KEEP MOVING FORWARD...
Everyone has a phrase. A slogan. A why. “Keep Moving Forward” is mine. I say it to close out every spin class, every meditation, every workshop, and it was in my Instagram bio until I had to “optimize it” – social media things. Oy!
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I could sit here and list out all of the amazing things about me, my resume, what everyone is looking for in a quintessential “About Me” page and which will make you think “okay, I know this woman and want to buy whatever it is she’s offering”:
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I’ve been in the fitness industry for over 5 years as a spin instructor.
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I am a diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation speaker and consultant.
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I am a mindful meditation leader.
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I am a mindfulness, confidence, and abundance coach.
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I am a podcaster.
While all of these things are part of who I am, these are the things you share during Sunday brunch introductions. But then you get to know a person deeper and you find the real. Here’s the real:
WHITNEY
I'm a first-generation Nigerian American raised with the belief and foundation that it is on you to lead with your values, be the change you wish to see in the world, and to never stay silent when you see wrong happening in front of you. This foundation fueled my why long before I even recognized it and has been the driving force behind all I do.
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Building a bigger table and increasing equity, inclusion, representation and diversity are part of my personal values and this is what fueled me becoming a spin instructor was the lack of representation I saw in the industry. Spin was only workout that ever ignited me and made me feel alive however one thing that always bothered me was never seeing instructors that looked like me. I know it wasn’t a lack within Black women, it would take me years of being in the industry to understand why this disparity but at the time I only thought – when you don’t see an example of yourself, you become the example. And that’s exactly what I did.
I mentioned it would take me years of being in the industry to understand why there was so little diversity and representation. When I realized it was partially the result of a scarcity mindset which runs rampant in the fitness industry and is present at its core, this drove me once again to lead with my why, my values, and be the change – to speak out against it. And not just speak out, but be an agent of change by leading with mindfulness because all change starts with our mindset.
It led me to develop a workshop, “From Scarcity to Abundance - Creating Representative, Diverse, Equitable, & Inclusive Fitness, Health and Wellness Spaces”. Unfortunately, we know that discrimination, racism, prejudice, lack of representation, inequality, and inequity isn’t just limited to health, wellness, and fitness spaces so although my workshop was originally tailored to that space, the more I spoke about my program, the more people reached out asking if I could make this more broadly curated to all spaces. Which is exactly what I did and has helped me walk in my why, my purpose, to educate others and provide spaces where everyone can feel welcome, seen, safe, and like they belong in all spaces but especially my spaces – on & off the bike and mat.
In this space, we’ll meditate together, we’ll tap it back together, we’ll laugh & talk about things on the podcast, moving forward together, ultimately growing together because everyone has a seat at this table.
