From Pain to Purpose: Natalie A. Solomon on Healing, Wholeness, and the Sacred Power of Rest
It’s a quiet Wednesday afternoon, the kind where the world outside the office windows feels just a bit slower. The clock says lunchtime, but conversations like this don’t follow a schedule. I’m calling in from South Carolina. Across the phone line, Natalie A. Solomon, MPH, speaks from her own midday pause in Maryland. The tone in her voice is calm but unmistakably powerful—the kind that doesn’t demand attention but effortlessly commands it. Even through the phone, it’s clear: this woman knows how to hold sacred space.
“I’m in a conference room,” she says with a smile I can hear. “But the view is beautiful, and I’m thankful for that.” That’s the thing about Natalie: she tries to find the beauty. Even when life has brought her to her knees, she’s somehow found her footing again. Not because the pain wasn’t real—it was. It still is. But because she decided that her suffering would not have the final say. That is the very heartbeat of her message: Secure Your Oxygen Mask First. Not out of selfishness, but because a woman can’t pour from an empty vessel—especially not one with a divine assignment.
Today, she’s dressed in a pink African print skirt, a tank top, and a kimono draped over it. No stilettos—just slides. “It’s a chill day,” she says, but there’s still power in her presence. Her shaved head and mohawk make a bold statement. It’s unapologetic. It’s alive. It’s her. “Someone told me recently I always look so put together and funky,” Natalie shares. “I’ve embraced that. My clothes are an expression. It’s who I am—creative, confident, and a little outside the box.”
She doesn’t just talk about authenticity; she lives it.
Before the accolades—before she became a trusted public health analyst shaping national policies and a voice of healing for thousands of women—Natalie faced the kind of pain that many never speak aloud. Diagnosed at 19 with stage four endometriosis, Natalie endured not just physical agony, but emotional isolation. “It’s a reproductive health disease with no cure. It causes extreme pain and can lead to infertility,” she explains. “I’ve had multiple surgeries due to cysts and ruptures. Even after a hysterectomy, the pain sometimes persists.”
Her words are honest, unfiltered, and wrapped in grace.
She speaks not from theory, but from the trenches—from hospital rooms and sleepless nights and desperate prayers whispered in the dark. “There were times when I asked God, Why am I in so much pain?”
But even in the pain, purpose began to unfold. Quietly. Faithfully.
After a brain tumor diagnosis left her stunned, she kept the news to herself for nearly a year. “I was in shock,” she admits. But healing has never been just physical for Natalie. It’s spiritual. Emotional. Atmospheric. She turned a room in her home into what she calls a zenden—a sacred space of vision boarding, meditation, and rest. “It became my sanctuary. A place to heal and move forward.”
With over 20 years in public health, Natalie holds a federal role many dreams about—but she doesn’t chase titles. She chases impact. Her mission is as sacred as her story: to advance women’s health equity, cultural humility, and innovative HIV care. In a world where statistics too often fail to capture the soul of a woman’s story, Natalie brings both expertise and empathy. She’s been featured in Marquis Who’s Who, but her deepest work happens far from the spotlight—coaching women through burnout, guiding them back to their breath, and helping them reclaim their rhythm.
“I teach women to Secure Their Oxygen Mask First. It’s not just a phrase—it’s a movement.”
The phrase came to her during a public health presentation. “We were studying how standard programs often don’t work for Black women. And I thought of the airline safety instruction: Put your mask on first before helping others. That hit me. That’s what we need.” It’s not a suggestion—it’s a lifeline. “I wish more women understood that rest is a form of resistance,” Natalie says firmly. “It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to take time for yourself. We don’t have to be everything to everyone.” Her voice never rises, but it lands like a revelation.
“Rest isn’t laziness. It’s revolutionary. When we breathe, balance, and bloom, we remind the world—and ourselves—that our well-being matters.”
When she talks about healing, Natalie doesn’t offer vague affirmations or generic self-help mantras. She delivers soul-centered strategies: setting boundaries, practicing daily gratitude, creating joyful environments, and saying no without guilt. Her toolbox for healing includes meditation, journaling, laughter, and the courage to choose herself daily.
At the core of Natalie’s public health leadership is a radical commitment to cultural humility. “It’s recognizing that you’re not the expert on someone else’s culture,” she says. “It’s about listening deeply, allowing people to define themselves, and acknowledging what you don’t know.” In a field often dominated by data, Natalie insists on the dignity behind the numbers. She asks hard questions and holds space for real stories. Her work reminds us that the people behind policies need to be seen and heard—not studied from a distance. This is the divine tension she holds so beautifully: she’s both an expert and an empath. Leader and learner. Scholar and sister.
When asked what every woman should keep in her emotional healing toolkit, Natalie doesn’t hesitate. “The power of no. The discipline to pause. The celebration of small victories. Surrounding yourself with people who actually see you. Creating joy, every day, on purpose.” It’s clear she’s not offering advice she hasn’t practiced herself. Writing her book—still in progress—has become a sacred reminder of her humanity. “It’s been cathartic. It’s taught me to practice what I preach. I’m still healing too.”
If Natalie could speak directly to the tired woman scrolling late at night, to the one who feels invisible, depleted, and overlooked, her words would be simple—but sacred. “Protect your energy. Recognize your worth. Create your own sacred space. Be intentional about honoring who you are becoming.” And if you don’t feel okay? That’s okay too. “You never know how strong you are until you have to be,” she says. “Give yourself grace. You don’t need to have it all together. You just need to keep showing up.” Natalie’s definition of purpose has changed with her seasons. “I used to ask, Why is this happening to me? Now I ask, How can this help someone else?”
She’s still healing, still becoming, still writing her next chapter—but now, with full awareness that her story carries healing not just for herself, but for every woman brave enough to face her own.
“I’m walking in gratitude now,” she says. “Even when it hurts, I know I’m here for a reason.”
Before our call ends, I ask Natalie what she hopes for the next generation—the daughters, sisters, nieces, and mentees rising behind her. Her voice softens but doesn’t waver.
“I pray they recognize their value. That they honor their capacity. That they know it’s okay to leave situations that no longer serve them—without apology.”
She speaks like a woman who’s made peace with her past, holds power in her present, and surrenders to her future. “I hope they seek therapy. Prioritize mental health. Reinvent themselves as needed and stand strong in the face of opposition.” There’s a pause on the line. The kind that lingers with weight. “Build the life you want,” she says. “Unapologetically.”
Natalie A. Solomon doesn’t just speak wellness. She embodies it.
She’s not just here to survive—she’s here to lead, to heal, and to help others rise from the ashes with their own oxygen mask secured, crown intact, and spirit fully awakened.
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