Curvaceous and drop-dead gorgeous Judy Wambui alias Nurse Judy is one of the most decorated Kenyan influencers without a doubt.
The vocal nurse who is also a mother of 2 made the decision to make the big move to the United States in her quest for greener pastures and she has not looked back since. Now living her best life in California and keeping her followers entertained as they are educated, she opens up to The Sauce on all that jazz.
You are one of the most popular influencers who are also in the medical field on Kenyan social media. How has that impacted your career as a nurse?
Come to think of it, I am. Overall, being a popular influencer in the medical field has significantly impacted my career as a nurse. It has provided me with a platform to educate, influence, and advocate for important healthcare issues. It has opened up new opportunities for professional growth, networking, and collaboration. It has allowed me to make a positive impact on the lives of others, which is at the core of my passion for healthcare.
The popularity as an influencer in the medical field has also created additional career opportunities for me. These include consultancy work(allnursingbynursejudy), brand partnerships, and collaborations with healthcare organizations. These opportunities also provide avenues for personal and financial avenues. I’m currently working with a healthcare brand that’s paying me a lot.
How does working in America as a nurse compare to working in Kenya?
The money, the money! It’s really good here compared to Kenya. We literally used to get paid peanuts even with way more workload! Over here, we are laughing all the way to the bank. They actually call nurses ‘big money’ in the US.
Then, as a nurse here, the opportunities come in plenty. It is a stark contrast given that in Kenya, there’s thousands of jobless nurses and if you are lucky to get a job in government hospitals, the struggle is real. From working with limited resource to late salaries and relentless misery.
Despite your successes and popularity, you have also gone through your fair share of trials with controversy and internet trolls. How do you handle that?
It has not been easy. Kenyan trolls can literally kill you. Over time I have learnt a few hacks that have been very helpful and powerful. I used to engage the negative comments, until I realized engaging only escalates the situation and give them the attention they so badly seek, and the result is I end up giving them power. Currently on my page, I delete and block any hint of negativity. I also avoid reading comment section where blogs have posted about me, because what you are not privy to cannot hurt you. I implored people to stop forwarding screenshots of gossip they see about me. I maintain a positive mindset and I have since become so intentional about taking care of my mental and emotional wellbeing. I’m focusing on the bigger picture and constantly reminding myself why I started this whole journey and the positive impact I’m making. I have come to terms with the more you thrive and court success, the more hate you are likely to encounter. People hate it when you are doing good.
How has it been juggling between working overseas and making time for your family who are based in Kenya and Tanzania?
God knows how hard this has been for me and especially my kids. The airport goodbyes have been brutal. It has been challenging to say the least but we have made it bearable and doable. We have technology to thank for making such situations easier. I’m very intentional with constant communication with my spouse and kids – we facetime in the morning when he is preparing them for school and himself for work, all the way until he drops them to school, the the same replicated in the evening – we have dinner virtually and even watch movies together. I make my presence so loud virtually they almost forget I’m physically absent. I help my kids with homework on the phone as well. Last but not least, planning frequent visits and taking vacays to spend time together has helped us a lot.
You are quite the outspoken kind and aren’t afraid to speak your mind. Were you always this way?
Am I!? Yes of course. I take after my mom entirely. She was exactly like me when it comes to my vocal nature and penchant to being unfiltered. I say as it is. From a young age, I had a desire to express my thoughts and opinions openly. I believe in the importance of standing up for what I believe in and speaking out against injustice . Being outspoken has allowed me to engage in meaningful discussions, honest and authentic conversations and advocate for positive change. While it be challenging to voice unpopular opinions sometimes, I believe that it is important to be true to myself and use my voice to make a difference.
How do you strike a balance between your influencer work and nursing career?
They say when you do what you love, you will never have to work a single day in your life. I’m very passionate about both of those ventures. As challenging as it may get sometimes, both content creation and nursing are so fulfilling and rewarding to me. I have worked so hard to find the balance but I’m in the process of engaging a manager and a PR personnel because the more my platform grows, the harder it gets to find a balance given that I’m not a fulltime content creator. The DMs get so overwhelming. I have more brands and businesses reaching out to work with me now and I just learned it’s not easy putting everything in order and having a seamless flow of things. On my days off the nursing job, I maximize on creating, editing content and queue it to share in the coming week.
Advise to budding nurses whose dream is also to make the big move overseas?
It is a move I would encourage every nurse to hop on and is absolutely worth the while. Nonetheless, making the big move overseas will require careful planning, perseverance, patience and a willingness to adapt. As much as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, the obvious challenges abroad like culture shock, food and just being away from your home country can be quite depressing sometimes.
What are some of the challenges that came with moving to a different country for greener pastures?
In my case, moving here without my family has been a nightmare. I have never been without them and on so many days I have cried over it. I moved here without a greencard. I came on a visit visa before I successfully changed my status to a greencard and so in the initial stages I really struggled. I was even thrown out of a house I was living in with an old friend and was on the verge of being homeless. Learning to adapt to a new country’s culture can be challenging. My advice would be, arm yourself with proper information. It helps you maneuver your way around here better.
As a professional, if you had the power, what are some of the changes you would implement in the Kenyan nursing space?
I love this question
I would advocate for increased funding and allocation of resources to health sector, because tell me why you are going to carry out a procedure and realize you have limited to no resources for the same.
I would definitely ensure nurses are well compensated for the critical role they play.
I would advocate for importance of support staff such as CNA (Nursing assistants) because nurses in Kenya end up so overwhelmed with workload which in turns affect the quality of care to patients.
I would address other pertinent issues like understaffing, nurse -patient ratio, as it makes no sense how one assigned is assigned 16-30 patients to take care of.
What is your typical work day like?
Every day is different. Basically, when I get to work, I get handoff report on the patients I will be taking care of(4-5patients)at most.Then I do my rounding to ensure they have a chest rise. Fear nurses, they can hand you over a patient in rigor motis while in their report they mentioned “patient is restful in bed”! Also during rounding, I’m able to determine what are my patients needs and prioritize their cares accordingly. I then start doing Med pass, carry out doctors’s orders, follow up with patients, labs and procedures, collaborate with doctors’ in patients care and educate patients on their treatment and diagnosis.12 hours later, I hand over the report to the incoming nurse.
Describe yourself in 5 words.
Beautiful, charismatic, authentic, real and empathetic.
Who are your current Kenyan favorite content creators and why?
Crazy Kennar – His videos heal depression. He is the GOAT.
Abel Mutua – Amazing storyteller and his creativity cannot be overstated.
Just Ivy Africa – I love her insights on finances and investments.
Blessed Njugush – I love how he communicates about Kenya’s serious problems through his skits.
There is this group of comedians who are also on my list of favorites: Cartoon Comedian, Jacky Vike, Mammito, Flaqo and
Mike Muchiri. I could never end my day without binging their content.
I recently discovered Chef wa Eastlando. He is uniquely creative, I love the food he makes and his voice overs kill me.
Natali Tewa – She is soft, has a beautiful body and her lifestyle content is on another calibre.
I could go on and on!
What is your biggest career/life motivation?
I don’t know if this makes sense, but poverty motivates me.
I grew up in so much poverty and the thought of ever going back to such or subjecting my kids to it makes me go hard triple times harder on the hustle. I just want to create a better future for myself and my kids.
What is your ultimate goal and why: To move and settle and America permanently or settle back home someday?
To make al ot of money, which is a very realistic goal in America.To invest here and back home, make a positive impact in the world and in the lives of others. I don’t plan on moving back to Kenya until Im 60.
What criteria do you use to decide which brands to work with and why?
I love working with brands I believe in as it makes it easier even when creating content for them.
I would never work with a brand that goes against what I preach on my page. For example, I’m very passionate about vaginal health and I give tips and hacks on how to keep it healthy . I advocate against unsafe vaginal practices, so when a brand wants me to promote products or services that contribute to reproductive health issues, it’s a big NO.
What would you advise an 16-year-old Judy?
To prioritize selfcare and wellbeing and set healthy boundaries. I would really emphasize on this because looking back as someone who struggled with saying no because of people pleasing, it cost me a lot.
Last but not least, to embrace failure and learn from it. I’d remind her that failure is not a reflection of my worth or potential.
What can your followers expect from you content-wise in 2024?
More and more content on Nursing and feminine health, family content and lifestyle (We will explore the whole of LA together)
Who are some of your career influences/people you look up to?
My life as sugar(American-based nurse)
Mercy Gono (American- based nurse)
Diana Marua. I love how she lives her life unapologetically no matter how much hate & trolls she is on the receiving end of. She keeps going, shining and thriving, she’s among the top females in Africa to reach 1M YouTube subscribers and has secured top endorsements in Kenya. Her work ethic and ability to handle trolls amazes me.
