Today we’d like to introduce you to Miasha Gilliam-El.
Hi Miasha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey began as a healthy mother whose life changed dramatically after childbirth. In 2012, following the birth of my 6th child, I developed Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and went into cardiac arrest. I was without a heartbeat for approximately ten minutes and spent several days on life support, unable to breathe on my own. During that time, I had a profound near-death experience that reshaped my understanding of life, purpose, and survival.
Surviving that crisis opened the door to a deeper reckoning with earlier trauma as well—including surviving childhood molestation and later domestic violence. Those experiences, combined with my medical near-death event, became the foundation for my advocacy and speaking work.
Today, through my platform Well On Purpose, I focus on intentional health and intentional living. My work includes speaking, education, and advocacy around Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and maternal health disparities, domestic violence awareness, and trauma survivorship. I use my lived experience alongside professional insight to help others understand the long-term impact of trauma on the body and to amplify voices that are often unheard.
My work is about survival, but more importantly, it’s about healing, purpose, and transformation.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
After surviving a near-death experience following childbirth, I have had to navigate deep personal loss, ongoing health challenges, and periods of financial strain, often while feeling misunderstood and without the support I needed. Grief from losing loved ones and the invisible aftermath of medical trauma reshaped my life in ways that were not always visible to others. Those struggles ultimately became the foundation for my advocacy. Through my work with Well On Purpose, I now speak openly about survival, trauma, and healing, using my lived experience to transform hardship into purpose.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a Director of Nursing, I bridge the gap between high-level clinical operations and the human heart. My leadership is defined by a commitment to transforming how we view care for the most vulnerable patients.
I specialize in the intricate world of memory care, focusing on person-centered dignity. I view my work as a mission to translate “behavior” into communication, ensuring that patients with cognitive decline are not just managed, but truly seen and respected.
My proudest achievement is my work with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) awareness. By championing this cause, I work to close the life-threatening gaps in maternal healthcare, ensuring that symptoms are recognized and that no mother faces heart failure without an informed advocate.
What sets my work apart is the ability to advocate from two distinct, powerful vantage points:
• The Medical: A deep, clinical understanding of pathology, and healthcare systems.
• The Personal: A lived experience that provides the empathy and intuition only someone “on the inside” can possess.
Whether I am navigating a complex dementia care plan or raising awareness for maternal heart health, I lead with clinical authority and personal authenticity. I speak the language of the physician and the patient simultaneously, ensuring that care is as scientifically sound as it is deeply felt.
Any big plans?
I am looking forward to fulfilling God’s plan for my life ( Jeremiah 29:11) working with others to improve health disparities and increase awareness in all communities here and abroad. I am advocating for change in urban communities as far as the relationship and communication between practitioners and patients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bit.ly/HERBALDELITZCUPCAKES
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmgilliamel?igsh=MTZnZjJtN3M3djliZw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Pbqena49u/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dr.miashagilliam-el8866?si=gDbDhb-HNLrtdkDi
