Women of Colour In Wellness

Women of Colour in Wellness is a great introduction to race, privilege and cultural appropriation in the wellness industry. Without delving too deep into these concepts politically or analytically, the author provides us with an easily accessible glimpse into the lived experiences of five women of colour living in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom: Sashah, Alica, Liz, Sachiell and Parm. They span the roles of yoga teacher, counsellor, social worker, grief guide, energy healer, meditator, massage therapist, skincare entrepreneur, naturopathic, nutrition coach, and much more. The book is a compilation of interviews originally recorded for audio, so the womens stories and thoughts are shared one by one, in their own words. Overall a common trend was the feeling of being a minority amongst a primarily white population of yoga teachers, students, coaches, therapists, etc. This is difficult both when you are a practitioner and find trends of underrepresentation coupled with a lack of awareness in your workspace; and as a student or someone looking for therapy, and have trouble finding someone you relate with. Discrepancies in pay are stark too, as Liz Andalong noted many people of colour are not in the mainstream wellness industry, but are working with non-profits as therapists or social workers and getting paid a lot less. On the other hand, it was noted that clients are rarely black or brown, largely due to the intersection of wealth and race (Sachiell Ricketts). And in a white-dominated industry, more often than not, neither wellness products nor advice from therapists are catered to your particular needs if you dont fit into the mould.