In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Brittany Prince Evans, the CEO and founder of the nonprofit WellStart Initiatives. Brittany shares a pivotal early‑career story about applying to 150 jobs, landing an entry‑level position at Emory Healthcare after a rejected interview, and learning that "delayed does not mean denied," which taught her patience and perseverance. She explains her public‑health expertise, emphasizing how zip code dramatically influences health outcomes—citing her upbringing in a poor South Carolina county and the stark 10‑year life‑expectancy gap between Atlanta neighborhoods like Buckhead and Bankhead. Brittany offers business advice centered on organization, describing how calendars and to‑do lists keep her multiple projects on track. She gives her younger self reassurance that she already possesses the tools needed for success. When asked about happiness, she identifies peace of mind as essential, outweighing wealth. Brittany discusses her favorite reading material, highlighting a quote from Charlene’s "Black Privilege" about success being a process, and shares her favorite Gandhi quote, "be the change you want to see in the world." She concludes by directing listeners to her LinkedIn profile and Twitter handle @BE_Monea. The episode ends with a brief Anchor promotion.
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All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Brittany Prince Evans with us. She is the CEO and founder of WellStart Initiatives, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and implementation of strategies and plans that will decrease health disparities. So welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for inviting me, Ty. I'm very honored to be a part of this.
Of course, and we're grateful to have you on. So Brittany, the first question we ask on the show is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Okay, so I would have to say when I first moved to Atlanta, Georgia after graduating from the University of South Carolina, I think that I probably Applied to maybe about 150 jobs. I feel like that was a job within itself, submitting applications, and only to have about 3 interviews. And one was at my dream company, which was Emory Healthcare. And when I got the interview there, I did not get the job, but the guy was impressed with me that he recommended me for an entry-level position. That was at Emory. And it was a valuable lesson to me because what I thought that I deserved, I was not ready for it yet. And I realized that sometimes we do not, it's like a kid with a car. We sometimes feel like what we deserve, we're just not ready or not groomed for that yet. And I had to realize that Delayed does not mean denied. And sometimes that losing prepares us for success. And through interning with that entry-level position, I found out about a development program within Emory and was able to meet with people who were a part of that development program to get advice and knowledge on what tools or assets and things I need to bring to the table, and I applied to the program. I didn't get in the first time, um, but when I applied the second time, um, I got into the program, and that was a valuable lesson for me with learning patience throughout that whole process.
And then what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Well, I work with, I work in the field of public health, and that's where I got my Bachelor of Science in at the University of South Carolina. And available information is that your zip code can affect your health outcome. I learned that very quickly when I grew up in a very small town in South Carolina, in Clarendon County, which was one of the poorest poorest counties at the time. And in fact, my hospital was ranked the top 25 worst hospitals in the year of 2012. And I was actually misdiagnosed at this hospital, which kind of gave me an interest in the field of public health. And that's what I do in my day job, as well as with my nonprofit now. And that is just crazy how people living a few blocks apart can have a disparity in life expectancy. Even in Atlanta, you can go to Buckhead and then go down the road to Bankhead, and it's about a 10-year difference in life expectancy. And there's things that need to be done from health policies to access, to even food deserts. There are things that need to be done to help decrease that.
And then what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
I would have to say being organized. Working in my field, I'm in so many different projects that I have to work on and being organized is the main thing from my calendar to have me on point of where I need to be, to having my to-do list is definitely a big part of helping me to stay on track with doing so many different jobs within my job title. I feel like organization is the key.
And then if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would have to say that you're going to be okay. You have all the tools inside you already. You just have to activate it.
And then kind of go a little bit down a different path. In your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
In my opinion, peace of mind is the key to happiness. You can have all the money in the world and everything, but if you're not there mentally, you won't be able to experience that full happiness.
And then what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
So I have a book club and I have so many several books that I love, but I'm just going to pick right now Charlene's The God Who Was a Radio personality from The Breakfast Club. He wrote a book called Black Privilege, and he's actually from like Watts, Koreatown area. And that was just one quote that kind of stuck out to me. And I'm going to give you that quote. He was like, success is a process. There are no cheat codes, no life hacks, shortcuts, and no half steps. Opportunity always comes before money. But sadly, a lot of us don't recognize it unless there's a paycheck attached. Don't make that mistake. When you're starting out, put yourself in the position to be a part of the process and then get that money.
Yeah, I'm a big fan of The Breakfast Club as well, so I love it. Very cool. And then, so I guess is that— and that's your favorite quote as well?
Yeah, that's my favorite— no, that's not my favorite quote. My favorite quote is actually by Gandhi, which is, be the change that you want to see in the world. And I like that quote because helping one person is helping an entire generation. So that's a big impact. And if you're not— and if you operate in your purpose, in your why, and then this can help bless others. And if you're not doing that, you could be blocking someone else's blessing.
I love it. Thank you so much for coming on. The last one I got for you before we let you go is where can our audience best find you online?
Yes. So I'm on LinkedIn at Brittany Prince Evans, and I'm also on Twitter @BE_Monea, which is spelled M-O-N-E-A.
Perfect. Thanks again for coming on.
Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoy it.
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