Health and wellness within the Black community is something that wasn’t usually spoken about until very recently. With mental health wellness centers, self-love dolls for young girls, and websites such as this one, as well as Black Girl In Om, wellness within the black community and Black women is becoming more and more of a norm.

Black Girl In Om (BGIO) is a wellness website focused on promoting health and beauty from the inside out by focusing on holistic wellness, self-care, self-empowerment and self-love for communities of color, as said on the website.

Photo: Black Girl In Om

Xo NeCole recently sat down with the art director of Black Girl In Om, Deun Ivory, to discuss her personal journey, wellness within the Black community, holistic health and what she hopes to come for Black Girl In Om.

Health and wellness is key when it comes to Black Girl In Om but Ivory defines a Black Girl In Om as a woman of color who is “very intentional and mindful about every single decision she makes moving forward in life.” Ivory revealed that prior to following Black Girl In Om, she wasn’t into wellness nor holistic living. After following the account, her awareness for it grew.

Photo: Black Girl In Om

Later she was contacted by the founder of the website, Lauren Ash, to commission a piece for Black Girl In Om which led to a wonderful working relationship for the two. Ivory’s commissioned piece led to her art director position within the site, which is now entering it’s fourth year and has accumulated over 1 million listeners to their Black Girl In Om podcast.

Ivory shared that the first step to begin your journey towards holistic health is to be open-minded, “I think that's a great place to start because if you don't have an open mind, you're going to shut yourself off from the beautiful possibilities and so [many] beautiful revelations that you experience within this journey. So be open and give yourself permission to enter into this space and receive whatever it is you try to give other people, which could be love, care, and some many other great things,” shared Ivory to Xo NeCole.

Photo: Black Girl In Om

Acknowledging that our minds are always running, Ivory recommends meditating for 5-10 minutes and simply allowing your thoughts to reveal what’s going on in your subconscious to live a more well-balanced life. She also recommends journaling, something that is key for her, along with reading materials that are inspiring for your glo-up.

As the Black Girl In Om team discusses the possibilities of their future, Ivory hopes that the platform becomes like Oprah’s empire, except in a wellness space, “I want Black Girl In Om to be like Oprah's empire but in the wellness space. When I think about all the geniuses involved in BGIO and all the things we are able to do, I just see us being this global, extremely influential, high-level performing, culture-shifting brand literally for Black women in terms of the wellness space, like a creative agency,” she stated.

Photo: Black Girl In Om

The importance of wellness within the community is essential to ensure the preservation of women and people of color, but also to ensure that those who will be here in the future are born into a state of wellness that we’re working very hard to achieve.

Ready. Set. Boss. Our daily email is pouring out inspiration with the latest #BlackGirlBossUp moments, tips on hair, beauty and lifestyle to get you on track to a better you! Sign up today.

Black wellness