TOMORROW, WE'LL SHARE WAYS
YOU CAN DESTRESS BEFORE YOU TRY
TO SLEEP.
ALL MONTH LONG HERE, WE'RE
TAKING TIME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO
PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN
THEIR COMMUNITY.
.
YEAH.
TODAY WE MEET LAUREN ASH.
CHANGING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD.
IN SIX YEARS, HER ONLINE HEALTH
AND WELLNESS PLATFORM ATTRACTED
NOW SHE'S OFFICIALLY SETTING
UP A PERMANENT HOME FOR HER
EFFORTS.
FIND HER IN THE LONG FELLOW
COMMUNITY.
SHAYLA IS BACK WITH MORE ON THIS
STORY.
Reporter: GOOD MORNING.
WHEN SHE COULDN'T FIND A
COMMUNITY SHE WAS SEEKING,
IT'S CALLED BLACK GIRL AT OME.
IT'S A WORD ENCOMPASSING LIFE
AND TRANSFORMATION.
SHE'S FOCUSED ON SELF-LOVE AND
HEALING AND HELPING OTHERS DO
THE SAME.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE
VISION.
THIS WILL BE A HOME FOR THE
BLACK COMMUNITY, FOR
MINNEAPOLIS..
Reporter: THIS PHYSICAL
SPACE RESPECTS WHAT'S NEXT FOR
GLOBAL SISTER HOOD.
IT'S A PLACE TO CALL HOME FOR
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE SPACE
BEING A SPACE YOU ENTER AND ARE
ABLE TO EXHALE.
Reporter: SHE'S THE FOUNDER
OF THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS
COMMUNITY ONLINE.
SINCE LAUNCHING IN 2014, THE
INSTAGRAM FOLLOWING BALLOONED TO
120,000.
THE PODCAST DOWNLOADED 2 MILLION
TIMES.
FOLLOWED, INCLUDING VOGUE,
ESSENCE, AND THE NEW YORK TIMES.
EXPERIENCES LIKE THE ANNUAL DAY
OF WELLNESS HAVE GIVEN
PARTICIPANTS A CHANCE TO CONNECT
ALL THIS A FAR CRY FROM THE
COMMUNITY'S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.
I STARTED IN THE LIVING ROOM
OF MY MENTOR'S APARTMENT.
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
ST. THOMAS, SHE ATTENDED
GRADUATE SCHOOL AND TURNED TO
YOGA TO COPE WITH FEELINGS OF
ISOLATION.
.
RARELY HAD A BLACK TEACHER
TEACHING YOGA AND MEDITATION.
I WAS ALWAYS LONGING TO BE IN A
SPACE WITH OTHERS WHO SHARED MY
SAME EXPERIENCES WITHOUT
ARE YOU REALLY SURE THIS
HAPPENED TO YOU?
YES, I'M SURE.
Reporter: A CONVERSATION
WITH A CHICAGO MENTOR WOULD
CHANGE EVERYTHING.
.
SHE LOOKED AT ME AT THE TIME,
YOU KNOW, I THINK I WAS 24.
AND SHE HEARD MY VISION.
AND SHE SAID WHEN DO YOU WANT TO
START?
Reporter: WITHIN TWO WEEKS,
LAUREN BEGAN TEACHING YOGA IN
HER MENTOR'S APARTMENT, QUITTING
HER JOB MONTHS LATER.
I DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE TO
SIGN OF HEALING IS THAT YOU'RE
SUFFERING OR THAT YOU'RE
CONSTANTLY GOING THROUGH.
HEALING CAN ALSO BE AN ACT OF
JOY.
Reporter: IN MARCH OF 2020,
A DESIRE TO HEAL WITHIN HER
FAMILY BROUGHT LAUREN HOME TO
THE TWIN CITIES.
WITHIN MONTHS, HER CITY NEEDED
HEALING TOO.
.
BEING BACK HOME WHEN GEORGE
FLOYD WAS KILLED IMPRESSED TO ME
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEALING
WORK BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH
UNRECONCILED TRAUMA THAT THE
DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD BROUGHT UP
FOR SO MANY OF US.
AND THE HEALING WORK THAT IS SO
NEEDED WITHIN THE BLACK
COMMUNITY.
.
LOOK AT THIS.
.
Reporter: WORK SHE IS
ALREADY ENVISIONING HERE.
A DREAM OF A PHYSICAL SPACE
FINALLY COMING TRUE.
TO BE ABLE TO REALIZE A DREAM
I HAVE HAD FOR SEVEN YEARS IS
MAGICAL.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS.
BEEN LEASING THE SPACE SINCE
SEPTEMBER AND HOPES TO
OFFICIALLY OPEN THIS YEAR.
THE LOCATION WILL INCLUDE AN
HERBAL SHOP, GIFT SHOP, YOGA,
ONE ON ONE HEALING, AND
COLLECTIVE HEALING WORK.
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE, GO TO
WCCO.COM/LINKS.
HER FOLLOWING IS INCREDIBLE.
SHE HAS DONE QUITE A JOB AT
BUILDING A VERY, VERY LARGE
COMMUNITY.
Reporter: I ASKED WERE YOU
SURPRISED HOW QUICKLY THIS
CAUGHT ON?
BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE HERSELF HAD
SUCH A HARD TIME FINDING WHAT
SHE WAS LOOKING FOR AND CREATING
IT.
SO MANY LATCHED ON QUICKLY.
AND CREATING IT SO
WONDERFULLY.
SO GRATEFUL SHE IS BACK HERE IN
THE MINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY AGAIN.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING HER STORY.