B.Well Initiative
For Black women in professional leadership positions, there are many challenges and barriers to not only pursuing equitable career advancement opportunities, but navigating the intersection of race and gender in the workplace. Lack of racial diversity at the recruitment level and path to promotion, coupled with personal & professional strain create unique challenges for Black women who have “beat the odds.” This leads to a disproportionately negative impact on our health & wellbeing, and ability to design a sustainable path to leadership and growth. This has stark consequences for individual women, their families, and ultimately, the community at large.
While Black women are often touted for our strength and resilience, one has to wonder - at what cost? Health disparities, the wage gap, and representation in leadership roles all beg the question: who is taking care of Black women? How are we positioned to effectively care for ourselves and thrive, while leading organizations and institutions that impact our collective society? Imagine a roundtable created by and for Black women to come together safely to unpack, re-imagine, and center our wellbeing. With generous support from Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Career Maven Consulting has designed that table: The B.Well Initiative.
The B.Well Initiative seeks to provide an intentional gathering space for 20 Black women in leadership roles in the Non-Profit sector across Forsyth County/Greater Winston-Salem, NC. Our mission is to build community, cultivate support & healing practices, and identify strategies centered around a framework of holistic wellbeing that can be put into action to transform our lives and activate career agency wellness for women of color who are working to create community impact and change through their work in the Non-Profit community. The B.Well Initiative program experience takes place across 8-weeks in a virtual environment, beginning in September 2022. Applications for program participation are now open. Application deadline: August 1st, 2022 at 11:59pm. Questions? Contact: hello@careermavenacademy.com
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
Program schedule
The B.Well Initiative program runs for 8 weeks, beginning September 9, 2022. The group will meet (via Zoom) for a lunch & learn each week with a guest facilitator focused on a new dimension of wellness each session. Upon completion of the core program, participants will also be invited to a group dinner experience to wrap up the program experience.
In addition to weekly topical sessions, program participants who complete at least 80% of program requirements will receive a stipend to invest in taking action on their wellbeing action plan through co-curricular experiences that support the 7 dimensions of wellness that are guiding themes of the initiative.
September 9 12-2:00pm
September 16 12-2:00pm
September 23 12-2:00pm
September 30 12-2:00pm
October 14 12-2:000pm
October 21 12-2:00pm
October 28 12-2:00pm
November 4 12-2:00pm
November 18 - Alumni Dinner, 6-8pm
guiding themes
Emotional/Mental Wellbeing: How might we design a Self-care plan that centers Mental wellness at its core? Participants will identify values and walk away with the tools to manage imposter syndrome, bolster confidence, and activate key principles of Mental health & wellness.
Environmental Wellbeing: Environmental wellbeing flows from a physical environment that is holistically well - one that provides us with the opportunity to relax, reflect, and restore our senses. How might we design spaces at work and home to honor this dimension of wellness for ourselves?
Financial Wellbeing: Financial wellbeing is essentially our ability to manage what we have in a responsible manner - for short and long term use. How might we leverage financial coaching and investment knowledge to promote financial wellbeing and wealth?
Career/Professional Wellbeing: Life design as a personal practice requires us to move beyond balancing work and life. How might we identify purpose and fulfillment in what we do at work and in the community, beyond our achievements alone? What barriers exist in a career context that adversely impact Black women leaders, and what strategies might we employ to combat them?
Physical Wellbeing: Physical wellbeing rests at the intersection of responsible consumption, activity, and rest. How might we create and maintain an action plan around physical wellness and Self-care?
Social Wellbeing: Social wellbeing and cultivating authentic relationships is vital to happiness and truly living in community in a variety of settings. How do we curate a network of positive relationships and vulnerability?
Spiritual Wellbeing: The concept of spirituality has a wide variance of interpretation. Largely, spirituality can be achieved when our core values and beliefs tie us to a sense of something larger than ourselves, empowering us to act in alignment with those beliefs. How do we curate a set of guiding values, and activate mindfulness to honor them in our lives?
