By Farah Qureshi
Welcome to NYWIFT, Naomi Pemberton!
Naomi is a Bronx-born healthcare leader and storyteller whose work centers on resilience, faith, and the lived experiences of women navigating complex systems and personal transformation. An Afro-Latina with Jamaican and Dominican heritage, Naomi brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare administration into her creative work, drawing on real-world insight to shape powerful, socially conscious narratives.
Her writing includes the Paradigms of Life trilogy, a series that explores sisterhood, identity, systemic challenges, and personal growth. Her books—including The Paradigms of Life: Sisterhood, Loss, and Unbreakable Bonds, Paradigms: The Experiment, and Life Paradigms: Work-Life Balance—follow women navigating betrayal, bias, ambition, and healing.
Through her storytelling, Naomi blends emotional depth with broader social commentary, addressing issues such as workplace bias, faith, and the pursuit of balance in a demanding world.
In addition to her writing, Naomi continues to mentor, lead, and inspire through her professional and community work. A dedicated advocate for underserved communities, she has held senior roles across healthcare systems and nonprofit organizations focused on health equity and community engagement, and serves on Bronx Community Board 11.
Across healthcare, literature, and media, her mission remains the same: to create impact, amplify voices, and inspire the next generation of leaders and storytellers.
In our interview, she reflects on her journey as a healthcare leader and author, the inspiration behind her book trilogy, and how storytelling can be a powerful tool for advocacy.
NYWIFT Member Naomi Pemberton
Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?
I’m Naomi Pemberton, a Bronx–born author, healthcare leader, and community advocate. I’ve spent over 25 years working in healthcare administration, focusing on health equity, access, and community engagement.
I’m also the author of the Paradigms of Life trilogy, where I explore themes of resilience, faith, identity, and the lived experiences of women navigating personal and professional challenges. Everything I do whether in healthcare or storytelling, is rooted in creating impact and empowering others.
What brought you to NYWIFT?
I was drawn to NYWIFT because of its commitment to supporting women in media and storytelling. As I transition my work into television and film, I wanted to be part of a community that uplifts women creatives and provides opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and growth.
NYWIFT represents the kind of space where stories like mine—and the voices behind them—can truly be seen and heard.
NYWIFT Member Naomi Pemberton
Much of your work centers on women, balance, and advocacy. Why are these themes particularly important to you?
These themes are personal to me. As a woman balancing career, family, leadership, and purpose, I understand how complex that journey can be.
Through my work, I highlight the realities many women face—workplace challenges, bias, relationships, and self-discovery—while also emphasizing strength, faith, and resilience. Advocacy is at the core because I believe women’s stories deserve to be told authentically and without limitation.
You’re passionate about empowering underrepresented voices and using storytelling as a tool for healing and advocacy. How do storytelling and representation show up in your work as a manager and CEO?
In my professional role, storytelling shows how we understand and serve people. Whether it’s through patient experiences, community engagement, or addressing social determinants of health, every data point represents a real story.
As a leader, I make it a priority to ensure those voices are heard and reflected in decision-making. Representation matters not just in media, but in how systems are designed and how care is delivered.
NYWIFT Member Naomi Pemberton
From your perspective, what are some of the biggest challenges facing healthcare systems today when it comes to equity, and how can storytelling play a role in addressing them?
One of the biggest challenges is that health inequities are often deeply rooted in social and systemic issues—such as access, bias, and socioeconomic barriers. While data can highlight disparities, storytelling brings those realities to life.
It humanizes the numbers and creates a deeper understanding of what patients experience. Storytelling has the power to influence policy, shift perspectives, and drive meaningful changes by making inequities impossible to ignore.
What advice would you offer to women and underrepresented leaders who are interested in pursuing leadership roles in healthcare, advocacy, and storytelling?
My advice is to embrace your full story, your experiences, your challenges, and your voice. Don’t feel like you must choose between being a professional and being creative; those worlds can coexist and even strengthen one another.
Also, be intentional about building networks and seeking spaces like NYWIFT that support your growth.
Most importantly, stay grounded in your purpose—because when your work is aligned with your mission, your impact will follow.
NYWIFT Member Naomi Pemberton
What has been the most fulfilling project you’ve worked on so far? What made it significant for you?
Writing the Paradigms of Life trilogy has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. These stories are deeply personal and reflect not only my journey but also the experiences of many women navigating life’s challenges.
Seeing readers connect with the characters and find strength in their stories has been incredibly meaningful. It reminded me that storytelling is not just creative, it’s transformative.
Naomi Pemberton’s Paradigms of Life trilogy is now available on Amazon
Are there any upcoming projects or areas of storytelling you’re excited to explore next?
I’m currently focused on adapting my books into television and film, which is an exciting next step. I believe these stories have strong potential for visual storytelling, with rich characters and meaningful themes that resonate across audiences.
I’m looking forward to collaborating with creatives in the industry and continuing to expand into spaces where these stories can reach a broader audience.
Connect with Naomi Pemberton on LinkedIn and explore the Paradigms of Life trilogy on Amazon.
(All images courtesy of Naomi Pemberton)
Farah Qureshi
Farah Qureshi is an intern at NYWIFT with a background in public relations, event coordination, and journalism. She holds a Master’s degree in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University, where she also served as Co-Director and Head of Programming at the Fusion Film Festival. She is passionate about advancing diversity and inclusivity in media and leveraging innovative storytelling to drive meaningful cultural and social impact across the industry.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Christina Brennan
Welcome to NYWIFT, Christina Brennan! Christina is a New York–based filmmaker whose work explores the emotional complexity of young womanhood through bold, conversation-driven storytelling. She is particularly drawn to dystopian, psychological thriller, and comedy genres, often blending tension and humor. As a recent graduate, she made her directorial debut with the short film Dear Nora, which won first place at AGBO’s No Sleep ’Til Film Festival—marking an exciting start to her creative career. In addition to her work behind the camera, Christina is the founder of Onore Films, a community dedicated to supporting and connecting young women in film through collaboration and shared resources. With experience across multiple areas of production, she approaches filmmaking as both a creative practice and a way to foster meaningful connection. In our interview, Christina discussed her journey into filmmaking, the inspiration behind Dear Nora, and her passion for building community among emerging women in film.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Anna Bick Rowe
Welcome to NYWIFT, Anna Bick Rowe! Anna is an Emmy Award-winning producer and Head of Production at Smartypants Pictures, an Academy Award-winning production company based in Brooklyn. She thrives on being “multilingual” within the industry, seamlessly navigating between commercial, nonprofit, and documentary projects. Anna has worked on a wide range of high-profile projects, including serving as Executive Producer alongside Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai on Stranger at the Gate, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2023. In addition to her documentary work, Anna has produced content for brands such as Adidas, Delta Air Lines, The Lincoln Motor Company, Macy’s, Snapchat, Cadillac, Indeed, Cooper Tires, and Ford Motor Company, as well as films for dozens for nonprofits. In our interview, Anna shared her journey into producing, what working on the Oscar-winning documentary All the Empty Rooms meant to her, and her approach to social impact storytelling.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Kash Blagrove
Welcome to NYWIFT, Kash Blagrove! Kash is a New York City–based producer with a background in advertising and a strong commitment to authenticity, diversity, and inclusion in media. Over the past decade, she has produced campaigns for major brands including eBay, European Wax Center, Peloton, and the WNBA, working across projects ranging from small-scale productions to multi-million-dollar campaigns. As a champion of body positivity, Kash brings a thoughtful perspective to her work, advocating for greater representation both in front of and behind the camera. Her work on the WNBA’s Line ’Em Up campaign earned multiple honors at the 2025 Clio Sports Awards, reflecting the real impact the project had beyond the screen. In our interview, Kash discussed her journey into producing, her commitment to inclusive storytelling, and the projects she’s excited to bring to life next.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Jessica Heyman
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jessica Heyman! Jessica is the Founder and Director of Art for Film, a Brooklyn-based company that connects the art world with the film and television industry by providing high-quality, legally cleared artwork for productions. A New York City native, Jessica studied at Barnard College before pivoting from work in social justice and education to the film industry, where she recognized a gap in the market for cleared artwork in New York productions and went on to found Art for Film. Since launching the company in 2006, she has built Art for Film into a trusted resource for set decorators and creative teams, representing a diverse roster of more than 100 artists and placing artwork in thousands of films, television shows, and commercials, including Succession, Mean Girls, and Only Murders in the Building. In our interview, Jessica discussed her path in the film and art worlds, her commitment to artist advocacy, and lessons from building a women-owned business.
READ MORE
Comments are closed