We had the good fortune of connecting with Diamond Craig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diamond, what makes you happy?
This is an awesome question to reflect on. As a natural giver; a person who works a career and runs a business that serves others; this is a great way to look introspectively and really reflect on the things that bring joy. I am happy when I am with my family. They provide me with support, unconditional love and a safe space; where I don’t have to be the “RN” or “nonprofit leader”. I am just “Dime”. Additionally, I feel happy when I am walking in my purpose. Pouring into other people and impacting their lives in a positive way truly makes me feel like I am doing what I feel God has ordained me to do. I am happy when I am able to fellowship in my church with other like-minded people and really worship and praise God. Lastly, as of late, I find immense joy in pouring into myself. For many years, I neglected myself and overextended myself for others. In this last season, I learned that if I don’t pour into myself; I can not be good for my family, purpose or the people that I serve in healthcare or in my community. Lately, I have found genuine happiness in working out, traveling, doing yoga, enjoying spa and facial days, journaling and sometimes just sitting in silence reflecting on all that I have to be grateful for.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I always say that I feel I was made for the career that I am in. It takes a patient, kind, caring person to go into nursing. I thrive off of helping people during their most vulnerable time and ultimately helping them to get better. Although I am very satisified with my career, it was not easy to get to this point. It took a lot of failure, disappointment, falling down and getting back up in order to get where I am today. I’ve always had the dream of becoming a medical doctor. After failing out of my medical school pursuit in 2017, I felt lost. There was no other career that I could see myself in at the time. Nevertheless my life is a true testament of “all things working together for our good”. My medical school failure helped me realize that this was not a career that I truly loved; but was pursuing because of the expectations of those around me. Failing out of my medical pursuit led me to discovering a career that truly fulfills me. Through this journey, I’ve learned that you ultimately have to do what makes you happy. I’ve also learned that their is no such thing as failure. Most of what we see as failures are actually setting us up for where we are meant to be. Lastly, my career in nursing has inspired me to create a program that helps young women with a passion for healthcare get into these careers. My experience has equipped me to help young women with dreams of going into healthcare, pursue this goal.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was in the area, the first place that I would take them is Brooklyn, NY. Although I currently do not reside in Brooklyn, it is home for me and will always have a special place in my heart. Brooklyn is my birthplace. There is so much creativity, a rich history and inspiration in the area. I would take them to Juniors, a Brooklyn staple to eat. We would walk the Brooklyn bridge, go see the Promenade, visit the Brooklyn museum, Prospect Park and some of the neighborhoods that some of the most influential people come from (i.e: Spike Lee, Jay-Z, Christopher Wallace). Brooklyn was the place that welcomed the generations before me that came from the South to create a better life and legacy for my family. Its where my parents met, fell in love and created me. Without Brooklyn, there would be no me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would first have to shoutout my family! They have been loving and so supportive of me as I have gone through the ebbs and flows of my journey. They loved me during my hardest times; when I wasn’t the most loveable; and showed up for me even when they didn’t quite understand the vision. I would also have to shoutout the original PurposefullyPretty team. They invested their time, energies and efforts into the organization and helped me get it off of the ground. The organization would not be where it is without their dedication in the early years. Lastly, I would have to shoutout all of the teachers, community leaders, other organizations, donors and individuals who believed in, spread the word about and donated to the organization; whether with time, or monetarily. Thank you David Tanis from The Showing Hearts Foundation for being a great supporter of PuposefullyPretty since our inception in 2012!

Website: www.purposefullyprettyinc.org

Instagram: @purposefullypretty_inc

Linkedin: www.Linkedin.com/PurposefullyPretty

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PurposefullyPretty

Youtube: www.youtube.com/PurposefullyPretty

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.