#Evoklife Wellness Weekend Hosted by Buick Envision

Let’s be real, we toss around the term “getting my life” quite freely these days and could easily be referring to something as small as enjoying a great meal or taking a Sunday afternoon nap. In other words, getting our lives usually isn’t “getting our lives” at all. Most times, it’s us doing something for ourselves that should be the norm, but because our lives are so busy, we become less of a priority and it feels like a luxury. Well ladies, I truly got my life during the recent Evoklife Wellness Weekend at the new MGM National Harbor and I’m here to tell you ALL about it.

Hosted by Buick Envision and the ladies of Evoklife, the experience I’m about to share with you was one I’ll never forget. When I received the invite late last year, I knew I was down for anything that would help me get things in order for 2017, but honestly didn’t know what to expect. What I did know is that it would be a thoughtful and classy affair because my girl Leslie Gordon of GM Diversity was the driving force behind the initiative. When I read further and saw that we could invite a guest, I reached out to my dear friend and awesome author, Christine Patrick, to ask her to join me for this magical moment. She responded with a resounding yes, of course!

The weekend kicked off at The Standard High Line in New York City’s Meatpacking District with a delectable breakfast and introduction to the 2017 Buick Envision:

Tai Beauchamp of The Tai Life and the 2017 Buick Envision

Once we got familiar with this gorgeous SUV equipped with every amenity you can imagine, it was time to hit the road to D.C.! The Buick Envision’s sound proof cabin, intuitive technology, and booming Bose sound system made getting there just as fun as going there.

I would normally opt for a quick flight over a road trip any day, but this peaceful drive to D.C. was just what the doctor ordered.  As two women blessed to be walking in our purpose, Christine and I chat frequently to keep each other lifted, but most of our conversations are on-the-go, while we’re juggling a million other things or by text. Having four uninterrupted hours of girl talk and the ability to give each other our undivided attention was the perfect precursor to the weekend ahead. When we pulled up to the MGM National Harbor we were immediately greeted, directed to check-in and escorted to our lovely accommodations:

With just enough time to dig into our welcome bags and freshen up for dinner, by 6:00 p.m. our evening was in full swing and it was time to make our way to the historic Oxon Hill Manor.

A warm welcome from Leslie Gordon, General Motors Diversity Communications

Always chatting…

Devi Brown of Karma Bliss and Tracy G. of Sway in the Morning

Leslie Gordon and her girls

Striking a pose with Radiah Rhodes, Evoklife; Tawana Bhagwat, Evoklife and Christine Patrick, Author of Truth About Awiti and Dear Ancestors

Black Girl Magic or as Dr. Roni Ellington of Evoklife says, Black Girl Miracles! 

Bardo and his talented band

After dinner and a dope, live performance by Chicago Hip Hop artist, Bardo, it was time to call it a night and prepare for the first official day of our Evoklife experience.

Led by the company’s managing partners, Radiah Rhodes, Dr. Roni Ellington, and Tawana Bhagwat, Saturday’s workshop was just what I needed to kick my personal achievement into high gear. I have so many goals I’d like to reach in 2017, but the one I find the most challenging is committing to wellness in the form of consistent exercise and healthier eating. I have a gym upstairs in my building for heaven’s sake! Why don’t I schedule time in my day, just like I do everything else, to make my health a priority? This is the issue I was ready to tackle during the Evoklife workshop and boy, did I do just that. The four hour “Be print” exercise we walked through was transformative and empowering. I spend hours and hours each month strategizing for PR clients, but rarely do I invest the same time and energy into strategizing my own life. What do I want to accomplish? What (perceived) obstacles are standing in my way? I confronted these questions head on with assistance from Evoklife’s Tawana Bhagwat and at times it got quite real. I had to face some not-so-pretty truths about myself and what I “say” I want to do vs. what I actually make time for. As a PR practitioner, my job is to make things look and sound great so I struggled with writing down or saying out loud that when it comes to my personal health goals, I’m lazy AF. There, I said it! I’ve been everyone’s cheerleader but my own, and it’s time to change this immediately.

Evoklife’s work is built on the belief that transformation is a culture and a lifestyle, not an intervention, and that we can be taught and trained on how to transform our lives at will. They know that once we become empowered to transform ourselves, we will transform the world. I’m ready.

Charlie Penn of ESSENCE & her sister 

Leslie Gordon of General Motors & Radiah Rhodes, Evoklife Managing Partner

Dr. Roni Ellington, Evoklife Managing Partner

Identifying goals 

Marielle Bobo, Interactive One

Doing the work

With Taylor Gordon, letting the things we want to let go of dissolve in water

All smiles after an afternoon of transformational life designing with these beauties

Christine Patrick getting pampered & primped

Sunday’s yoga session was the perfect opportunity to be still in a place of gratitude, reflect, and just BE

Many, many thanks to Leslie Gordon, General Motors, Stephanie Rowell, Evoklife and everyone else who joined forces to make the weekend such a beautiful and impactful experience.

To learn more about GM Diversity click here. If you’re ready to get your life (for real, for real!) with the ladies of Evoklife visit evoklife.com and tell them In Her Shoes sent you!

Photo credits: Soul Brother, Tony Powell, and yours truly.