Tell us about Dr. Emelda beyond the titles and professional accomplishments.
My name is Dr. Emelda Uzoagbado, PhD, MNM, MPH. I am a Naturopathy Doctor, public health professional, health educator, clinical research professional, U.S. Army veteran, entrepreneur, and founder of 360 Essential Services.
Beyond the titles, I am simply Emelda. I love people, I value kindness, and I believe strongly in service. I enjoy learning and finding ways to use what I have learned to help others.
My journey has taken me through healthcare, public health, clinical research, natural wellness, behavioral health, entrepreneurship, and community outreach. These may seem like different areas, but for me, they all connect through one thing, which is serving people.
I want the things I do to have meaning. Whether I am educating someone about health, working within my profession, building a business, or serving my community, I want there to be a purpose behind it.
Your parents brought you to the United States. How did that experience shape your journey?
Coming to the United States with my parents opened a completely new chapter of my life.
I had to adjust to a different environment, learn new things, and eventually discover the direction I wanted my own life to take. Looking back, I believe those experiences taught me how to adapt and how to keep moving forward when life changes.
As I grew older, I wanted to do something meaningful with the opportunities I had been given. Eventually, that led me to join the U.S. Army National Guard.
That decision became an important part of my journey and helped shape the woman I am today.
What did serving in the U.S. Army National Guard teach you?
The military taught me lessons that have stayed with me throughout my life.
It taught me discipline, responsibility, teamwork, leadership, accountability, and resilience. It also taught me that sometimes life is not just about you. There are moments when you have to think about the people beside you and the responsibility you have been given.
There were challenging moments, but those experiences also helped me discover strengths within myself.
Today, I am proud to be a U.S. Army veteran. I may no longer wear the uniform, but the discipline and commitment to service that I learned during that chapter remain part of who I am.
Your professional background covers several areas of healthcare. What keeps you passionate about health and wellness?
For me, it always comes back to people.
Health affects so many areas of our lives. When someone is not doing well physically or emotionally, it can affect their family, work, relationships, confidence, and overall quality of life.
I became interested in understanding health from different perspectives because I believe wellness involves many different parts of our lives.
I especially enjoy health education. Health information can sometimes feel complicated or overwhelming. I enjoy helping people understand it in a simpler and more practical way.
I want people to feel comfortable asking questions, learning about their bodies, and becoming more involved in their own health.
What does natural medicine mean to you?
For me, natural medicine means looking at the whole person and paying attention to the everyday things that may influence health and wellness.
I am interested in areas such as nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, emotional wellness, and prevention.
I also believe we have a responsibility to be careful about how we discuss natural health. Natural approaches should not be used as a reason to ignore necessary medical care.
I believe people should be encouraged to understand their options, ask questions, and work with qualified healthcare professionals when needed. My goal is to educate people and help them make informed decisions about their health.
You are the founder of 360 Essential Services. What inspired you to start the company?
360 Essential Services came from my desire to build something that could serve people in different ways.
Throughout my journey, I have developed interests in healthcare, wellness, education, clinical research, workforce development, and community service. I wanted to create something that could bring these areas together while continuing to grow into other areas where there is a genuine need.
For me, entrepreneurship is about more than owning a company. I want what I build to have purpose.
My vision for 360 Essential Services is to create opportunities, educate people, connect communities with useful resources, and develop services that can positively impact people’s lives.
It is still growing, and I am learning as I build. That is part of what makes the journey exciting for me.
You have accomplished a great deal academically. What keeps you interested in education?
I genuinely enjoy learning.
My educational journey has included Healthcare Administration and Management, Holistic Health, Public Health, and Natural Medicine. I hold a PhD in Natural Medicine, and I am continuing my education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
But education, for me, is not simply about collecting degrees or adding letters behind my name.
Every area I have studied has taught me something different. Public health helped me understand communities and populations. Clinical research strengthened my appreciation for evidence, ethics, accuracy, and patient safety. Natural medicine expanded my interest in prevention and lifestyle. Mental health education is helping me understand more about emotions, behavior, and psychological wellness.
I don’t think learning should ever really stop.
What is one lesson life has taught you that you could never have learned from a textbook?
Life has taught me that everything will not always happen according to your plans, and sometimes that is okay.
There are moments when you have to change direction. Sometimes you have to start again.
Sometimes something you thought would be permanent becomes only one chapter of your story.
I have learned that starting over does not necessarily mean you failed. Sometimes it means you had enough courage to recognize that it was time for something different.
I have also learned not to judge people too quickly. Someone can look perfectly fine on the outside while dealing with something very difficult privately.
That lesson has made compassion even more important to me.
What are some of the things you hope to accomplish through 360 Essential Services?
I want 360 Essential Services to continue growing into something that genuinely serves people and communities.
Health education is very important to me, but my vision goes beyond one area. I want to create initiatives that bring together wellness, education, community engagement, professional development, and opportunities for people.
I also want the work to reach different communities, both locally and internationally.
I don’t want growth simply for the sake of saying the company has become bigger. I want the growth to have meaning. If we expand, I want it to be because we have found another way to provide something useful or create an opportunity that can make a difference.
What makes you different from other professionals in your field?
I don’t really like comparing myself with other professionals because everyone brings something different to the table.
What I can say about myself is that my journey has allowed me to experience many different environments.
I have served in the military. I have worked in healthcare and clinical research. I have studied public health and natural medicine. I have entered entrepreneurship and become involved in community service.
Those experiences have introduced me to people from many different backgrounds.
I try to listen before making conclusions. I also don’t believe that having education or professional accomplishments means you suddenly know everything.
There is always someone you can learn from, and I want to remain open to that.
What do people often not know about you?
People often see the professional side of me, but I actually have a very simple side.
I enjoy genuine conversations, laughter, peaceful moments, good food, and being around people who have positive intentions.
I also enjoy helping people privately. I don’t believe every good thing you do for another person has to be announced or posted online. Some things should simply come from the heart.
I am also naturally curious. If something catches my attention, I may find myself researching it just because I want to understand it better.
What do you think people sometimes misunderstand about ambitious women?
Sometimes people see the accomplishments without seeing everything that happened behind them.
They may not see the sacrifices, long days, disappointments, moments of doubt, or the times you had to pick yourself back up and continue.
Being ambitious does not mean everything comes easily.
I also believe a woman can be strong and still be compassionate. She can lead and still listen. She can be determined and still be kind. Those qualities do not have to compete with each other.
With everything you are working toward, how do you define success today?
My definition of success has changed over time.
Of course, accomplishments are important, and I am grateful for the things I have achieved. But today, success means much more to me than titles or recognition.
I think about purpose, peace, growth, and impact.
I want to achieve my goals, but I also want to enjoy my life, maintain genuine relationships, treat people well, and know that something I did helped another person.
If I can build a meaningful life while helping other people improve theirs, that is success to me.
You have mentioned an interest in public service. Where does that come from?
Service has been part of many different chapters of my life.
I served in the military. I have worked in healthcare, public health, research, health education, and community outreach. Because of those experiences, public service is something that naturally interests me.
At the appropriate time, I intend to pursue an elected seat.
For now, I believe preparation is important. I want to continue learning, listening to people, understanding community needs, and serving in the ways that I can.
For me, public service should begin with listening. You have to understand the people and communities you hope to serve.
Is there an area of your personal life that you intentionally keep private?
Yes. My family and personal relationships are very important to me, but they are also areas I prefer to keep private.
I don’t like discussing my family or love life publicly.
I understand that when someone shares parts of their professional life, people may naturally become curious about their personal life. However, I believe healthy boundaries are important.
The people close to me deserve their privacy too.
I am comfortable sharing my work, education, experiences, and some of the lessons life has taught me, but there are certain things I prefer to keep between myself and the people I love.
Not everything meaningful in life needs an audience.
When you are away from work, what brings you joy?
Simple things bring me joy.
I enjoy good conversations, laughter, peaceful moments, good food, learning something new, and spending time around people who genuinely care about one another.
I think when you are always working toward another goal, it can become easy to forget that life is also happening right now.
I am learning to appreciate the present while still being excited about what is ahead.
Sometimes happiness is not a major accomplishment. It can simply be a peaceful day, a good conversation, or knowing that someone you care about is doing well.
What would you like the next chapter of your life to look like?
I want the next chapter of my life to be centered around purpose, service, and making a meaningful impact.
I want to continue growing 360 Essential Services and use the platform to reach and serve communities both in the United States and across Africa.
My vision is to continue creating opportunities around health education, wellness, community development, and access to useful resources. I want the work I do to reach beyond one community or one country.
The United States has been an important part of my journey, and Africa will always be an important part of who I am. I hope to use my experiences, education, and professional background to help build connections and create positive change in both places.
For me, the next chapter is not simply about becoming more successful. It is about using what I have learned and what I continue to build to serve people and leave a meaningful impact wherever I have the opportunity to do so.
Finally, what advice would you give someone who is still trying to find their purpose?
I would tell them not to put too much pressure on themselves to have everything figured out immediately.
Sometimes purpose becomes clearer as you live.
Your life can have several chapters. You can change careers. You can return to school. You can build something new. You can experience disappointment and still become excited about your future again.
Take care of your health. Keep learning. Protect your peace. Be kind to people. Ask for help when you need it, and don’t be afraid to change direction when something is no longer right for you.
Most importantly, when you have an opportunity to help someone, do it.
At the end of my journey, I don’t want to be remembered only for degrees, titles, businesses, or accomplishments.
I would rather be remembered for how I treated people, how I served, and whether my life made a positive difference in the lives of others.
Dr. Emelda Uzoagbado, PhD, MNM, MPH
Naturopathy Doctor | Founder, 360 Essential Services | Public Health Professional | Health Educator | Clinical Research Professional | U.S. Army Veteran | Entrepreneur
