Kindness 9-1-1: Chanda Brodnax-Nino on How Being Laid Off Led to the Start of a Successful Business and Fulfilling a Life-Saving Calling

Silver Linings Media LLC

Being laid off from her longtime position running an emergency medicine training program at a large suburban hospital, Chanda tells us how this setback (with the help of an inspiring letter from a former student) ultimately inspired her to launch her own business, the EMS Institute of Fairfield County (the “Institute”).  

Chanda talks about how she hopes to inspire young Black women.  When she was growing up, she didn’t see any Black women entering the field of emergency medicine.  She knows directly the power of if you can see it, you can be it.   

Chanda discusses how and why she puts her students through the  “212 teaching Method;” teaching her students to give more than just the bare minimum.  At 211°, Chanda explains, water is really hot.  But add just one more degree, and that water is boiling, emitting steam and enough energy to power a locomotive.  She motivates her students to give that one extra degree, which can make all the difference.  Chanda’s classes are really hard, but her students unanimously agree that, as a result, they are better trained than many of their peers to handle life-critical situations.  

Chanda emphasizes the importance of knowing CPR, “an easy life-saving skill that you can learn in less than 2 hours.”  She shares a story of two cardiac arrest patients who arrived in the emergency room one Thanksgiving evening:  one had received immediate CPR from a trained family member and walked out of the hospital that night.  The other only received CPR upon arriving at the emergency room, where Chanda did CPR for 43 minutes.  Sadly, that patient did not survive.  Every second counts in emergency response; acting quickly can mean the difference between life and death.  

Chanda is not your typical teacher and her story isn’t just about teaching the basics of CPR.  Kindness is part of the curriculum.  Not only does she encourage her students to be kind to one another, she asks that they share at least one nice thing about each other at the end of class.   While her day job is focused on life-saving, Chanda teaches (and learns from) her students the ways in which kindness can be life-changing.  

Episode Resources:

EMS Institute of Fairfield County:  https://emsinsfc.com/
212° the Extra Degree:  https://www.inspireyourpeople.com/212-the-extra-degree/
Chanda Brodnax-Nino Profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chanda-brodnax-nino-370886125/

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