We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brittney Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brittney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The mission of The Ubuntu Wellness Space is to provide people, families and communities with holistic resources, teachings and practices that will assist them in living a liberated and joyful life and also support them with dying a dignified death.

This mission is very personal for me. When I was 12 years old I lost my mother to the complications of HIV/AIDS. A little over a month later my father suddenly loss his eyesight. In less than two months my world was shattered with death, grief, and transition.

At the young age and in the community that I am from, I did not have many resources that could help me navigate through these losses. Many times, my grief showed up as anger or I just ignored it. For well over 15 years, I buried my pain and grief.

The final straw came with the unexpected death of my brother and father. My brother died unexpectedly on my birthday in 2018. My father died less than a year later. This time I could not swallow down my pain and grief. It started to physically manifest within in my body. It showed up as headaches, panic attacks and sleep terrors.

I needed support. I started seeing a grief counselor and she suggested that I write. I created The Ubuntu Wellness Space Blog as an outlet. From this blog I noticed that many people grieve and die alone. Grief and death are like the neighbors you are forced to hang out with when you really don’t want to. But when you get to know them you notice just how much you have in common with them.

After building a community through this blog and sharing my story, I was committed to create a safe space for people to live and die well. I went on to train as a death and grief doula. I also started to learn different ancestral practices such as the laying of hands (Reiki), altar creation and divination.

I was then able to create a tangible space that felt like home to people who are going through transitions, grief, and death. I named it the Ubuntu Wellness Space because Ubuntu means that “I am because We are.” I am going to die. We are going to die. My hope is that when we do go through death and grief we are not alone and feel like we are in community with others.

Brittney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hey!

My name is Brittney. I am a fearless, powerful, spiritual educator, and writer who liberates and inspires others to live an empowered life and die a dignified death. I am the proud founder of the Ubuntu Wellness Space!

I have over 10 years of experience as a special education teacher, culture consultant, a non-profit program director, and end of life doula. I hold degrees in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences and Leadership from the University of Florida and Harvard.

As a Death, Transition/Grief Doula, Reiki Practitioner and Educator I honor the sacred act of transitions and death while also creating educational opportunities that are centered around grief, death, and liberation.
The Ubuntu Wellness Space’s (UWS) mission is to provide people, families and communities with holistic resources, teachings and practices that will assist them in living a liberated and joyful life and also support them with dying a dignified death.

We all experience transitions and death. The death of a family member and/or relationship, the transition to a new job and/or the grief that comes with saying goodbye to old versions of ourselves. The Ubuntu Wellness Space focuses on providing people with care during these difficult transitions in their lives.

This work is very personal for me! After losing both of my parents and brother and transiting out of a long-term relationship all before the age of 30, I struggled with the loneliness and confusion that comes with death and transition. I started a blog to serve as a creative outlet to share my journey.

I quickly realized that grief was something that we all have a difficult time navigating and speaking on. So, I started training to become an end-of-life doula and educator. I then noticed the intersectionality between joy, grief, and death. I deeply believe that In order to die a good death we must have held space for transitions, joy, and grief in this lifetime.

After this realization, I knew I wanted to birth a tangible space that provided people with grief, transition and death care that was culturally responsive and fostered liberation. I wanted to create a space that provided a variety of supports and outlets for those who wants to live well and die a dignified death. Ultimately, I want people to live, die and rest ABUNDANTLY. From this vision I created the Ubuntu Wellness Space!

At the Ubuntu Wellness space, we offer the following in person and virtual services:

• Grief/Transition Hotline Calls
• Ancestral Readings
• Reiki Sessions
• Group and individual Coaching that is centered around transitions, grief, and death
• End of Life Planning
• Bedside Care

More information about these services and booking could be found on: Ubuntuwellnessspace.com. You may also contact me at: [email protected].

Ubuntu is defined as: “I am because you are”. We all need a community to help us thrive. We all have something that someone needs. I am excited to be in community with you!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is “play it safe when it comes to business”. Many times, as an entrepreneur you have to take a bet on yourself, take risks and “do it scared”. You will have to take these risks even if you are scared. I remember when I first launched a new service. I was sharing with the public that I was providing ancestral readings. Before sharing the Instagram post, I was really scared of how people would perceive me and my work. I did not want people to judge me and my spiritual practices. But I also knew that this service was something that I was committed to offering and it aligned with the mission and vision of the Ubuntu Wellness Space. I launched the service last year and received clients and great feedback! I am proud of myself and glad that I “Did it scared.”

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been sharing my story with others and being community oriented. Surprisingly I have met many of my clients at parties or events lol. I am the person who loves to hear other people stories. In those stories there is usually grief and/or death. I love to talk about these two topics! Just from sharing stories around transitions, grief, and death I have been able to work with a variety of people and organizations.

Also, death and grief work are community work. I have to be in community with others to be able to successfully do my job. As a new business owner, I am very mindful of this. To grow my clientele, I get out in the community. I volunteer my services when needed and I also attend community-based events to see what I can learn from others and how we could possibly collaborate together. Don’t be afraid to leverage your community for support.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ubuntuwellnessspace.com/
• Instagram: @ubuntuwellnessspace
• Other: TikTok: @bjanaae0 Gmail: [email protected]