When it comes to wellness, there was always a connection to spirituality. The Black church is a humongous part of Memphis.

As I continued to ascend in my professional career, it still was not fulfilling. I felt a lack of connectivity after a while.

In 2014, I went through a divorce and I was burnt out. Between the high-ranking levels that I ascended to, and my divorce, I was tired. I knew I needed my grounding.

That is where yoga came in. I tried yoga for the first time in 1996, in Chicago, but it didn’t work for me then. I then did Bikram yoga in New York City and didn’t like it. I swore off yoga. However, when I reluctantly walked into a class in New Jersey led by a Brazilian instructor, my views on yoga changed. I connected with it for the very first time in a meaningful way. I developed my practice with her [yoga instructor] for about 2 to 3 years. I went to India and got my teacher training and finished it in New York.

Rounding that out, I was in a yoga class, and at the time I was going through an issue with a boyfriend. I decided that day to leave my issue “at the [yoga] mat” that day. When I got home, I was inspired to write out a program plan for women communing at the mat. I wanted women to make the mat their refuge.

Being in New York City, there isn’t a lot of space. I thought about yoga mats being women’s place to escape. That’s how Freedom at the Mat was born.

The mats we sell are intentionally designed to be beautiful and colorful. We want them to be the go-to space in your home. Our YouTube page provides affirmations, meditations, yoga classes, and readings.

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All of the content is a labor of love and is free for women to access globally.

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