May 6

May 6 Episode: 27 Diversity in Wellness with Maryam Ajayi, Founder of Dive in Well

The Most Important Thing

Follow Maryam on Instagram and check out Dive in Well to learn more about how you can help make the wellness industry more inclusive.

About Maryam Ajayi

Maryam Ajayi is an energy healer and entrepreneur with 10+ years experience in business growth strategy and strategic partnerships across a multitude of industries ranging from politics to tech. Her passions include de-stigmatizing the wellness industry, advocating for inclusive spaces for marginalized communities, and using her voice to empower and uplift others around the world.

Maryam and her work have been featured in Goop, The Sunday Times, The Cut, Holisticism, Thirlby, and The Nod. She has worked with countless brands including Nike Women, The Wing, General Assembly, Lululemon, The Girlmob, and Sad Girls Club.

About Dive in Well

In 2019, Dive in Well gathered over 100 leaders and influencers in the wellness space for intimate salon dinners across NYC and LA entitled "Diversity in Wellness," with the mission of working towards a more inclusive industry.

These events reached an audience of over 1.3 million and partnered with leading brands in the $4.75 Trillion wellness industry.

The Dive in Well team is now growing its dinner series into a global movement, and has expanded its offerings to both offline and online experiences, resources and tools to empower both consumers and participants who believe in soul-centered wellness so we may all be well.

Episode Update

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of sitting down with Maryam Ajayi, founder of Dive in Well, a platform to promote diversity & inclusion in the wellness, holistic health, & spiritual communities.

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We discussed how #covid19 has had an outsized impact on marginalized Black & Brown communities, and yet those who are less effected, including many of us in the spiritual community seem not to care. Or worse - are actively ignoring the plight of the Black & Brown communities to push for our own benefits.

This apathy became more apparent last week in the wake of #ahmaudarbery’s murder. Maryam called out many White & White Passing individuals in the “spiritual community” for not using our platforms to condemn the murder of an innocent man simply for being Black in America.
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The timing and impact of her words on me were serious. I had spoken to her about these issues only 10 days prior, and yet still I had been silent on Ahmaud. Why?
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Upon deeper reflection, I saw what was more concerning than my silence was my complete indifference. Tired of the 24/7 media blitz, absorbed in my own problems, I swiped through Ahmaud’s story - it did not move me, I did not FEEL anything. I had grown apathetic & cold.
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That I, a “spiritual” person, could learn such indifference to the murder of another innocent man in America speaks volumes about our conditioning and how much work I personally have to do, and we as a society must do to heal.
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There is real suffering and real sadness right now, and in order to move through it, we must open our hearts to it & at the very least acknowledge it.
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This situation reminds me of a poem written in the memory of millions of my murdered Jews. I wonder what would have happened to them if the spiritual leaders of their time had felt something other than self-centered indifference & apathy.
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“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
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Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
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Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
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Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
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#justiceforahmaud

Episode Overview

Maryam and I sat down to discuss diversity in wellness, but we really dug into the current COVID-19 / Corona Virus. We explored the benefits of breathwork and Maryam shared some practices she’s been using to thrive during the quarantine. We also asked, “What is the patriarchy?” and tried to identify cultural shifts that could help us break old patterns.

Some Favorite Quotes

“I’d describe Reiki as a nice hug from the universe”

“When I say patriarchy, it’s not describing men or the masculine necessarily, but the system of oppression itself”

“Radical rest is something you could be doing to break the patriarchy and systems of oppression”

“Over-productivity is a response to trauma”

“I don’t want us to go back to normal, normal wasn’t working.”

“Though we come from different backgrounds, we are all connected by one universal power, which is love”

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – Surviving Quarantine

04:00 – Maryam’s Journey to Holotropic Breathwork

13:30 – Reiki

18:00 – Cultural shifts during Corona