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As a woman, how do you believe physical and mental health aid society?
I think physical and mental health is the basis of society. The way we interact with people often has a lot to do with how we’re feeling both mentally and physically. When we’re stressed we tend to have very little patience or compassion. If we’ve been hurt or endured some type of abuse, we tend to be very anxious, guarded, unapproachable even… Living in a major city like Philadelphia, you will definitely find pockets of the community where the people are very neighborly, open and engaging demonstrating a very supportive village mentality. On the flip side, you have those who are hurting, in need of healing, aren’t so open, and come off as being more verbally (& at times physically) aggressive. This is typically due to lack of knowledge and/or resources to assist in their self-empowerment & healing. When the society is unhealthy, not to dismiss the socioeconomic impact, but that’s usually an indication of the issues that the people within the society need to address.
I read in your bio that you were diagnosed with lupus at a young age and henceforth have been treading the path of natural healing. Do you mind telling me what that journey was like?
I’m actually still on the journey. At the age of 24 while working as a make-up artist I was diagnosed with Lupus & told that my kidneys were functioning at only 10%. I was in renal failure and would need to go on dialysis until I could receive a kidney transplant. I had never been sick before, never hospitalized, never even taken any medicine stronger than a tylenol. I had to resign from my position and stop working immediately, my days were filled with appointments, tests, needles and medications… Everything about my life as I knew it had changed in the blink of an eye.
I didn’t feel hopeless, but I felt very alone. I didn’t know anyone else my age that was going through this. My friends supported and encouraged me, but they couldn’t really relate. My family was very loving, but anxious and fearful at the same time. Initially I knew I had to be strong for them, I didn’t want to be a burden on anyone, but I also didn’t have many tools to assist me. I was extremely depressed from the ages of 24-27. I tried church but it just wasn’t what I was searching for. I wasn’t mad at God but the pastor’s words just wasn’t enough. Instead of becoming a victim and filling the pain with toxic remedies, I went back to school, and somewhere along the way, I found myself In a yoga class. This is where my journey began.
It was on my mat that I shed the tears I was too afraid to let fall. On my mat is where I allowed myself to feel weak, and vulnerable; it was on my mat that I I learned to build myself up, where I discovered I couldn’t be strong for others, I had to be strong for myself. My yoga & meditation practicee changed everything.
More so than any church sermon I had ever heard, this practice taught me how to recognize the divine that lived within me and love her fiercely through every stage of this life. On the journey of finding God for myself is where spirituality started to become the major key to my healing. It built the conficdence muscle that was needed to get me to the point of listening to my body, trusting the messages I was receiving and allowing my Higher Power to guide me to know what’s best for me and my body, regardless of how it looked to others. there comes a point When you’re in tune with the Most High, with Nature, with yourself & you know that what you’re doing is exactly what you need to do for your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing, you stop wasting energy in trying to explain or justify it. Instead, you just live, you shine, you embody your truth wholeheartedly and unapologetically.
How do you believe that natural healing can aid the unique experiences of women of color?
Women of color have a very unique experience, especially in this country. speaking from my own experiences, there is a lot of single motherhood. Not that fathers and father figures are non-existent in our community, but in instances where the mother is the primary caretaker, a lot of the stress and responsibility falls on the woman. They are full-time mothers, sisters, and aunts, wives, girlfriends, lovers, caretakers, housekeepers, chefs, employees… Living here in this country, in this city it’s almost like we’re cursed with this mindset of “work, work, work” “grind, grind, grind” “nobody else can do it but you”.
While ambition is a wonderful trait to possess, without a balance of knowing when to stop and breathe, when to slow down, and ask for help you will burn yourself out. As women of color in this country we don’t get offered a break & unfortunately, many do not have the support they need found in other parts of the world to share in everyday responsibilities. My journey has allowed me to recognize this need for a break. This need for self-care. Whether it’s only an hour to yourself and you drop in & attend yoga, dance, or meditation class. If its simply sitting outside on your lunch break, taking a walk in silence, taking a bath (not a shower) just creating the time to do something that’s just for you and then making a ritual out of it.
Women of color have this cloud of expectation over them that they must do it all. Just because you’re capable of doing it all doesn’t mean you must. I love the quote, “we’re magical and still very real”. The need for healing is real, the need for Self-care is real and that is what my Wildflower Wellness campaign is all about.
Though self-care is as old as time, most women haven’t heard of it until recently. Even still most haven’t embraced it/believe they deserve it. Do you believe the practice of self-care can help women break the cycles and pigeon holes they’ve been born into?
Absolutely. When I was going through training to become a yoga teacher the professor told us, “you never know who’s going to walk into your classroom.” If you’ve noticed, we ask you at the studio to take your shoes off before you enter the practice room. The reason is to leave your s*** at the door. Taking your shoes off is like laying your burdens down. It signals that you’re about to get comfortable, that you’re stepping into another zone. People come to yoga & meditation classes for a variety of reasons & once I recognized that, it made me aware of how needed healing spaces are, specifically “alternative” healing spaces that feature and cater to people of color
Within the African-American community healing is often only paired with religion. But what if we started looking at healing as self-care? As a daily ritual practice like prayer? I believe we must remind ourselves that healing & self-care work hand in hand, and is a right allowed to everyone, regardless of your financial makeup. We must not wait until birthdays & Mother’s Day to give and or receive a massage, a bouquet of flowers, or a day off. Special occasions aren’t needed to do things special for ourselves. The fact that we opened our eyes that morning is reason enough to discover ways to celebrate and care for ourselves, so that we can continue to be there and care for others. We are the temple, and everywhere we are has the potential to become a sanctuary; self-care is self-love, & self-love is healing. we as women and people of color are more than deserving of that and so much more.
What is your definition of a wild flower?
I’m so glad you asked that question! A Wild Flower can grow anywhere & under any conditions. From the alleyways of an abandoned building, to a lush and well maintained garden, this fact is universal. All of the wellness practices I incorporate & offer to people focuses on letting empowering them with the belief that through it all, no matter what you’ve been through, or what you are currently going through you can still grow.
You can still be beautiful, you can still shine because you’re perfectly divine and nothing can change that. We forget it sometimes because we don’t take time for self-care. We’re always going and sometimes you have to stop and recognize your own beauty, power & magic. Recognize that what you’ve been through does not define who you are- whether other people see it or not, you know it, you feel it and that alone should be celebrated. Enhance, Elevate, and Evolve is our motto. That’s what Wild Flower Wellness is really all about.