BlogHer VOTY 100: Meet Our Wellness Champion Honorees
Explore the entire BlogHer VOTY 100 digital issue.
Voices of the Year (VOTY) is BlogHer’s annual celebration of women doing culture-shifting work for the greater good. This year, we’ve expanded this initiative into the VOTY 100, a list of changemakers across 10 categories: Wellness Champions, Small Business Owners, Creators, Eco Impact Warriors, Next Gen Creatives, Biz Experts, Innovators, Social Impact Leaders, Storytellers, and Community Builders.
Mind, body, and soul are the focus of these inspiring women, whose unique approaches to wellness are making the space more inclusive than ever.
Ty Alexander, Wellness Educator, Author & DJ
(and former BlogHer speaker)
What is your proudest moment of the past year?:
When my mother died at 57, I promised her I would try and do everything my heart desired. So when I finally learned to DJ, I knew she was proud. I’ve wanted to DJ since I was a teen but financially couldn’t make it work. When I spin I think of my mom standing next to me quietly vibing out. I know she’s up top smiling.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I look to my community, Self Care IRL. It’s the bravest space I know that’s filled with women that look like me and who are committed to creating new wellness experiences. We’ve been learning and growing and healing together for the past decade. I share my highs and lows with them. And in the times where I need a push, they are there.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?:
I wish I knew that it was ok to fail. I spent so much of the being of my career beating up my confidence because of the missteps I took. I know now that failure is indeed a part of my journey.
Trinity Mouzon Wofford, CEO & Co-Founder of Golde
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
This year we launched Golde at Target, which was so incredible to see! Nothing compares to seeing your products on a major retailer’s shelves for the first time ever.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I moved from Brooklyn back home to upstate New York last year, and I’ve gotten really into gardening. I love taking time to get out in nature and get a break from all the screen time.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
Your work is always a learning opportunity. You’ll never arrive at this state of final achievement, you’ll just have to keep pushing through.
Tracy G., Wellness Artist, Podcaster & Radio Host
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
Finding my way back to peace a million and one times inside the belly of a pandemic. One of those ways was through tapping into my creativity and my self-talk. I combined those to create a new audio vision board for my community called “Forced To Flow.” These are affirmations for the overwhelmed soul whose plans got replaced with worry, improvement fatigue, and too many damn Zoom calls.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
Cry, drink hella water, pick up any scrap of paper around and give my thoughts—no matter how gloomy—a home outside my head, stream one of my audio vision boards, walk into the arms of Mother Nature with a helpful podcast in my ears. Unf*ck Your Brain from Kara Loewentheil is one of my go-tos.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?:
Changing my mind isn’t a sign of inconsistency or being wishy-washy, but a full-on acknowledgment of evolution.
Priscilla O. Agyeman, MPH, Public Health Pro, Mental Health Activist & Founder of Saddie Baddies
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
Collaborating with Nike to produce the Saddie Baddies Sanctuary x Morning Routine. It was everything I could’ve dreamed of and more, and I’m so grateful to have been able to work with such a dedicated team of creatives.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I look to younger versions of myself whenever I need to remember my ‘why’ and I connect with the amazing Black women in my community, who always remind me I’m never alone.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
I wish I knew more about the business and logistical side of having a brand. So much of what I know now is by being self-taught, organization and consistency but also by asking the right people the right questions, outsourcing skills I don’t have, and also exploring other methods of getting things accomplished.
Polly Rodriguez, CEO & Co-Founder of Unbound
What is your proudest moment of the past year?:
My proudest moment is that one year after COVID, Unbound was able to keep everyone fully employed, along with expanding our team with new hires.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
PBS documentaries. I am a 90-year-old woman trapped in a 34-year-old body. I love anything by the Burns Brothers. Their work consistently highlights the triumphs and tribulations of those who have come before us. It can be anything from the history of New York City to the Roosevelts, each has a unique perspective on perseverance. To me, seeing life depicted onscreen in such an honest and raw way reminds me to stay grounded. It reminds me that the sun is going to come up tomorrow and I’m going to make it through another day.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
You fill face endless rejection, but most of it will come from critics who deep down are just scared. Lean into that fear, own it, and never take it personally.
Lisa Farr-Johnstone, Co-Founder of Optimist Drinks
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
Launching our LA-based brand, OPTIMIST Drinks, and our first range of non-alcoholic products in January 2021, after an extraordinarily challenging 2020. As we were finalizing our flavor profiles, the world went into lockdown. One of our distilling partners switched to making sanitizer, and another had fires raging outside his distillery. There were glass shortages, cargo stranded for weeks at Long Beach, and our bottling partners had to close for the safety of their workers. We were homeschooling our two young kids, and our dogs developed anxiety issues and ate all the furniture. And yet, with the support of our team, our amazing PR partners, and everyone else we have worked with, we managed to get OPTIMIST Botanicals to market, and into people’s glasses, across the U.S. Now the real work starts.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I look to nature, on a personal level, and for our products. I meditate on my surfboard in the water, head into the canyons, or into my (tiny) kitchen garden. I put my hands in the soil and tend and grow. I look to artists and poets, local growers, chefs, and food writers, and anyone doing things a little differently or helping us see a better way forward.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
A decade into a career in advertising, I felt very much I was on the wrong track. I asked the father of a close friend how he had known which career path to take. He had known great success in many diverse careers, and he seemed deeply amused by my earnest question. His response: “My dear girl, I am 72-years-old and I still don’t have a bloody clue what I want to do with my life.”
Most of us will have many different roles, in many different organizations; finding the right job is often a process of elimination. You can learn from each opportunity, you can shape your path, and what you are looking for will inevitably change as you grow and change. Don’t be afraid to jump into something new, retrain, start fresh. Life is too short to be unhappy in a role you have outgrown. And don’t chase the money, it will never be enough.
Jessamyn Stanley, Author and Body Liberation Advocate
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
Every moment that I have acknowledged and accepted a weakness and asked for help when I needed it.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
MasterClass, podcasts, the flowers, my plants, my cats, and my dog. Anytime that I am in need of a deep connection to a teacher, I’ll usually go to either Oprah’s book, What I Know for Sure, or Anna Wintour’s MasterClass.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
It’s a combination of two things about time. 1. Time is your most valuable asset. It is your life. Don’t treat it like it is worthless when it is everything. 2. Take your time. Let it take as much time as it wants to take. Don’t feel like you have to push to get anywhere, because you’re always where you need to be.
Briana Thompson, Founder of Spiked Spin
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
My proudest moment of the past year was giving birth to my son Law. 2020 was an incredibly trying year for everyone but for me, it felt extremely personal and daunting. I left my full-time career to pursue entrepreneurship and only 30 days after the pandemic closed my business. Through the many dark days, my pregnancy and delivery kept me hopeful and reminded me of the miraculousness of who I am.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I find inspiration from my peers because they are killing it! I am proud to know so many thought leaders, creatives, and great minds who are literally changing the world in real-time. Being a witness to their greatness keeps me inspired to know to keep going. Also, I listen to Jay-Z albums on repeat, he is my greatest inspiration.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
I wish I was confident as I am now. It has taken time to embrace every aspect of me and to be comfortable moving through the world as my full self. I love it here! I wasted way too much time doubting myself and my abilities based on other people’s points of view.
Emma Lovewell, Peleton Instructor
If you’re among the thousands who spent quarantine peddling on your Peleton, you’ll definitely recognize this honoree! Emma Lovewell is a Chinese-English, Brooklyn-based health expert, fitness professional, and wellness blogger. Come for a positive attitude and her fire workout playlists (you’ll be dancing in your bike seat guaranteed) and stay for her delicious and nutritious recipes, and lifestyle and beauty tips.
Shana Minei Spence, MS, RDN, CDN,
Founder of The Nutrition Tea
There’s a lot of food and diet advice on the Internet. Some good, some bad. But through her platform, The Nutrition Tea, registered dietician and nutritionist Shana Minei Spence is cutting through all of the noise with counseling that smartly avoids restricting the taste buds. No topic is off-bounds and almost daily, she reminds us that toxic culture should have no place on our kitchen tables.
Subscribe to the BlogHer newsletter for more tactical advice, exclusive content, and timely event updates.