Today we’d like to introduce you to Shakira Kittrell.
Hi Shakira, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Everything that I do in life– I can thank God and my mother for. Growing up, I watched my mother trail blaze health and wellness for us before I even knew what “health and wellness” was. From growing fresh foods in our garden to doing what we could to be holistically supported, my story starts from my mother’s love for our family.
When I moved to DC to study at Howard, I began to see first hand how our communities needed advocacy for educational access and financial limitations with wellness. What started off as quick yoga or meditation videos I used to send to friends to help them practice yoga for free…slowly evolved into sharing my personal passion with the world in hopes of helping other people feel their best selves too!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I could laugh at how tribulating my path has been for the past few years! It’s more so one of those “laugh to keep from crying” experiences that reminds us we’re human.
In 2023, my mother passed away from cancer. Ever since then, my road has been riddled with grief, isolation, depression, ugh you name it! But it many ways, my grief strengthened my connected with wellness because without it, I’m not sure where or who I’d be today. I allowed myself to grieve, to mediate, to lean on my community, to cope with joy– to embrace both the light and dark sides of my journey. Now, I use my story to empower other people to hopefully see that they are not alone in their struggles. I know I get my resilience from my mother and she would be so proud to know I am carrying the light she helped instill in me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Always community focused, and wellness driven! Togetherness means everything to me. I am most proud of how I show up for myself and those around me. After losing my mom, I almost lost connection with my own self but God and wellness pulled me through. That’s why my healing space is built around rage release, yoga, grief, meditation, gardening, and the overall connection we have to our spiritual selves. I aim to be a beacon of light, and many of my friends see me as a sunflower simply chasing the sun! Right now, my biggest goal is getting more opportunities as a new yoga teacher so I can better learn how to serve my community.
How do you think about luck?
Eh, not really because I genuinely believe that everything happens for a reason. Even if the lesson is unclear on the journey ahead. Planning, networking, using strategies, and not giving up: these are the things that have helped me both in my life and eventual business. Most importantly. it’s been reframing that “failure” is not a reflection of my passions or value but rather just a part of the process. It’s inevitable when trying anything, so I try to not be afraid of failure/rejection because how else would I improve? I often tell myself to practice a progress over perfection mindset.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shakirakittrell1.wixsite.com/7shakras
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/7shakras?utm_source=qr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shakirakittrell/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@7shakras?_r=1&_t=ZP-98U5A6vD4Zi
