The Mahogany Dermatology Nurse Internship, founded by Mahogany Dermatology Nursing | Education | Research™, prepares nurses and nurse practitioners to lead in clinical care, business, and digital innovation, especially in dermatology for skin of color. Each month, Jade Trevino and I reflect on key lessons to help healthcare entrepreneurs build and strengthen their own internship programs. This is the 8th of twelve articles, culminating in The Mahogany Dermatology Nurse Internship Framework at year's end.

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Jade Trevino, BSN, RN

Month 8 Reflection: The Speaker Was Always in Me
At the beginning of 2025, I set a bold intention for the year: say yes to all the things that scare me. One of my major goals was to improve my public speaking skills. I knew that by joining the Mahogany Dermatology Nurse Internship, I’d be pushed to accomplish that goal because public speaking was clearly listed as one of the program objectives.

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August is often a month of transition. For many people, it marks a new season, back to school, back to focus, or a fresh start. While Kimberly used this month to intentionally pause and renew, I stepped into something new myself: Jade, the speaker.

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Three major experiences activated this version of me:
1. Teaching Live in the ACNP Community
Kimberly entrusted me with her membership community, the Alliance of Cosmetic Nurse Practitioners. Every week in August, I facilitated a live workshop focused on building the foundations of a cosmetic nurse practitioner business.

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This was my first time teaching in a live, virtual format, and to my surprise, it came naturally. Kimberly gave me complete flexibility to choose the topics and structure the sessions. At first, that freedom caused me stress because I struggled to narrow down my ideas. But in the end, it was the best decision for both of us.
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That flexibility:

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Pushed me out of an employee mindset that says, “Just tell me what to do.”

Strengthened my leadership skills and helped me trust myself to make sound decisions.

Created space for Kimberly to focus on higher-level strategy while I supported the community.

Facilitating those discussions helped me just as much as they helped the members.

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2. Co-Hosting a Psoriasis Episode with Guest Ayesha Patrick
August is National Psoriasis Month, and Kimberly invited me to co-host a special episode highlighting psoriasis on melanated skin. This was another first for me, and another opportunity to use my voice publicly. It reinforced that I have a place in professional conversations that center skin of color, education, and equity. Watch my episode here.
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3. Teaching My First Class as a Nurse Educator
Earlier this year, I accepted a job as a nurse educator. Due to a hiring freeze, my start was delayed but August, fittingly, was the month I taught my first class. I knew the job would involve presenting in front of large groups, and I had been transparent during the interview that public speaking was something I had never done but believed I could grow into. Standing at the front of the room that day, it came more naturally than I expected.

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After class, a coworker asked if I had been nervous because she couldn't tell. I admitted I was. But that affirmation meant a lot. Still, by the time I headed to lunch, I was stuck in a loop of self-criticism, wondering if I had done enough, if I should have prepared more and what I could have done differently.

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But just as I was spiraling, one of the new hire nurses from the session stopped me and said, “You did a great job. I couldn't even tell you were new.” That one comment disrupted all the negative thoughts I had built up.

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Kimberly often reminds me that I’m harder on myself than I need to be, and that I know more than I think I do. This moment helped me see that clearly. My self-talk isn’t always rooted in truth.

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Key Takeaways This Month

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You don’t have to feel ready to be ready.

Negative self-talk often distorts your reality.

Saying yes to what scares you is how you grow.

Looking Ahead to Next Month

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As Blog Chair for Diversity In Dermatology, I will be writing a series of articles focused on how interdisciplinary collaboration improves patient outcomes

Continue developing my voice as an educator and speaker

Support Kimberly’s educational content as the Alopecia Residency launches

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Closing Reflection
This month gave me a glimpse of who I am becoming. Not someone who “might be good at public speaking,” but someone who is already doing it. Someone who once doubted her voice, now using it to teach, connect, and lead. I didn’t magically gain confidence. I showed up without it and let the work build it for me.

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Dr. Kimberly Madison, DNP

As a business owner, I strongly believe a sabbatical or dedicated time of rest is critical to longevity, your mental health, and the sustainability of your relationships. The best times to intentionally step away are before or after any life-changing events like having children, getting married, death, moving, transitioning to a new role, and graduating from a degree program. Or, anytime on the calendar that works best for you. I especially think this is important for high-achievers who are constantly moving the goal post, and it becomes increasingly hard to find those moments for rest as you gain momentum.

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Momentum. That was my dilemma this year. We launched the Alliance of Cosmetic Nurse Practitioners in July. In theory, August would have been the perfect time to continue that momentum and ramp up the marketing. However, I know the value of rest and time with my family, who’s had to take a back seat for 6 months of the year while I was tunnel-focused in my business sales accelerator program. I knew if I didn’t take it then, there wasn’t going to be another time in the near future. Lastly, I really wanted to set a good example for those around me who are building and scaling their businesses, graduating from NP/DNP school, and entering new levels of leadership.

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Not only was it a great opportunity to celebrate my birthday (something I do with my mom all month long every year), automate more operations in the business, attend the LearnSkin Conference in Arizona, but it allowed me to test our current operations and remove myself from being the main attraction. I learned from my coaches that being a founder-led business makes it very difficult to achieve the ultimate goal of starting a business: to make money in your sleep. You can’t do that if the business depends on you 100% to run. No investor will want to buy your business if the success of the business is centered around you being there. For me specifically, I’m building businesses that are bigger than me – so from the start, I’ve structured the business, messaging, and marketing to do just that.  

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I have two philosophies in business:

1. My job isn’t to do the work. My job is to be a master communicator of my vision. Set the people up who will carry out my vision and take good care of them.

2. Find other businesses that benefit from me being in business, then find ways to keep each other in business.

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I met with Jade and my executive assistant prior to August to discuss my sabbatical and their role during that time. For my EA, her job was to start AI school and learn how to automate more operations in the business by starting with the guest sign-up for the podcast. I restructured the podcast and social media schedule to allot her more time for organization and to create a buffer in production so when she goes on vacation or experiences an emergency, she can really use her PTO to be completely off (a struggle for those who work remotely). The payoff has been a huge time saver for both of us.

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Jade created and ran all of our business workshops for Building a Cosmetic NP Business. She did a beautiful job creating the topics, designing the slides using Gamma AI, and delivering the content. She’s not only a strong writer but an exceptional speaker who knows how to weave in personal stories and anecdotes with real-life practice solutions in a way that is not intimidating. She covered MSO/MSA basics, creating a LLC, getting an EIN, and securing a domain name to name a few. She made what can be an intimidating process seamless and set up our Founding Members for upcoming workshops that covered setting up a business bank account and securing grant funding. When it comes to entrepreneurship, those workshops will always be the most important for legitimizing their businesses.

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We launched the first ever Alopecia Residency in nursing. We are offering our members access to virtual education by starting with an immersive experience in skin of color and advanced anatomy and physiology, an important foundation whether you practice medical or cosmetic dermatology. An essential component for our Founding Members who want to position themselves as Key Authorities in Dermatology Nursing. The 12-month residency includes access to integrative learning techniques designed for the adult learner, CEs, clinical advisors with successful NP-led businesses, virtual programming, and a unique in-person hands-on opportunity to solidify their year long training. The didactic portion of the residency is coupled with business workshops that include problems to solve, strategies, and step-by-step guides to implement new revenue streams in their business.

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Jade’s debut on The Melanin Initiative podcast was also released (an episode we recorded earlier in the summer) and is one of our most popular episodes this year. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Ayesha Patrick. She founded Sistas with Psoriasis when she couldn’t find the support group she needed. She’s since expanded to creating the Psoriasis Collective and working in close partnership with the National Psoriasis Foundation (which is how I found her). We specifically highlighted the patient experience and how the lack of diversity in dermatology education leads many patients with skin of color to be misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed.

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Lastly, August marked a significant milestone in the internship, as we have more months behind us then in front of us.

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About the Authors

Dr. Kimberly Madison, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, WCC, is a Board-Certified, Doctorally-prepared Nurse Practitioner, educator, and author dedicated to advancing dermatology nursing education and research with an emphasis on skin of color. As the founder of Mahogany Dermatology Nursing | Education | Research™ and the Alliance of Cosmetic Nurse Practitioners™, she expands access to dermatology research, business acumen, and innovation while also leading professional groups and mentoring clinicians. Through her engaging and informative social media content and peer-reviewed research, Dr. Madison empowers nurses and healthcare professionals to excel in dermatology and improve patient care.

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Jade Dupree Trevino, BSN, RN

I am a dedicated dermatology professional with over a decade of experience as a Dermatology Medical Assistant, Registered Nurse, and Clinical Nurse Coordinator. Passionate about education and inclusivity in dermatology, I joined the Mahogany Dermatology Nursing | Education | Research™ Internship to expand my knowledge and contribute to the field I love. Through this blog, I aim to share my journey as a source of inspiration for those exploring nontraditional paths in dermatology. I’m excited to help create innovative educational resources and encourage others to discover their purpose in this dynamic specialty.

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