Relax Relate Release... REWIND!

So..... THIS is how we do it.  How we support each other, heal each other, lift each other up and hold each other down.

A full house- standing room only- of women gathered to learn the sacred arts of womanhood.  The best Ethiopian food on this side of the planet.  A bar with fresh squeezed juices so good you'd swear they were spiked with a little somethin' somethin.  Shopping surrounded by art, nature and music.
 
This was the experience of this year's Relax Relate Release!

Full House at Relax Relate Release

It took me a full two weeks of marinating in gratitude to write this recap... but here goes:

Toni Blackman

My first THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, to the AMAZING dream team of presenters and the gems they dropped.   Toni Blackman set the tone for the day by teaching us how to honor our voices in a male-dominated world.  I so appreciate Toni's kind and generous- yet powerful- spirit, and her support of this event from the beginning.  Picture teams of women courageously freestylin- some for the first time- as they used the tools Toni offered to tap into authentic spontaneity.  Nothing short of magic.




 

Afro State of Mind

 Next up was Lurie Daniel-Favors and her Beauty 'Marks workshop.  Anyone who's heard her
breakdown of race, politics, and hair culture know why her book, Afro State of Mind, it so important,  but did you offer know it's also a hilarious read?  (Book clubs out there, this is a great one for ya!).

Speaking of hair, special invited guest Francheska of the AWESOME site heyfranhey.com shared her inspirational story and journey to wellness, affirming that it's not just what we do to our hair on the outside, but what we do to our bodies on the inside, that really matters.

And on that note, next up was yours truly! Stress is at the root of most minor and major diseases, so working with the emotions is a huge part of my practice.  I hope you all got something out of learning the differences between Earth, Fire and Wood stress, and walked away with some tangible tools to address stress in your life.  If you want to learn more, you can always set up an Elemental Alchemy consult with me to learn more about your particular stress pattern and what to do about it.  You can also catch me at Hibiscus Day Spa on September 20th, where I'll taking this to the next level in my "Putting Me First: Self Care for Busy Women" workshop!

The afternoon session rounded out with Karen Tappin of Karen's

Karen Tappin

Body Beautiful offering some tips on how to be a business boss, such as: #1 Hire good people and move out of the way, know how to delegate. #2 Create a culture that you want to work in. I also offer a huge thank you to KBB for offering a full size of one of my fave hair products- Sweet Ambrosia- to the first 100 guests!  Karen's success exemplifies the truth that the more we give, the more we get.


Speaking of business bosses- a shout out to Keiana and Rockia for launching Sipping Naturally and Aya's Garden at Relax Relate Release!

Aya's Garden and Sipping Naturally

Empirical Therapeutics

Other vendors in our art gallery and garden lounge included the designs of Harriet's by Hekima, Ancient Blends Naturals by Yendys, Ichcha,  X-Quizit Creations, J Brown Jewelery, and massage by Empirical Therapeutics.  Bed Stuy Botanicals, who's divine bath salts were in every gift bag, and stylista Naana Badu, were also on the scene.  And a special thank you goes out to Sacred Studio Brooklyn- who offered a free dance or yoga class to every woman- for co-sponsoring this event! I'm excited to be partnering with Sacred this Fall to offer private and community acupuncture.  And who can forget Bunna Cafe, whose Ethiopian food was so good they actually sold out!

Desiree Mwalimu

The second part of the day got a lot sassier- and sexier!  Denise Cooper set if off helping us make our money a sensual, pleasurable experience. She also broke down the spiritual side of our financial reality, by explaining that "Your net-worth is directly tied to your self-worth" Weekly Money Make Outs?  Yes please!!!  If you dont know what i'm talking about, click here to check out her upcoming webinars.  Then we welcomed Desiree Mwalimu, who helped us understand the archetypes of the Sacred Feminine.  Who is the Goddess?  YOU, of course!

Sacred Sex with Lady Shepsa of Let Go Let Goddess, LLC

Speaking of Goddesses,  Lady Shepsa of Let Go Let Goddess, LLC was up next to guide us into our depths with a deep meditation to tap into our full-bodied orgasmic bliss.  To learn this and other tricks of Sacred Sex, check out her 6 week course!  Finally,  Chicava Honeychild, creative producer of Brown Girls Burlesque, closed out the night with HOT and steamy burlesque performance to "I Want Muscles", and then broke down the history of women claiming their bodies through the art of burlesque.  Click here to learn more about her classes and workshops- it'll change your life!

This event was also meaningful for me because whenever I doubted myself,  I got messages from the universe affirming that "I am Supported". Thank you to Flower Essence Services, Behind the Scenes Magazine, Mindful Health, X-Quizit Creations, Hibiscus Day Spa, and Nicholas Brooklyn for your generous donations and support.  And on a personal note, thank you to my mom, who was on the scene and has ALWAYS supported me, and my homegirls Sonya T.  and Deneen R.K. for coming through for me in a big way!  Love you!

As one woman stated about her experience at Relax Relate Release:

Meditation during the Sacred Sex workshop

I am so grateful all my self care needs where placed under one space. Sisters giving in the knowledge and crafts. Offering women financial healing with sexy self loving, hair care products with some Boss business guidance, spirit healing, dance through the art with Burlesque and intriguing my mind to look into more brown girl dancing through history. We had foods to heal and nurture readily available, jewelers adorning our sensuous curves and fashions, and goddess and tantra and fabrics, massages and goodie bags. Literally all of our Goddess Warriors were well nurtured. I am so grateful. Thank you for having me. It was a well deserved treat.

If you were there this year, what was your highlight of the day? Did I leave anything out? Let me know in the comments section below!

Stay tuned for the next episode...  Click here to see the Relax Relate Release Photo Gallery, and Join My Mailing List to stay in the loop.  We'll be cooking up new magic every month!