I first connected with Tameika Gentles for an xoNecole article. It was just shortly after the pandemic began, and she had just returned to Toronto from South Africa. She was in self-isolation after a stressful and exhausting travel experience, but she radiated joy through the phone. So, when I was planning this series, I knew that I wanted to speak with her again because I was confident she’d have something of value to share.

Tameika has combined her passion for travel and wellness in the Whole Experience. She and her co-founder hosts wellness retreats around the world, walking women through the mind-body-spirit transformation that helped Tameika drop nearly 100 pounds 14 years ago and keep it all off. When COVID hit, it didn’t just put Tameika’s travel plans on hold, it put the brakes on her wellness treats as well. Here’s how she’s coping…

How has the pandemic impacted your business?

When this all first hit, I think the whole world was in shock. We were definitely the same. So, we took a couple weeks off to just feel. So much of our identity was wrapped in travel and in these retreats, and if we don't have retreats, what do we do? We had literally nothing to do because we were meant to be in two months worth of retreats. And because we do high end coaching, it didn't feel right going to the market with a high end offer during the brunt of everything. So, we didn't only have to pivot our offering with retreats, we also had to pivot our coaching offering. There was just a whole bunch of unknown.

We recognized that we couldn’t turn into pivot and action mode unless we filled our cup. So, we took the first two to three weeks to just sit in that unknown feeling—to cry and grieve with the rest of the world. It was a process. We spent two three weeks just feeling sad for ourselves and feeling the feels. That felt really good, because it allowed us to release and then really turn into service mode. So that was step one.

What strategies are you using to pivot?

We took a moment to do what we know drives us—give back to our community. We have a very big community of retreat-goers and people who followed us for coaching and fitness and wellness influence. The first thing we did was consider how we could support them. So, we did a virtual retreat, which was really fun for our retreat alumni. And then we started offering free lives and boot camps. Because we knew something would come from that. We knew that we had to fall back on what we know to be true and service was where we started.

We’ve just started to discover how we're going to pivot and again. We revamped our coaching offering whereby now we're putting it all online, all in a workshop program that you can download, and it’s much more affordable. And for the retreats, we're just putting the retreat business on pause. We’re gonna look into doing some virtual retreats over the course of the next few months, some really big, impactful ones with guest speakers and workshops. Then we’ll pivot back into our normal routine, hopefully in 2021.

Your business thrives when you do. How are you taking care of your personal well-being?

Doing things to protect my peace has been difficult but necessary. I think we all know the importance of boundaries, but my boundaries have been redefined as a result of COVID, and I've been taking them much more seriously. For me to be there for my audience and to be there for our tribe, my cup has to be full. Otherwise, they feel it. So, limiting the amount of information that comes my way has been key. I was at home for the first little bit. But, you know, with the older generations, they're obsessed with COVID. So, I removed myself from that, and I got myself a little flat in Toronto.

I’ve been making sure my mind is right, doing my morning meditations and going for morning runs even though I don't always feel like I want to. I'm really digging deep and pushing myself to do it, because it's less about the aesthetics at the stage; it's more about keeping my peace, protecting my brain, and doing the things I know to be true. So, when I get up and I peel myself out of bed to go on the morning run in the cold in Toronto, it's not because I'm trying to get abs. It's because I know that it's what I need to clear my head to be there and deliver for my audience. So, the why is different.

What advice do you have for Black women creatives who are struggling to manage during this time?

First things first, you've got to feel the feels don't get into action mode right away, because your audience will feel that. Your audience will feel the urgency, they'll feel the scarcity, they'll feel the panic. So, whatever your process is to heal, get started on that. Then step two would be going back to what it is you love – whether you're a writer, whether you're an artist – whatever it is, get back to the creative element of it without thinking about money, because I think when we add that scarcity element to it, the audience feels that.

But once you're in a place where you're doing what you love, maybe take out the loan. I'm all about financial wellness and financial stability, do I'm not the first person to say go get debt. But you know what? This is a pandemic. If there’s anytime to do it, maybe it's now. But you need to come from a place of doing what you love and letting that be your fuel, then the creativity will just come back as it always does.

It's really natural. Like when we were in our creative flow, without looking at what the next step was, we got approached by two companies who were willing to help pitch us on their services, and they happen to be perfect for what we want to do next. Things just aligned when we came from that place. So, I'd really suggest people go back to what it is they love and what they do and trust that if that's what they're meant to do, it will happen, that whatever their next step is will be clear. Because I just see so many people going into action mode and as a consumer, for whatever it is, I feel the urgency I feel the scarcity and it feels icky.