Faisa Ali, MPH
Faisa Ali, MPH, is a marketing and communications leader, public health advocate, and founder specializing in maternal health and social impact storytelling. Based in the Washington, DC–Baltimore area, she brings over eight years of experience in social media strategy, public relations, and influencer marketing, combining data-driven strategy with narrative craft. She holds a Master of Public Health focused on global health and integrates her training in public health with communications expertise to elevate underserved voices, particularly in women’s and maternal health.
Throughout her career, Faisa has led and developed high-impact initiatives across nonprofit, healthcare, and social impact sectors. She has served in roles including Social Media Lead at Mercy Corps, Social Media Lead at Quilted Health, and Head of Marketing and Storytelling at birthFUND. She is also the founder of Nuuma, a wellness and innovation platform, and Peapod Social, a marketing agency focused on maternal and family health. Her work spans campaign development, crisis communications, community engagement, and digital advocacy, consistently driving audience growth and meaningful engagement across platforms.
Faisa’s path in advocacy began in adolescence, shaped by her Somali heritage and her family’s experiences with generational health disparities, including her mother’s decision to break cycles of female genital cutting. This early exposure to health inequities led her to community-based advocacy, global public health work with organizations such as the United Nations, and later leadership in maternal health communications. Today, she is also a doula, podcast host, and public speaker who focuses on maternal mental health, immigrant maternal health, and health equity. Her work centers on building systems and narratives that support mothers, amplify marginalized voices, and advance more equitable health outcomes.
• University of New England - MPH
• Mama Toto Village
• United Nations Population Fund
• National Association to Advance Black Births
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance and my decision not to let external circumstances define my path. I have consistently worked to turn setbacks into new opportunities, including founding Peapod Social and launching a maternal mental health podcast. My work is grounded in lived experience and early community advocacy, which continues to guide my purpose and direction.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't take no for an answer. That no or that closed door is just a pause. It's just not right now. That door will open for you, and there are many doors. If that door doesn't open for you for that specific opportunity, that doesn't mean that your neighbor's door is not going to open, right? Just don't take no for an answer. If somebody doesn't believe in your passion, in your work ethic, in whatever that you're interviewing for, or whatever that you're working towards, that doesn't reflect the power that you have. So just keep going. Don't take no for an answer.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in women's health is that there's a need to invest in women's health. I think a lot of companies and governments - women's health is sometimes, most often, the least funded sector in healthcare. So yes, that is the biggest challenge because when you're talking to different organizations or funding, that is the biggest hindrance in it. And then personally, the biggest hindrance is also just having great mentors. I think that's a big challenge. I've had great mentors, but I've seen from the people in my field that they don't have a lot of mentorship in this field because there's just a lot of people in a state of lack, so to give may not be a priority. But I really think that to pass the baton and to give to another person or another colleague and uplift people is really important in order to really make purposeful environments and create a positive environment at work. But I think that is one of the things that I see a lot of, mostly with Gen Z talking about - that there's a lack of mentorship.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My biggest value in my personal and professional life is empathy, and I would attach empathy to creating spaces where you're psychologically safe, so you can say the dumb thing, you can say the amazing thing - what comes out of your mind isn't scrutinized. I think that, and just emphasizing that everyone has their own ideals. And then also integrity - just having integrity in work and in your personal relationships. I think that speaks volumes.
Locations
Nuuma
Canal Whinchester, OH 43110