We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kimberly Farris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kimberly below.

Hi Kimberly, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I started my yoga practice in graduate school in the early 2000’s through a friend’s recommendation as an alternative to working out in the gym. Immediately, I noticed that I was the only person of color in class among the other students and teachers. At that time, finding a welcoming and diverse yoga community was extremely rare. There were many times that I felt invisible with very little interaction from anyone, but I continued because I saw my physical and mental health benefits from the practice. I found my experience to be the same regarding class demographics and establishing a connection to be true in yoga studies in other cities where I lived until the last 5-6 years. Being a Black woman who has experienced implicit bias and marginalization, I understand the importance of representation in professional and other settings. There is such a difference in energy when you look around and see yourself teaching and practicing yoga. Recognizing what yoga has done for me, I knew it was something that I wanted to share with others who look like me, specifically women of color. I have a public health background, working in chronic disease prevention, specifically diabetes prevention, management, and education. For years, studies have shown that Black/African Americans, Latino and Hispanic, and other underrepresented groups are at greater risk for a number of chronic health conditions. Additionally, the impact of stress, racism, and discrimination on women, specifically Black women over the course of their lives, starting from a very young age through adulthood also significantly impacts health and mental health outcomes. As a Black woman, many hats are worn such as caregiver, parent, sibling, working professional, spouse/partner, etc. and many times, we rarely take care of ourselves because we are caring for everyone else. The social justice uprisings over the last couple of years also underscored the need for a safe space, a community where Black women/women of color can come, leave their hats at the door, take off their superhero cape and dedicate some time for self-care. For me, yoga is holistic healing. The practice is a time to use how we want. My goal, as an instructor, is to show how the principles and guidelines of yoga, and movement encourages us to live a meaningful and purpose-filled life. This space provides us an opportunity to move together, breathe together, and rest together. My idea, Kymistri Wellness, was created out of my own life experience and has given me a powerful testimony to share, to remind and encourage women like me that putting yourself first is not selfish.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I’m a Health Scientist by day and I’ve been in the public health for over 20 years. I oversee research and program evaluation activities to determine outcomes of agencies and organizations providing diabetes management, prevention, and education services through National-, State-, and local, community-based organizations. My professional path is full of twists and turns. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health degrees, and a Ph.D. in Social Work. I’ve seen years of scientific research that shows how people of color are more susceptible to chronic conditions including, but not limited to, hypertension, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. When combined with years of racism, discrimination, and social injustices, our quality of life is significantly impacted. My interests also include understanding the role of holistic approaches as a part of traditional services. Yoga improves overall well-being, promotes health and relaxation, and provides strength building benefits as well. Yoga also supports mental and physical endurance for people over the life span. In addition to leaning into my practice during the early days of the pandemic, I began using meditation as another form of self-care to lower my anxiety because we didn’t know, at that time, how long the lockdown would last. Once things started opening back up, I decided it was my time to enroll in yoga teacher training in January 2021, completing it in July 2021. In addition to yoga and meditation sessions, I also became a Certified Sound Healing and Vibrational Therapy this past June, specifically using crystal singing bowls and other instruments to heal the body, mind, and spirit through sound frequencies and vibrations. Sound healing also creates a therapeutic atmosphere to promote rest, rebalance the nervous system, and potentially an emotional release as well. As part of our teacher training, we presented who we wanted to reach and why. My why goes back to my experiences as a Black woman in today’s society. What we are witnessing now through the power of social media including microaggressions, gaslighting behaviors, and racially motivated crimes is almost an every day occurrence. Kymistri Wellness is a community where Black women and other women of color can release all of the things that weigh us down — the feelings, burdens, and stress so we can be our authentic selves. So many of us have unknowingly placed ourselves or have been placed in to hustle culture, literally working ourselves to death with very little recognition and/or reward. Yoga gives us a way to actively push back and stand up to institutions that require us to be on all the time. We can emphatically say no. We must rest, not only to let our bodies rest, but also our mind and spirit. This requires the opportunity to recharge on our terms. No is a complete sentence. It’s one that liberates and frees us from society’s expectations. With all that we give, we deserve joy, peace, self-love, and rest. Kymistri Wellness is also a community of empowerment created to provide beautiful opportunities for connection and healing. Kymistri Wellness is my way of giving back to my community. There’s no better feeling than to see women like me move, recharge, rest, and discover or rediscover their power.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In some respects, I feel like pivoting has been a constant theme in my life. Starting as a youth counselor after graduating with my undergraduate degree, I was also exposed to the field of social work. When I returned to graduate school in Social Work, I recognized that I did not want to pursue a clinical job; instead, I wanted to conduct research and program evaluations. As a researcher and evaluator, I was allowed to focus on my areas and populations of interest, specifically disparities in positive health and behavioral health outcomes among people of color. I specifically wanted to build on past research, filling gaps of what was unknown, which required more research. But, I didn’t stop there because I realized I still needed to work to reach a higher level, including earning a second Master’s degree and my Ph.D. I’ve worked in non-profits, federal government organizations, and university settings. I lived in various cities across the U.S. to ensure that I added diversity to my knowledge, skills, and abilities. My journey as a yoga teacher is very similar to my journey as a public health professional. I knew years ago that I wanted to pursue becoming a yoga teacher but I also recognized that after graduating from each of my programs that I was also identifying professional opportunities as well. Pivoting required me to be flexible in identifying the best opportunities regardless of where they were located. Those moves did not leave a significant amount of time to focus on becoming a yoga teacher. I knew that if I were to sign up, I had to ensure that I could fully immerse in the teacher training.

Yet, I’m a firm believer in things happening when they are supposed to, and not a second earlier or later. The pandemic definitely provided me with an unintentional pause, but it also showed me that I could not wait any longer because tomorrow is not promised. I am taking what I’ve learned through pivoting and applying the important lessons learned to strategically grow my business. I also recognize that success does not happen over night, so I continue to remind myself that patience is key.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As humans in general, many of us often place high and/or unattainable goals when we start new journeys, and for me, it is no different. After successfully completing the yoga teacher training, I taught at the studio where I completed my training for several months because deciding to strike out on my own. As I work to build my clientele/following, I am constantly reminding myself that I won’t have it all immediately figured out and realizing that I must recognize and embrace my own power. This calls for me to be focused and resilient, recognizing that each step forward is progress. There are so many things to consider in growing a business, but one area that is currently challenging me is creating content for social media (posting multiple times a day intimidates me), which is a main source of marketing to a wider audience. I’m working hard to identify innovative methods to reach my target audience and spread the word far and wide about the benefits of yoga and meditation, especially for Black women and women of color. When I feel overwhelmed, I lean into my practice as a yoga student to ensure that I am practicing what I preach. At the end of the day, I continue to be excited about what’s to come as a result of my journey!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kymistriwellness.com/
• Instagram: @kymistri_wellness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KymistriWellness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kymistri-wellness-llc/
• Youtube: @kymistriwellness8635

Image Credits
Image Credits: Natosha McCrary of Amour de Soul Photography