Thursday, December 12 from 7pm-9:30pm
Stress is unavoidable. Challenges will arise. Schedules will implode. Bills will stack. Relationships will expose conflict. There is a never ending stream of necessities that only you can provide from your job, your partner, your friends, your kids, etc. And then there are your own personal goals. These are all aspects of the human experience. With the highs, come the lows. The key is to recognize that these components of life present opportunities of personal growth.
The idea is to create ways to show up for yourself everyday in a way that allows you to manage these dynamics. For that, we turn to a group of panelists spanning the range of facets that make up a fulfilling existence including creative, emotional, physical, spiritual, and integrative. Our panelists are experts in their fields including artist Aleksandra Zee; women’s life coach Joanne Encarnacion; acupuncturist, herbalist and aesthetician, Anna Lee; Yoga Journal’s audience development manager Monica Cadena; and Showga and Wellfests founder, Shannan Slevin. The panel will be moderated by Rogue Habits founder, Jen Woo.
The panel discussion will be followed by an hour of Showga (yoga with live music from Cory Tauwoo). Join us as we explore the importance and power behind these pillars of personal wellbeing.
Doors open at 6:45pm at The Heartbeat Collective (3630 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA). Please arrive early to enjoy GT’s kombucha and plant-based protein bars from R.E.D.D.
All genders welcome.
Wear/ bring:
- Comfortable clothes to lounge in and practice yoga
- Yoga mat to sit on during the panel and for Showga
Meet the group:
Creative: Aleksandra Zee
Aleksandra Zee is an Oakland-based woodworker with a degree in Fine Arts whose work as a display artist for Anthropologie led her to woodworking career. She creates and sells original and commissioned pieces, teaches workshops at her studio in Oakland and also takes them on the road, and speaks regularly to audiences on her craft. She just released her debut book, The Way of the Woodshop, one part soul craft one part DIY. Find her at aleksandrazee.com and @aleksandrazee.
Emotional: Joanne Encarnacion
Joanne Encarnacion is a women’s life coach and health and wellness blogger sharing healthy recipes, beauty, lifestyle, and wellness tips with a dose of self love. The mother of two shares with brutal honesty her experiences in self-image, food, and exercise in an empowering platform to help others to overcome their fears, connect with self-confidence and live authentically. Find her at gofitjo.com and @gofitjo.
Physical: Anna Lee
Anna Lee is a CA licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and aesthetician who has been practicing since 2004. She received a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicines and applied science degrees in both Medical Aesthetics and Clinical Massage from Saint Paul College. She has since retired from massage therapy (and teaching yoga) to fully dedicate her skills to aesthetics, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and her own skincare line, Mee Ra Rituals. Find her at meerarituals.com and @meerarituals.
Spiritual: Monica
Monica Cadena is an Afro-Latinx California based artist, writer, yogi, ecstatic dancer and digital alchemist. The former co-founder of Wear Your Voice Magazine, an intersectional feminist magazine centering the voices of Black and Brown queer women, femmes, trans and non-binary people, Monica’s work is heavily influenced by the the resilience of the diasporic community. Currently, she is the audience development manager at Yoga Journal. Find her at @sacred.alchemist.
Integrative: Shannan Slevin
Shannan Slevin is CoFounder of Showga, Founder of WellFests and leading expert in driving organizational, community, and individual well-being. As a highly sought after consultant and creative producer, Shannan’s clients range from Fortune-500 companies, social and environmental nonprofits, and underserved communities. Her work has been used by industry leaders such as Jim Beam, Pandora, Athleta, Adobe, and Salesforce, global events such as Mutek Music Festival, World Disrupt Form, The Outpost, and WDS. Shannan has been featured in various media publications and has taught more than 1,000 students, including high-integrity CEOs, Venture Capitalists, entrepreneurs, business owners, and C-suite executives. Find her at showga.com, shannanslevin.com and @showgalife.
Music: Tauwoo
Cory Tauwoo is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, drawing inspiration from West African, Middle Eastern, and Indian rhythms as well as bands like Radiohead, Photay, Anderson Paak, Bonobo, and Patrick Watson. He strives to develop a journey through song, taking listeners through time and space. Find him at tauwoo.com and @_tauwoo.
Venue: Heartbeat Collective
So much more than just a yoga studio, Heartbeat Collective is the creation of four female founders within the wellness space—Alexa Gigliotti, Kate Wiggs, Hannah Jenkins, and Tiffany Lin. Together, they’ve created safe space and community for self-healing and discovery. They offer a range of classes and workshops ranging from yoga to ecstatic breathwork, women’s circles to meditative dance. Learn more at theheartbeatcollective.com and @heart_beatcollective.
