Hidden Gems: Meet Fransine Sanchez of Talk Health with Frankie Co., Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fransine Sanchez.

Hi Fransine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts as a single teenage mother living in East Orange, NJ. Like many inner-city minorities, there were many odds stacked against me. Having a kid at 17 made life difficult, but it also showed me what unconditional love is and pushed me to do more for myself and my son, Jamil. I knew from a young age that I loved caring for people, so I set out to start my education in the medical field. I finished high school at home and started college when I was 19. My journey was challenging. I excelled in school, always completing my courses at the top of my class, but I also struggled to balance life as a mother and student. Like many teenage mothers, I had to make sacrifices and juggle school, work, and life outside of it all. My parents were an amazing support for me, and I will forever be thankful for their love. I enrolled in trade school to become a medical assistant first and quickly realized I wanted to pursue a career in nursing.

At 19, I married my first husband, moved out of the house, and started a new life as a wife and mother. When I was 21, I started my medical career at an outpatient oncology center in Summit, NJ. It was there that I realized how fragile life truly was. I worked in outpatient oncology for roughly 5 years and had 2 more children. At 25, I realized I was not happy in my marriage and wanted out. I packed up my 3 children and headed to North Carolina to start a new life with my parents. This was the beginning of my journey to self-discovery and growth.

When I arrived in NC, I immediately started working at UNC Durham Family Practice for an amazing group of primary care physicians. I was fortunate to work right beside Dr. Mohan Chilukuri, who first introduced me to preventive medicine and many eastern practices. I switched my career focus to nutrition and holistic medicine, learning hundreds of food therapies and ways to reverse and prevent disease. My passion for healing people began with me healing myself from all the trauma and pain.

Over the next 14 years, I spent many hours learning, practicing, and sharing the wisdom of lifestyle medicine. I studied to become a Holistic Health Practitioner and founded a 501c3 Holistic Health Practice called Talk Health with Frankie. I was determined to change the city of medicine into the city of health. My passion for teaching came full circle as I saw the value in my craft and how it helped people become the best version of themselves. Working in the medical system has shown me the seriousness of disease amongst people of color. While receiving my bachelor’s at NCCU, I learned about many health disparities and the effects of Social Determinants of Health black and brown communities face. With this newfound wisdom, I have pushed to become a voice for my people!

Currently, I work as the Director of Wellness & Quality at Durham Family Medicine. I help identify health disparities and areas of improvement for the better quality of life of the population we serve. I continue to do my philanthropic work as the president of THWF, where our mission is to provide one-on-one holistic health services to underserved communities. I also serve as the National Vice-President for Sigma Chi Psi Sorority Inc., working closely with like-minded women to bridge the social gap for women pursuing their degrees online.

I aspire to motivate other women of color to reach the stars and manifest a life they enjoy and can be proud of. Every day I rise, I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve others. I’m a second-year graduate student attending the University of North Carolina at Greensboro pursuing my Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education and a Post Bacc Certificate in WorkPlace Health Promotion. I’m determined to leave the world a better place than I found. I want my daughter Vanessa to look at me and say, “my mom could do great things, and so can I.”

My journey started with many odds stacked against me, but I went from teenage mom to sitting at the table in board rooms. If I can do it, so can you!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing in life is truly easy. I faced many challenges along the road toward building and living out my vision. The biggest challenge I faced included the fear I felt within myself. In my 20s and early 30s, I struggled to communicate my passion to others. I could never nail my elevator pitch and often felt like I lacked knowledge and experience. I felt I needed more education and confidence and had to dig deep to find it.

Finding me was hard. As confident as I appeared, I struggled to live up to all the amazing people I knew. One day, I realized I was pretty amazing and stopped comparing my story to other people’s stories. It took years for me to discover myself, and I’m still a work and progress. One thing is for sure, I have grown to love and appreciate my gifts and have so much gratitude for it all. I no longer wonder if I’m good enough. I know I’m uniquely crafted by God and here to make this world better.

This question reminds me of part of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Talk Health with Frankie Co., Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit Holistic Health Practice. Our mission is to provide holistic health and wellness services to underserved communities. Our vision is to change Durham, “the city of medicine,” into “the city of health.” Our philosophy is to change the communities focus from being great at treating disease to being great a preventing disease. We provide holistic health services, nutrition education, community health seminars, fitness events, and one-on-one health coaching.

Can you talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy?
Happiness for me is being able to do what I love daily. People who know me may have heard me say I’m thankful to work on “purpose.” Being able to do what I love every day brings me endless joy and happiness. Helping other people is the true essence of life for me. It is something that fills my cup and provides confirmation of my life’s purpose. Dancing also makes me happy! There’s just something about music that makes me feel whole!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.talkhealthwithfrankie.org
• Instagram: @mycoachfrankie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mycoachfrankie/

Image Credits
Sarah Murphy ( Main Picture )