Diversity and Inclusion in the Wellness Space: Four Industry Leaders to Watch

Gwyneth Paltrow’s The Goop Lab series debuted on Netflix earlier this year with an (understandably) high-level of visibility, prolonging our national game of wellness telephone: one person explores a new form of wellness, tells others it has worked and that it may work for them, for them to then tell their friends… and so on. Constant media coverage about what’s new and what’s in your area, whether it’s a facial toner, workout regimen or lifestyle change, keeps us cycling through one trend after the other.

It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of wellness chatter, letting our critical eye go awry — without refreshing the voices that have always taken priority in the space.

As professional storytellers, it’s our responsibility to ensure that a diverse set of voices are represented as part of the broader wellness conversation, especially after the passing of another International Women’s Day. Let’s highlight a few people of color and underrepresented minorities who are doing the work in this field for everyone else.

1. Jessamyn Stanley

• Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher, body positivity advocate and writer based in Durham, North Carolina. Her work primarily focuses on using yoga and vinyasa flow to work past mental and emotional barriers, in order to ask “How do I feel?” as opposed to “How do I look?”
• She runs the Dear Jessamyn podcast — talking about the questions that pop into her DMs — alongside running The Underbelly yoga studio (with about 60k Instagram followers). She’s also been profiled in Oprah Magazine and has starred in an Adidas print campaign.

2. The National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network

• The NQTTCN was established in 2016 and has grown to become one of the most prominent networks of therapists and care professionals for those in the queer & trans Black, Indigenous, people of color (QTBIPoC) community seeking help in mental wellness.
• Their directory of therapists spans the continental U.S. for anyone in the QTBIPoC community as they navigate what can often be an unsafe quest for a therapist that understands and can facilitate their needs. Their 2020 convening in August will draw dozens of individuals looking for a deeper moment of connection with others just like them in a world where isolation is common.

3. Dr. Joy Harden Bradford & Therapy for Black Girls

• Dr. Joy, a licensed psychologist, was inspired to cultivate a safe space for Black women to explore therapy, as well as to destigmatize mental health and therapy in the Black community.
• Since 2014, she’s established the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast — shared by the likes of Gabrielle Union, Solange and Gabourey Sidibe — where she fields questions from Black women all around therapy and mental health, as well as the Yellow Couch Collective, an opt-in community that is part group chat, book club and events calendar all to deepen connections and conversation around the topic. Most recently, Dr. Joy has become a columnist with O, The Oprah Magazine.

4. Annie Elainey

• Annie is a disabled, queer, Latinx intersectional activist based in Miami, whose Ehlers-Danlos syndrome keeps them their mobility in constant question. They bring light to different issues that those in the disability community face, all intersecting with their unique POV as a queer latinx individual.
• At almost 20k followers, Annie’s YouTube channel has become an incredible resource for sparking conversations on different facets of one’s identity and the different points at which they intersect.

No matter if you’re looking to practice more thoughtful self-care, deepen your relationship with yourself, or uncover different perspectives, these four individuals will help to broaden your purview; and who knows what incredible things will happen after that.

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