Choose to Awaken with the WUE Nation!

On March 29, 2020, Spirit of A Woman, LLC, launched the Wake Up Everybody (WUE) Virtual series in partnership with community healers, thought leaders, coaches, medical and mental health professionals, educators and artists from across the nation. WUE was created to provide community members, from across the country and abroad, with an opportunity to keep their mental, emotional,  physical and spiritual well beings balanced and whole as they navigated the impact of the devastating impact of the COVID-19 global health crisis. 

WUE was  originally designed as a 30 day offering that would provide “temporary” covering and support for participants until the quarantine period ended, however, the producers and community members quickly realized that the WUE journey would last much longer than they originally anticipated. 

The series was created by Shawnee Benton Gibson, CEO, of Spirit of A Woman (SOW) Leadership Development Institute, who was inspired by the lyrics of the song  “Wake Up Everybody” by Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. The song, which was popular in the 70s, speaks of issues that we are still glaringly relevant today; (racism, war, poverty, sickness, political strife, corruption, etc). The WUE Virtual series was designed to “WAKE UP” the masses by providing empowering messaging, holistic healing tools, guidance for daily living and strategies for addressing the injustices, pain and imbalance that exists in the world. 

All of the “Wake Up Everybody” sessions take place 5 days a week (every Sunday, Tuesday, & Thursday from 7:00am - 8:30am EST and every Monday and Wednesday from 7:00am -7:30am EST.) over Zoom and Facebook Live. Every session is facilitated by powerful and prolific presenters from various backgrounds and areas of discipline. Each facilitator guides participants through an interactive experience that fosters education, conversation, new insights, empowerment  and expansion. 

The WUE Family invites you to join our phenomenal community so that you can share, heal and grow as part of the collective. You are free to join as a community participant, as a session facilitator and/or a member of the admin team to support the magic that happens behind the scenes. We hope to hear from you. 

Sunday, January 12th - "The Brain of a Child; The Heart of a Mother" Part 2

Facilitated By: Tara Gibson & Tier'a Berry

This session builds upon the prior discussion of raising a child with epilepsy, emphasizing the transformative impact of initiatives like Seize The Cure. This program empowers parents and caregivers by providing essential tools, resources, and support to navigate the challenges of epilepsy, while fostering resilience, hope, and a strong sense of community.

The session will explore how a supportive community can profoundly benefit both parents and children by offering emotional, practical, and psychological support. Parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to share their personal stories, challenges, and coping strategies, creating an environment of solidarity and mutual understanding.

Participants will also gain valuable insights into the importance of establishing and leveraging robust support systems, including peer groups, advocacy organizations, and community resources. These systems are vital for enhancing overall well-being and strengthening the capacity of families to care for children with epilepsy.

Join us to discover how collective support and shared experiences can make a meaningful difference in navigating the journey of caregiving.

Monday, January 13th - "Nervous System Hygiene: Heart Coherence" Part 2

Facilitated By: Ziedah Diata

Discover the transformative power of “heart coherence” in this guided session designed to align your heart, mind, and emotions. Through focused breathing and mindfulness techniques, you’ll activate a state of balance and harmony within your nervous system. Paired with reflective journaling, this practice will empower you to release stress, gain clarity, and cultivate emotional resilience.

Tuesday, January 14th - "Unlock Your Brand’s Potential – Archetypes and Avatars"

Facilitated By: Athenia Rodney 

Discover the power of brand archetypes and customer avatars to refine your messaging and target the right audience. Build a brand that resonates and drives engagement.

Wednesday, January 15th - "Abundance in the Village: Time, Money, Love!"

Facilitated By: Marilyn Douglas-Jones

Tune in for this sequel to "Abundance in the Village" with Marilyn Douglas-Jones as we explore how human and natural resources are managed globally. 

Upcoming Facilitators!  

Class, elegance, dignity, intelligence, talented, educated and grace: ALL words that come to mind when describing TJ Vida. Tara J. Gibson was born and raised in the Bronx and is of Puerto Rican and Irish descent. Her Latin roots in collaboration with her childhood nickname and her “full of life” personality influenced the creation of her stage name TJ Vida, which means TJ Life. TJ Vida is a woman who has not only made a name for herself in entertainment as a R&B and pop singer ,songwriter, actress, and radio personality but also an activist and humanitarian as well. In addition to the many roles she has in her everyday life, Tara Gibson also has a M.A. Degree in Forensic Psychology. In 2017, Tara Gibson created an Organization called Seize The Cure which tied her passion for entertainment and finding a cure for epilepsy together. This was inspired by her son Maliq who suffers from Refractory Epilepsy and the challenges that came with having a child with a life threatening and changing condition. With the help and encouragement of the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan NY, local musicians/artists, and local businesses and organizations, Tara Gibson aka TJ Vida presented the first ever Seize the Cure Epilepsy Awareness forum/concert in the Bronx, NY. With the intention of only holding one event, the success and passion that was shown left such a lasting impression on the Epilepsy Community, it resulted in the continuation of events and workshops. What is now called SEIZE THE CURE 4 EPILEPSY, has rapidly grew in programs to help spread not only Epilepsy Awareness but seizure safety as well through workshops, trainings, events, and the SEIZE THE CURE Radio Show.

In addition to the successful unforeseen growth of SEIZE THE CURE, her music career began to finally blossom after a long hiatus due to harsh disappointments when starting out in entertainment. She decided to use her music to collaborate her passion about Women’s Rights and Domestic Abuse. As a rape survivor the subject is very sensitive to her and touches home. Its something in which she kept silent about through most of her life and with her now having the platform of music to let her voice and thoughts be known, she has found the confidence to tell her story, not in shame or grief, but with hope to help, motivate and inspire other victims to not be afraid to reach out and ask for help and guidance. She has spoken at several forums, events, interviews and interventions on the matter.  In 2021, Tara Gibson decided to leave everything behind and start a new life. She moved to Florida and took time to focus on building her life from scratch in a new place with a new culture. The emotional challenges that were endured that led to the abrupt transition only made Vida stronger and she decided to take on her passion by re-birthing TJ Vida. Tara Gibson wanted to know who TJ Vida was. For all her life, her music and potential came with limitations due to her loyalty to personal commitments resulting in her never experiencing the identity that came with her stage name. While continuing to grow as an artist as she develops her style as a musician, she is now recording and releasing music as a solo artist with her slogan ‘Same Name New Lane” signifying her transformation. TJ Vida is riding a wave of confidence and excitement in life. She is learning to love herself, put herself first and apply her personal growth to her music and passions for all are connected. She is continuing her education and studying for her Doctorate degree in Forensic Psychology, still spreading the words of awareness, and inspiration in Domestic Abuse and bringing people and professionals together in search of treating epilepsy with hopes of not only helping her son but others as well, and working on establishing her brand and crafting her elusive yet heavily anticipated solo music career. TJ Vida is an amazing woman who wears her heart on her sleeve and can make anybody a believer.

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Tier’a V. Berry, a proud New Yorker born and raised in Rochdale Village, Queens. With a deep passion for working with children and helping families, Tier’a’s journey in youth development began at a young age. Initially aspiring to be a teacher, she discovered her true calling while working at a community program in The Bronx. This amazing experience opened her eyes to endless possibilities. Embracing her role as a community leader in The South Bronx, Tier’a accumulated over 15 years of experience in youth development, equipping her with invaluable skills, knowledge, and a genuine love for serving the community.

In the face of a life-altering experience that impacted her family, Tier’a found herself trying to figure out life on a new path in her journey. With the heaviness of losing her job, a separation from a long, lifetime relationship and seeming to have to pick up the pieces, she was fueled by determination and a desire to not lose it all.

Waking up in a new chapter full of encouragement and support she recognized her passion and curiosity in digital marketing. Currently serving as Lead Creative & Branding, LeVian Diamond with The Diamond Writers.

Along her journey, Tier’a has also embraced a career as an author and public speaker, specifically as an Epilepsy Awareness Advocate and Inspiration Speaker. Also selling self designed and published multi purpose notebooks on Amazon to help support daily living for the family.

In 2024, Tier’a debuted as a Diamond Writer contributing author in the release of She Is with Transparent Gems Inc. and has self published two guided journals. All three books can be found on Amazon.

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Ziedah Diata is a Brooklyn, New York-based artist, wellness facilitator, and attorney. Since 2011, Ziedah has created justice and healing-related participatory art experiences independently and in collaboration with cultural organizers, teachers, poets, healers and playwrights. Her work is inspired by the recurring themes that emerged in testimony during her 17 year career as an administrative law judge: harm, repair, empathy and transformation. In 2023, Ziedah left her role as Chief Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Department of State. She now explores these same themes through facilitated wellness, art-making and story-sharing experiences that examine what it means to be in “right relationship” with ourselves and others.

Ziedah is a facilitator for the Heart Math Institute’s science-based Add-Heart Program. In her latest workshop series, Ziedah shares insights, exercises and research on the sciences and practices of heart-brain coherence, nervous system hygiene and intuition expansion.

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Athenia Rodney is the Founder and CEO of Umoja Events, a female-owned corporate events logistics planning company based in Brooklyn, NY, and organizer of the flagship event annually known as Juneteenth NYC Festival and Summit. Umoja Events is a MWBE business and focuses on partnerships with city agencies. Athenia has a passion for travel which has led her to start Rodney Tribe Travel and Tours where she offers group travel for weddings and retreats. 

Athenia a wife, mother of 3 holds many positions in the New York City community of Brooklyn where she is currently a chair on the Family Advisory Board of United For Brownsville, an Ambassador for Brownsville Sentiment, Board member at Brookdale Hospital One Brooklyn Health, Co-chair for “Moms Who Lead With Love” a virtual advocacy support group and organizer and founder of the 13th Annual Juneteenth NYC Summit and Nationally recognized Festival. 

One of Athenia’s inspiration is her mother. Growing up in Brooklyn, Athenia’s mother faced barriers to participation as an immigrant in the educational system and that has fueled her ambassadorship with education not only for herself and family but also for others who do not have a voice. Athenia learned how critical it was to be able to access an equitable education, and recognized that the pandemic meant a gap in educational services and childhood development. Athenia acted fast with the help of her peers to put support in place for community members to improve the education, health, and wellbeing of families. 

Among other accolades, Athenia has mentored youth, married couples, and entrepreneurs to achieve their greatest potential.

Athenia, a psychology graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont and a long time lover of education continues to take certificate programs and add to her long list of recognitions that are way too many to mention here. 

Lastly, Athenia was recognized by The Robin Hood Foundation in 2020 as a New York Hero recipient for the work done with United for Brownsville. In addition, Athenia received an Entrepreneur of the Year award from New York City for her amazing organization of the NYC Juneteenth event for 12 years running and her superb outreach work with the community.

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Marilyn Douglas-Jones is a retired college professor and a licensed financial professional. She’s an international business consultant, chamber of commerce executive, a financial coach specializing in college and retirement planning, and a philanthropist in the global African Diaspora communities.