Dr. Nishaun T. Battle was born in South Central Los Angeles, raised in Inglewood, California, with a matriarch lineage from Louisiana. Growing up in a large, extended family, with over a dozen aunts and uncles, along with several cousins, with unique and expressive personalities, I recall hearing the most compelling stories regularly at family gatherings. These insightful stories regarding social issues, social inequality, and the relationship between career and quality of life, shaped both my interest in self-care and wellness, and my research agenda towards social justice in academia.

Nishaun T. Battle is an Associate Professor at Virginia State University in the department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, the author of “Black Girlhood, Punishment, and Resistance: Reimagining Justice for Black Girls in Virginia”, a U.S. Department of Justice grant recipient and Principal Investigator of a youth-based grant centering mental health wellness and school safety, a Democratizing Knowledge Project Mellon Fellow, a participant of the Intersectional Qualitative Research Methods Institute at the University of Maryland-College Park, a research contributor for the Mellon Foundation funded Howard University Social Justice consortium, a consultant for a Virginia based mentoring organization, and is a board member of non-profit organization Pretty Purposed.

Dr. Battle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Afro-Ethnic Studies from California State University Fullerton. Nishaun would then leave her home state of California, to pursue and earn a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. After working in the mentoring and mental health field, Dr. Battle would go on to earn a doctorate degree in Sociology with concentrations in Criminology and Social Inequality, in addition to earning a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Battle’s work is grounded in Intersectionality and is guided by both qualitative and arts-based research. Her research is directly impacted by her lived experiences as a Black girl and as a result, her dedicated passion to helping Black girls and other girls of color thrive in positive and uplifting environments grounded in justice.

The moment of inspiration….

After realizing that fitting into one little small box would never be a reality I would embrace, I began creating my own path that would work for the type of lifestyle that I wanted. I began to notice a pattern among Black women and women of color in particular, enduring various forms of toxicity in their respective work spaces. Realizing I wasn’t alone was a form of healing but I knew action needed to take place. I became intentional with creating a path to cultivate my interests outside of academia, while also embracing the normalization of wellness in my life. The final moment of self-reflection, would be the untimely passing of my Father. That event reminded me about the uncertainty and shortness of our time here on earth, the lesson of living in your purpose, and how fulfillment in life should always be prioritized.

I wanted to combine how to take charge of my health and wellness, while also empowering other women to do the same. So, I made the choice to start Lady Rose Specialty Teas, an herbal tea-based wellness business. I knew this holistic approach to helping others was only the beginning. My ultimate goal was to reach as many high achieving women in academia, entrepreneurs, and executive leaders, to center self-care holistically, while also helping them build wealth by turning their passions and skills into helping others.