to fit into one particular box. I can be knowledgeable and accomplished in my professional life and still be creative, love fashion, make ridiculous jokes on the internet, and have interests that have absolutely nothing to do with my career. I think for a long time, many of us were taught that being “professional” meant presenting only one version of ourselves. I’ve learned that all of those different pieces can coexist, and I’m really proud of the woman I’ve become both inside and outside of my career.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I’m an eldest daughter who grew up in a single-parent household with my mom and my little sister, so if you know, you know. 😂 I think I came out of the womb responsible and slightly bossy.
Growing up as a military kid also meant we moved around quite a bit, including living overseas, so I learned pretty early how to adapt to new places, new schools, and new people. I think moving so much also taught me how to be pretty independent.
Personality-wise, I’ve always been a little bit of a mix. I can actually be pretty shy and introverted, especially when I’m first getting to know people, but once I’m comfortable, that’s usually a completely different story. I’ve always been curious, observant, and perfectly content doing my own thing. I loved reading, writing, music, fashion, and anything that gave me a chance to be creative.
My mom worked incredibly hard to give my sister and me a good life, and watching her do that shaped so much of who I am. She taught me to be independent, resourceful, and to figure things out when life doesn’t necessarily go according to plan.
It’s funny looking back because so many parts of who I was as a little girl are still very much who I am now. I’m still curious, still reading, still obsessed with clothes, still a little shy—and apparently still finding ways to share my business with anybody willing to listen. The platforms have just changed. 😂
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becoming.marissa
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-williams-pacs-6a616197/
