I recently had a conversation with a friend and it went something like this:
Me: Are you coming on my next retreat? It’s in wine country.
Friend: Yeah, I’ll take a look at the info. Send it to me. I’m interested. How much?
Me: It’s thirteen fifty nine.
Friend: Thirteen fifty-nine?? Girl I can buy 5 pairs of shoes for that!
That right there is the purpose of Well Diva Lifestyle. I know I’ve got a long, long, long way to go. My goal is to reach as many black women as I can and change the mentality of valuing clothes, shoes and bags over health information and self care. Not to say that this particular friend doesn’t value her health, because I know she does. She works in healthcare and was just telling me about her healthy lifestyle. I do believe after I went on to explain what was included she was more interested and less shocked at the price. But again, black women overall do not place the value on health that women in some other cultures do. For example, you could Google wellness retreats and find them priced in the multiple thousands. You won’t see many of us there though. You won’t even see us in the photos, because they aren’t marketing to us. Yet we are the ones who need it the most. A thousand dollar handbag is nice, but it won’t help your blood sugar, fibroids, obesity, Lupus, high blood pressure, or anything else we are known to deal with. It’s great to look good, but if you don’t feel good too, what’s the point?
I went on to explain that the retreat not only includes your room but a number of educational sessions that will teach you tools that you can come back home and implement in your plan to get or stay healthy. I appreciate that my friend then opened her ears to understand. I also appreciate that the women who went on my February retreat returned home cooking healthy, applying what they learned, called it the Well Diva Effect, and some even reported weight loss. That meant absolutely everything to me.
So I’ve just got to keep the faith. I’m keeping the faith that my sisters will get it. That my message isn’t falling on deaf ears. That we do love and care about ourselves, and we just need a little patience, education and understanding. I appreciate that there is a growing interest in black folks traveling, but particularly black women looking for wellness retreats. And I especially appreciate that people no longer say stupid sh*t like “black folks don’t eat like that”, or at least they don’t say it to me.
It’s been more than 20 years since I took beef and pork out of my diet and became conscious of what I eat. I don’t take credit for those changes but it’s what I was taught. I have seen significant changes in the way Americans eat overall since then, yet still, our people are slow to catch on. But it is happening. I know it didn’t happen overnight for me either. But as we learn, we do better, right?
It’s just that when I get a reaction like the one my friend gave me, I get a reality check. We are getting there, but it’s going to take a bit more time. For one, like I said, the wellness travel industry doesn’t even market to us. There’s an assumption that we don’t get it, and with good reason. I’m just thankful to know that is changing.
If you’re ready to make an investment in your health and feel as good on the inside as you look on the outside, you’ll want to join us for our next Well Diva Weekend. We will return to Sedona for a 4 day ladies only getaway. Yoga, plant based cooking instruction, smoothie class, and more is what you’ll get a chance to enjoy. We will return to the seclusion of the top floor of Orchards Inn where each room has a fireplace and amazing views of the red rocks of Sedona, where they’re expecting us and looking forward to hosting us for a few days, and where you’ll find out your investment in your health and wellness will carry you much further than a few pair of shoes ever could.
