When Choosing Wellness Felt Like Betrayal

A Love Letter to Black Women Who Choose Themselves

For a long time, wanting to eat better or work out felt complicated.

Not because we didn’t care about our health, but because choosing wellness could feel like turning against your community. Saying no to certain foods. Bringing your own meal. Choosing a gym session over seconds at the table. Talking about mental health in spaces where it was never discussed. These choices sometimes came with side eyes, jokes, or quiet judgment.

You want to feel better in your body and mind, but you also want to honor where you come from. That internal tug-of-war is exhausting. And if no one around you modeled healthy eating, movement, or mental wellness, it can feel lonely and confusing.

Growing Up Without Examples

Many Black women didn’t see balanced meals, intentional movement, or open conversations about mental health while growing up.

Food in our homes often meant love, survival, celebration, and comfort. It connected us to our roots. But what we often didn’t have were the tools: understanding protein, recovery, stress management, or how movement could feel empowering instead of punishing. We weren’t taught how our hormones, emotions, and mental state can affect energy, sleep, or motivation.

So when adulthood hits and consistency with healthy habits feels impossible, it’s easy to blame yourself. It’s not that something is wrong—it’s that you’re learning what wasn’t taught. Loving your culture while wanting to feel better in your body and mind is a delicate balance, but it is also courageous.

 

The Mental Toll of Wanting Wellness

When taking care of yourself feels taboo, it carries an emotional weight.

You may feel guilt for wanting to change, shame for caring about your body, or loneliness when no one around understands why you prioritize wellness. You might laugh it off, keep goals private, or start and stop repeatedly because it feels safer to blend in.

Caring about wellness does not make you disloyal. It doesn’t mean you love your community less. It means you are listening to your body and your mind. That is not selfish. That is self-respect.

How Elevate + Enrich Came to Be
Elevate + Enrich exists because I know what it feels like to want guidance that simply wasn’t there growing up.

This brand was created by a woman of color, for women of color, especially Black women who are learning wellness as adults. I did not want another space that felt intimidating, restrictive, or judgmental. I wanted something that felt like a deep exhale, a place where you can learn without feeling behind.

Every resource we share is intentional. High-protein recipes that make sense. At-home workouts that are clear and doable. Stretches that aid recovery. Glute growth programs designed for women who never had guidance. Mental wellness tools that support emotional clarity and reduce stress. Everything is designed to help you move forward without pressure.

We only work with partners we trust—products and programs we would recommend to our closest family and friends. [Learn more about our current trusted partners here.]

Supporting Every Woman

While Elevate + Enrich grew out of my personal experience as a Black woman, this is a space for all women. It doesn’t matter if you have kids or not, work a traditional job or run your own business, follow one lifestyle or another. Every woman deserves access to tools that support her body, mind, and intimate health.

All of it is designed for women who never had guidance growing up—and for women who are ready to give themselves permission to care for themselves fully.

 

You Are Not Alone

If you have ever felt like the odd one out for caring about your health, know this space was built with you in mind.

Your questions are valid. Your curiosity about wellness is courageous. Your desire for better does not make you disloyal, dramatic, or ungrateful.

Elevate + Enrich is not a finish line. It is a starting point. A safe place to explore, learn, and feel supported. A place where your wellness journey is respected, celebrated, and guided.

You deserve to feel seen. You deserve to feel safe. You deserve support; in your body, your mind, and your life.

And you are always welcome here.