Together Thriving WOC Wellness Summit

• Together Thriving is a virtual wellness summit by Women of Color, for Women of Color (WOC). We are dedicated to uplifting and empowering Women & Femmes of Color with wellness resources, knowledge, and a safe, healing community so they can get out fight-or-flight and truly thrive in their day-to-day.

  The Problem

Today’s wellness industry is not representative of the large fraction of the Women of Color population.

Currently there are 67.6 million WOC living in the United States and 3.6 million in Canada. This population makes up 40% of all women in the USA and 21% in Canada, yet we don’t see them represented in the wellness industry. Women of Color live at the intersection of two marginalized identities- that of their gender identity and that of their race/ ethnicity. 

As WOC, we are some of the most overworked and lowest paid people; we contribute to society as moms, healers, activists, workers, coaches, educators, and more while often being overlooked. This leads to an array of wellness needs and struggles including but not limited to: emotional, physical, nutritional, financial, and spiritual. Additionally, the intersection of cultural identity and wellness rarely, if ever, is featured in the spotlight. We have also seen many wellness practices and current trends have also been appropriated (see: yoga and turmeric lattes). 

Together Thriving seeks to amplify the voices of WOC Wellness Experts to increase diversity in the industry and reclaim the wellness practices & routines that originated in communities of color. We also hope to give WOC of all backgrounds the wellness tools, knowledge, and support they need to rise up against oppressive systems. 

How We Are Giving a Voice to WOC (Solutions)

Imagine - What if we came together across cultures? What if we bonded and created a sisterhood so strong that we could learn from each other and really start to advocate for one another? What if we, WOC, were Together, Thriving?

Through our virtual summit and online community, Together Thriving provides a platform for WOC to not only tell our stories and experiences but also to be seen as a master of our craft in our own communities and cultivate connections between one another. We believe WOC are stronger together. 

The speakers of our inaugural 2020 Summit were hand-selected from a wide pool of WOC applicants and will be featured as Wellness Experts across our various social media platforms and at our first annual virtual summit on December 11-13, 2020.  

By hosting this virtual event, we are creating a safe and sacred space exclusively for WOC to cultivate authentic, cross-cultural relationships and elevate our wellness. We are committed to helping members of our community thrive in all areas of wellness. 

How are we different from other summits?

• 100% of our speakers are WOC with various ethnic and cultural identities to increase representation of WOC in the wellness industry
• We are providing a platform where WOC feel welcome to discuss their health issues and share their own experiences without having to compartmentalize their cultural and ethnic identities from the topics of health and wellness
• We have curated topics and content that focus on addressing the needs of WOC in an effort to decenter whiteness, as most summits subconsciously uphold systems that can be oppressive. 
• We are adopting a holistic approach and exploring various areas that pertain to wellness at different levels of expertise, including but not limited to, nutrition, movement, spirituality, mindset, decolonization, parenting, relationships and more. 

• Our goal is to be a trusted event, resource, and voice for the WOC community.

Why We Are Crowdfunding

This is our first year as an organization and we’ve already been met with an enthusiastic cry of support from our own community members. It is apparent that the appetite for WOC only communities, like this one, focused around wellness is growing each month. If the year 2020 has taught us one thing, it’s that there is power in numbers and community. 

We would like to see WOC thriving in both their health and their wealth. We view wellness as a holistic lifestyle that includes financial abundance. This is why we are raising $10,000: to pay our event organizers, speakers, and workshop facilitators equitably and further our mission to uplift WOC by growing our brand. 

Our long-term vision for the Together Thriving brand includes: 

• Hosting annual virtual wellness summits to continue to increase representation in the wellness industry and provide a platform where WOC Wellness Experts can share wellness content that is inclusive of the intersectional identities and experiences of WOC 
• Continuing to pay organization members & speakers equitably
• Host virtual masterclasses and workshop series throughout the year to provide continued access to wellness resources and knowledge for all WOC,  in an effort to help WOC thrive in health, life and all other areas related to one’s well-being  
• Collaborate with WOC-owned wellness brands to support WOC business owners and circulate wealth within WOC communities  
• Expand our marketing to create bigger outreach for future Together Thriving events 
• Launch and operate an active podcast show that puts WOC wellness experts in the spotlight as guest speakers 

Meet Our Founders

Sarah Osman (she/her) is a mixed-race WOC entrepreneur with roots in Madagascar, France, India and Malaysia. She was born and raised in the little island of Mauritius (worth the Google search if you don’t know where that is 😉) but has made Canada her home for the past 10 years.

She is a wellness and mindset coach for women of colour entrepreneurs who want to break free of high stress/burnout and thrive in both their life and their biz.

When she isn’t coaching clients, she is usually daydreaming about her next travel destinations or cooking delicious plant-based meals. 

Valeria Hernández (she/her) is a 1st-generation Mexican-American Latina who has a never ending passion for helping women thrive by taking care of their 2 homes: the earth, and their bodies. 🌎🌱

Valeria (aka “Vale”) is a Plant Based Nutrition & Wellness Coach for ambitious female entrepreneurs. She is obsessed with helping conscious women embody their next level self by increasing their energy with plant based foods and sticking to healthy habits so they can show up vibrantly in their life and business! ✨

When she’s not coaching her clients on going plant-based she is brushing up on her violin skills or exploring Atlanta on foot or bike.

“We created this summit because after years of being wellness coaches, we realized there was a severe lack of representation in the industry. BIWOC wellness experts don’t get featured or highlighted as much as we should! We figured, why not build our own table?”

How You Can Help Us Reach Our Goal

Contribute any amount you can to our campaign to help us reach our goal! We have also put together a set of rewards you will receive for supporting our campaign!

We also encourage you to help us spread the word by sharing our campaign to family and friends! Allies are welcome to donate as well, you don’t have to be a Woman of Color to support our mission ;) 

You can share it on social media, email, or word of mouth!

Thank You! Merci! Gracias!

Finally, we want to thank you for your support in expanding the Together Thriving community. Your contributions will directly impact our efforts to give an authentic voice,  provide empowering resources, and cultivate strong bonds for the WOC community.

If you’re curious to learn more, please reach out to Sarah & Valeria at [email protected] for additional information.