Attendees taking part in various meditative exercises/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan kicked things off with an empowering spoken word selection/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Attendees took turns sharing with each other/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
(l-r) Dr. Joi Lewis, Tracey Williams-Dillard and DejaJoelle/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Attendees got up and moved/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Attendees took part in various exercises/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Dr. Lewis led attendees in meditation exercises/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
DeJaJoelle taking part in meditative exercise/Steve Floyd MSR News 
Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
After meditating, attendees got down with DejaJoelle/Steve Floyd MSR News 
Attendees shopped with vendors in between discussion and activities/Steve Floyd MSR News 
Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
The afternoon was all about love, starting with oneself./Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Panelists Dr. Lewis and DejaJoelle spoke with attendees after the panel discussion/Steve Floyd MSR News 
(l-r) Dr. Joi Lewis and DejaJoelle/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
(l-r) Dr. Joi Lewis, Tracey Williams-Dillard and DejaJoelle/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Roseann Stewart of SOAR, stretches out host Tracey Williams-Dillard/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Kevin Johnson of K & J Art and Frames/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Kevin Johnson takes center stage (as Roseann Stewart helps Tracey Williams-Dillard stretch in the background)/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Opal Robinson of Inner Peace Gifts & Fragrance/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Gloria Coles of Volunteers of America’s Culturally Responsive Caregiver Support and Dementia Services talks to an attendee/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Tuesday Glover (standing) at VOA’s Culturally Responsive Caregiver Support and Dementia Services/Steve Floyd MSR News 
Shoppers/Steve Floyd MSR News Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News 
Credit: Steve Floyd/MSR News
The room at LifeSource in Minneapolis was full to capacity as a multigenerational group of women gathered for an afternoon focused on self-care. The Feb. 1 “Love Thyself: Self-Care 101” event began with an empowering spoken word selection from performer, speaker, and facilitator Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan, followed by the main course—discussion and activities centered on self-love and care.
Author and life coach Dr. Joi Lewis, and DejaJoelle, a dancer and facilitator, led attendees in a conversation about loving oneself from the inside out. Each panelist offered a bit about their background and how they journeyed through self-destructive lifestyles to arrive on the path of self-care.
From there, attendees became participants, as Dr. Lewis had them partner with the person sitting next to them and take turns listening and sharing a personal story—what she called sharing a “sacred moment.”
DejaJoelle, founder of BLAQ Dance Aesthetic & BLAQ Love Technique, then got the crowd up and moving to the infectious beat of Afro B’s “Joanna.” After the engaging hour from the panelists, attendees were ready to shop at the vendor market, play games, make new connections and vibe to music from KMOJ’s Q Bear and Lazy T.
Next up: Sister Spokesman continues its health and wellness with “The Skin I’m In – Best Practices for Healthy Skin.”
For more on DejaJoelle, visit DejaJoelle.com. For info on Dr. Joi Lewis, visit joiunlimited.com.
Related story: Dr. Joi Lewis explores the radical power of self-care