Imani Samuels is now offering a safe space for people who are ready to escape and heal from being burnout.
Huru, named after the Swahili word for “free,” is where people can embrace rest, preserve peace, and be free at its Washington, D.C. location.
“I was inspired by lots of different things,” Imani Samuels told Travel Noire. “I was in a season of extreme and severe burnout. I thought it was attributed to the project I was working on at work, but I found it was a compound effect of multiple things.”
Samuels, who is a wife and mom of two, began feeling the physical demands of the many hats she wears. She found herself developing severe anxiety that eventually became debilitating.
“My body was so used to waking up at 3 am to start doing work before I had to get my girls up for school. But then one day, my daughter said to mommy, you are always tired. You never play with us.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ That’s how I felt about my mom when growing up.”
It was from that point on, when her daughter said those words that Samuels realized she couldn’t sustain how she was operating any longer and decided to become still.
In that season of her life, Samuels stayed still for three months straight. She found a new purpose, to minister rest to people who were struggling just like her.
She now provides a one-of-a-kind and customizable solo rest experience at Huru.
“When a guest comes, we try to understand what season they are going through, the goals and dreams they have for the weekend and for their life, and we also assess their palette inspiration. Dinner is already prepared when they show up so, they can indulge as soon as they arrive. The dinner is really designed to be an open-heart and welcoming session as well as a cleansing meal because every meal has a spiritual or metaphysical symbolism to it.”
There are also activities and curated experiences guests can participate in based on what their goals are. Whether the reason is the loss of a loved one, burnout, starting a new job, or ultimately trying to reset, Samuels offers a plan to rest and reflect for everyone.
“Peace is the ultimate goal. We want guests to feel lighter and feel freer when they depart than when they arrived. The idea is that when each individual is cultivating inner peace within themselves, we are much more postured to contribute to the community with a lens or a posture of peace, and then our nations, and then our world,” said Imani Samuels.
She is currently working on a few different projects at the moment but says her next goal is to accommodate more people by expanding to the West Coast.
You can find out more and book an experience with Huru by clicking here.