For as long as Phavanna Nina Bouphasavanh ’25 can remember, writing has been part of her identity. She credits her affinity for words to her father, Phouangsouvanh (Souvanh) Bouphasavanh, who always nurtured her creativity and encouraged her to write.
“At a very young age, he began gifting me journals so I could express my thoughts however I chose,” she explains. “That’s how my love of writing began.”
She carried that motivation on to high school, where she took journalism classes and helped launch televised morning announcements. As a senior, she ventured into the world of professional journalism, landing an internship with NBC affiliate KARE 11. As its Teen magazine reporter, she interviewed stars like Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block, former NFL player Michael Lehan, the cast of Blue Crush, and the leads of Josie and the Pussycats.
Building on those experiences, she went on to study broadcast journalism and English at the University of Minnesota while interning for NBCUniversal, Fox News TV, and CBS affiliate WCCO. She gained hands-on newsroom experience, expanded her professional network, and honed her reporting skills
With her undergraduate degree in hand, Bouphasavanh moved on to full-time TV news anchor and reporter positions, working for TV stations like CBS affiliate KGWN-TV and ABC affiliate WTEN-TV, producing and presenting daily live reports and news packages.
But after more than a decade of being in front of the camera, she felt like it was time to experience something different: Bouphasavanh wanted to take a more behind-the-scenes approach, joining Tremendous! Entertainment to produce and write for the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods. That’s where she learned to screenwrite and develop programming that spans a wide range of audiences and genres—work she never thought she would accomplish after spending so many years in broadcast journalism.
Redefining Purpose Through Storytelling
After working for two seasons on Bizarre Foods, Bouphasavanh took a step back to reevaluate her career success, and she realized something was missing from her work: She wanted a career that was about more than content creation or television. She wanted to help people.
“I was ready to be more mindful of and responsible for what I put out into the world and the impact it had,” she describes. After spending years helping nonprofits amplify their causes through volunteer efforts, she decided to make that type of work the focal point of her career. She launched Phavanna Media, a media company dedicated to telling meaningful stories for mission-driven organizations. The company name was a nod to her father, who named her.
Eventually, Phavanna Media became I Heart Storytelling to better convey who Bouphasavanh is and what she loves to do. “The journey of telling a story is what I enjoy most, along with the heart connections I make with people,” she explains. “My father has been a thread through my career. A lot of what I do with I Heart Storytelling focuses on medical manufacturing, which is how my father built his career in America after immigrating from Asia to Europe to the United States. I didn’t specifically choose this path. It found me, and it’s really divine.”
Serving brands like Target, Best Buy, and Boston Scientific, her business has grown year over year solely through word of mouth. As she continued to evolve and build new relationships, her work naturally shifted toward uplifting content like health and wellness, which suited her desire to create a positive impact.
Finding Meaning and Confidence through MSC
An advanced degree had always been a possibility for Bouphasavanh, but the timing never seemed right. And after becoming an entrepreneur, she wasn’t sure a master’s degree would be beneficial.
“I always discussed my dreams with my father, even as he was getting sick,” she explains. “When I was caring for him, he told me it was time for me to go back to school. That was one of my dreams, but it was also one of his dreams for me.”
She took his advice and decided to earn a Master of Science in Communication (MSC) at Northwestern University. It became not only a way to advance her career but also a healthy way to stay present during a difficult season as her dad became increasingly ill. The classes gave her something to focus on and look forward to, becoming a source of comfort.
When she applied to the program, she assumed it would be her path to a high-level position at a large global health organization, which was her goal. She quickly discovered, however, that she was meant to serve a different purpose: “The classes helped me build out a new business, Be Well and Kind,” she says.
Persuasive Message Design, led by Professor Erik Nisbet, helped her better understand human behavior and how to influence people through effective storytelling. These exercises helped guide the messaging and visual identity that now represent Be Well and Kind.
She says Professor Leslie DeChurch’s Leading Collaboration course was also influential. “Iris Origo, a woman we studied, impacted me so much that I became emotional in class. She was a writer who focused on the Renaissance period. She was also a beautiful humanitarian, which is what I’ve always aspired to be, because my father was very much like that. Leadership is about rising above difficult times to be there for others. It was shocking to me to be so impacted by a class.”
As she gets her new business off the ground, she plans to find ways to bring storytelling into the fold. With “dare to dream” as her motto, Bouphasavanh says her goal is to turn Be Well and Kind into an organization that helps those in need, whether it’s through improving food scarcity, supporting those affected by war, or providing connections to mental health support.
“The MSC program helped me unearth a new confidence and belief in myself, and I think that’s so important for everyone to have, no matter who we are, where we’re from, or what stage of life we’re in,” she says. “There are so many things you can create, and you can do so much—and you can do it independently if you have the right skills and mindset.”