Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiffany Herbert. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tiffany , 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?

Black Wellness Affair

was created during the chaos of the Pandemic in the Summer of 2020. All the social injustices, healthcare disparities and unfair practices led a lot of Americans to believe there was no hope; especially after the tragic death of George Floyd on Memorial Day during Mental Health Awareness month.

As several people took to the streets to protest, many essential workers like myself, almost had no choice, but to try and stick it out. Showing up for others everyday at the expense of most days having no means or energy to show up for themselves mentally & physically.

I wanted to have a healthy creative way to cope with my Anxiety & Depression while adjusting to the many changes presented during this traumatic time. Losing yourself amongst the chaos is never easy to handle, let alone losing and grieving loved ones. I was heavily reminded of my Uncle who was a Veteran & retired Police Officer who died by Suicide years prior. Reminded of the confusion my family felt and all the things we wish we could’ve said or what would’ve happened if he got professional care would he still be with us today, telling a different story.

Because of this I decided it was my duty to create a safe space for the BIPOC community to express themselves with the understanding that Black Lives Matter, therefore Black Mental Health Matters too. A space with hopes to stop stigma and that’s committed to changing the narrative within our culture. A place where we start the hard conversations to openly discuss the matters of the heart and what means the most to us, with overall community wellness as our top priority. An opportunity to have a means of support that can start the process of healing generational trauma.

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

My name is Tiffany Herbert. I am a Mental Health Advocate and certified Mental Health First Aider. I am the founder, curator and designer for Black Wellness Affair. My Mental Health Journey started when I was a teenager dealing with what started out as depression and later developed to anxiety as well. Fortunately I grew up with both parents that worked in the medical field, which afforded me the support that was needed during those times.

I’ve worked for several medical, retail, and networking companies; sometimes multiple at a time throughout college and after. I’ve always had an interest in helping others and finally discovered my passion when I realized in order to do so, I had to accept or change certain things within myself, starting with my mental health first.

My organization Black Wellness Affair is about building relationships, networking, educating, fundraising and sharing difficult stories. It’s about making sure that people gain knowledge and receive something of value to their lives and community every time they work with us or attend an event.

First introduced in August 2020 in conversation during our first annual paint & sip event. We later established a clothing and accessories brand the following year by Juneteenth of 2021. All of our products are motivational or inspirational with positive messages or images that tell a story and promote Mental Health Awareness. Products like T-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, dresses fanny packs, mugs, hats, pins, wristbands etc.

Black Wellness Affair hopes to be a resource and add value to the BIPOC Community by sharing information and access to different services ranging from how to start your Healing Journey; where to look for help before, during or after a mental health crisis occurs.

Our services range from Mental Health First Aid certificate courses, Women’s Support Groups, Outreach programs and workshops, business networking events including pop-ups, podcasts and panels, charitable givebacks: toy, coat, clothes, food drives & back to school giveaways.

What our founder, Tiffany Herbert is most proud of is the ability to put those who have been apart of any of our social events or services in position to get funds to support their businesses as well. Creating a community of like minded individuals who believe in the progression of our neighborhoods, mostly in underserved areas.

What sets us apart from most Mental Health organizations is that we have a mixture of mental health advocates, gun violence survivors, volunteers and professionals who all take their role in developing community wellness seriously in all capacities. Politically, private & public social services with an emphasis on keeping our BIPOC communities safety first to be able to provide Mental Health and Wellness services together. We understand losing loved ones to senseless gun violence, Domestic Violence, Suicide, families struggling with the justice of losing a loved one all plays a part in Black Mental Health. “Black Mental Health are the individual and collective experiences that influence the Wellness of a Community.” – Phillip J. Roundtree

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

When it came to sales I always knew how to sell products for the industries I’ve worked in. However, learning how to create a concept from scratch and produce a product idea to market was new to me when I started my business.

From Black Wellness Affair first event I realized there was a demand for the shirt I wore that I designed, but has someone else print it as well as the mug that was on the flyer.

Months later I attended a business brunch and saw a woman with a T-shirt that had motivational words. I simply complimented her and asked where it was from while sharing my idea to want to sell T-shirts I design. That conversation led me to researching Print on Demand companies that I can utilize to create and sell my products.

Creating and designing was the easy part. Understanding how to price properly and what items sold best or which fabrics were better to work with was challenging at first. Learning the different terminology for the type of design and quality took some getting used to as well. Most of Black Wellness was Affairs apparel designs were created with the Print on Demand website, while others were printed with local printing companies.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Initially my audience was built from DM’n friends from my personal page to share the great cause behind my organization.

As we started networking and participating in various community events we gained more traction. We also used other media platforms like Clubhouse to gain followers.

Currently as we create more personable and relatable content there has been an increase in followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: BlackWellnessAffair.org
• Instagram: @BlackWellness_Affair
• Facebook: FB.com/BlackWellnessA

Image Credits
ShaNina Meeks Jamela Kinlock Dyamon Davis Jasmine Tiffanie Rae Dawn Nadeesha Skyler Rencher Tacha Fletcher Taysa Clarke Adrian Sutherland Zandra Bernita Carson