#INSPIREDBYYOU SERIES 1: FEATURING ELYSE GALLOWAY
The support rallied around the #womensupportingwomen movement reminded us that when women unite, anything is possible. With respect to this movement, we launched #inspiredbyyou to highlight the some of the amazing women we have connected with in our journey as a brand. First up is Elyse Galloway, she is working to eliminate disparities and establish black wellness culture with This is Well Collective…Read below for our virtual chat with Elyse!
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You’ve heard the saying “Black don’t crack”, right? Well, unfortunately this conjecture is only skin deep. An abundance of research shows that black women fare worse than women of other racial/ethnic groups across disease states and overall health. Compound that with the fact that dominate wellness culture often disregards the black female POV, excluding us from positions of leadership within the wellness world, minimizing our lived experiences and discounting our unique wellness needs.
Inspired by James Baldwin and his belief that “The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it,” I’ve decided to build a new wellness culture. I knew that if I wanted a new wellness culture, one specifically for black women, it would have to start with me.
After months of research, drafting and planning, I launched This Is Well Collective on MLK Day 2020. This Is Well Collective (@thisiswell.co), a wellness workshop series, creates space for black women to connect and cultivate a new wellness culture. An encouraging and empowering space, black women come to share the successes and challenges of their wellness journeys and actively plan for a thriving future.
Q & A with Elyse
- What was the most challenging part of starting This Is Well?
Being a team of ONE. Having to wear all of the hats myself was incredibly daunting. From social media management to marketing, workshop logistics to running the entire show, there were a number of roles I assumed as the founder of TIWC.
- We loved your concept on enclothed cognition and how it relates to fitness, can you elaborate on that?
Enclothed cognition is a term coined by Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky inspired by an experiment they conducted in 2012. The concept relates to the effect which clothing has upon a person’s mental process and the way they think, feel, and function, in areas like attention, confidence, or abstract thinking.
For example:
- Formal clothing helps one feel authoritative and powerful
- Casual clothes can boost openness and agreeableness
- Active wear or gym clothes boosts the likelihood of both actually working out as well as making healthier choices
Considering the above, its easy to see how high-quality, high-function and highly-fashionable active wear can affect how one thinks, feels and functions!
- What inspires you/ keeps you going on hard days?
In our increasingly social climate, it’s easy to judge success by the likes, views, comments we get – both on and offline. What would it be like if we stop measuring success by culture’s standards and start measuring them by their ability to impact people’s lives? That is how I handle hard days – by measuring the Collective’s and my success by the ability to positively impact black women’s lives.
Amidst COVID-19, the rise of a new civil rights era and greater conversations about equity, I am blessed to have the opportunity through This Is Well Collective and my personal brand to engage, educate and empower black women and the larger community.
Learn about the disparities and inequities black women face in regard to health & wellness and support us by sharing This Is Well mission with your family, friends and loved ones!
