Connect
To Top

Meet Nina Ellis-Hervey of BeautifulBrwnBabyDol in Spring Texas

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Ellis-Hervey.

Nina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My business, Dr. Nina and BeautifulBrwnBabyDol, begins with my story. I was adopted at three months, raised by a single parent mother in St. Louis MO, and Memphis, TN. My mother started off raising me on about $15,000 a year, but I never knew because she made magic. I was raised Church of God in Christ, a part of nearly every church ministry, and competed in debutants. I rap, sing, was classically trained in piano, played the viola, violin, and cello and braided hair. I was always into learning, science, innovation, and creation, which hasn’t changed a bit.

Now I am known as Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey, an award-winning tenured and Associate Professor in the School Psychology Doctoral Program at Stephen F. Austin State University. I earned my degrees from Truman State University and Oklahoma State University. I am a Licensed Psychologist (Clinical & School), Nationally Certified School Psychologist, a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (Texas and Louisiana) and a Certified Professional Life Coach. I am also the director of the School Psychology Assessment Center on campus and soon to be a Certified Personal Trainer in 2020. Further I am a part of the writing team at the Association for State and Provincial Psychology Board and assist in writing part 2 of the board exam for becoming a Licensed Psychologist.

My YouTube channels BeautifulBrwnBabyDol and BeautifulBrwnBabyDolTV chronicle my more than 100lb. Weight loss that I have maintained for nearly 15 years, educational triumphs, healthy psychological tips and beauty tutorials. With over 900K subscribers on YouTube, 60+ million video views nationally and internationally, and over one million followings across networks, I make it a point to make a positive mark on the world. I have been featured and recognized by Rolling Out Magazine, PEOPLE, Essence and Ebony magazines, Buzzfeed, and the TV shows HLN News Live, the Jeff Probst Show, Inside Edition, Extra, The Grio, Refinery 29, Delux Magazine and more! I have also partnered with power brands such as Black Enterprise, Pic Monkey, Aveeno and many more!

The joy is that my business allows me to work with various brands and for myself, maintaining exactly who I am at all times. Storytelling is the key to my business. I don’t boast in the ups but ensure people understand my downs and how I have persevered to become the woman I am today. I nearly failed out of college my first year but turned that around to become Dr. Nina 10 years later. I was raised by an amazing woman who had little money and no college degree but witnessed how she never complained and earned her degree, serving as the perfect example for me.

I gained 80+ pounds during my start in college due to some depression and anxiety and lack of trust in myself and managed to turn that around by working out with no trainer, no surgeries, and no special diet; I’ve lost over 100 pounds and have kept it off nearly 15 years. I emerged as a leader from someone who wanted desperately to blend in but learned the essence of self-care, self-love, and joy to happily stand out. I learned about my definition of beauty, took care of my skin, hair, and fashion have managed to teach and motivate others to do the same with very little.

I am now the creator of the Dr. Nina Mentorship Membership and Coaching Program (releasing May 1, 2020), dedicated to teaching the realistic route to become the best version of yourself through daily habits that enrich and elevate your life. I am the creator of the 8-Day SUPERNATURAL video course and the “Now That’s Life with Dr. Nina” podcast and I have even given a TED talk on the infused principles at the Illinois Institute of Technology. I have also spoken at many universities, including Howard University, Colgate University, Albany State University, Texas State University, Illinois State University and more. My academic works have been and are being published in the journals Learning, Media and Technology, Journal of Human Services, Educational Review, The McNair Scholarly Review, Psychology Discourse, Journal of Black Studies, Journal of Multicultural Affairs, The Texas Psychologist and Girls Like Us: Risk, Resilience and Healthy Development of Diverse Girls. I believe in supporting others in reaching their goals and seeing their lives as valuable in spite of any adversity they may face. I live my life as the ultimate example of that.

There are so many people that deserve credit and praise for their investment in me and I know I can NEVER name them all. My mother showed the ultimate investment in adopting me and my younger sister Nikki Ellis-Hervey. She also ensured we had a spiritual base and allowed us to develop our own relationship with God. My home Pastor and First Lady, Dr. Lawrence M. Wooten and Shirley Wooten (Williams Temple Church of God in Christ in St. Louis, MO), Nikki (my sister), my Aunt Janice, Aunt Gwen, and Aunt Pam have always supported my fearlessness and desire to be my best. My Department Chair, Dr. Robbie Steward, has always been such an amazing force, academic and personal example for me to look up to. Dr. Luis Aguerrevere, who is a researcher extraordinaire. My best friends who keep me grounded (Corstella, Starr, Sonya, Lindsey, Geleana, Genna, Bourg and Ashley and more) many of which have been ACTIVELY around 10-30+ years. Also, my significant other Sean Harness, who keeps me motivated and remains kind and patient with my “all over the place” work life.

I also greatly credit my team that has evolved over the past two years. My branding strategists and web designers Dana and Eso of Cheers Creative (https://cheerscreative.com), my assistant Stefanie Brown, my photographer The Lennz (https://www.thelennz.com), my stylist/coach/makeup artist Sabrena Cross (https://www.sabrenacross.com), videographer Jason of Trinity Media Solutions (https://bit.ly/2Jfze3D), and editor Tony Ge (https://www.treatyosound.com).

Has it been a smooth road?
The road to becoming who I am and creating a business has not been easy. My story and business had to have the downs to see the ups. I came from very little money, experienced school failure, encountered some negative relationships (personal and professional), had a lack of self-esteem, didn’t always know how to provide myself with the best care and in some cases, I would give up on my goals. I didn’t always charter a clear execution plan however, through amazing mentorship, a great support system, and an individual spirit of perseverance I have grown and prospered. I wouldn’t change my experience for the world.

Please tell us about BeautifulBrwnBabyDol.
My business started with my YouTube channels BeautifulBrwnBabyDol and BeautifulBrwnBabyDolTV chronicle my more than 100lb. Weight loss that I have maintained for over 14 years, educational triumphs, healthy psychological tips and beauty tutorials. With over 900K subscribers on YouTube, 60+ million video views nationally and internationally, and over 1 million followings across networks, I make it a point to make a positive mark on the world. I am most proud of the fact that I have been featured and recognized by Rolling Out Magazine, PEOPLE, Essence and Ebony magazines, Buzzfeed, and the TV shows HLN News Live, the Jeff Probst Show, Inside Edition, Extra, The Grio, Refinery 29, Delux Magazine and more! I have also partnered with power brands such as Black Enterprise, Pic Monkey, Aveeno and many more! My business has allowed me the opportunity to fund all business items I have needed, including branding (strategist), a website, assistant, camera equipment, lights, business items, a photographer videographer, editor and stylist/coach. I am also a new addition to the the DevaCurl Expert Curl Counci (, a select group of leading professionals in dermatology, trichology, psychology, and cosmetology and will be sharing my expertise on curly hair and scalp health (https://bit.ly/2wclzYp).

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Since I have existed in many industries over the years, I have really started to work on defining what I refer to as a 5-Dimensional Academician and I am currently running a research study on the ideal. This is someone who serves many roles including Educator, Practitioner, Blogger/Vlogger, Scholar, and Researcher. I feel for so many years it has seemed that my roles needed to be mutually exclusive, but I continue to prove that the worlds of social media, academia and clinical work all collide to help the masses. I see this being the direction and future in the next 5-10 years.

Pricing:

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Photo credit: The Lennz or Len (https://www.thelennz.com).

Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in