In 2015, when Christina Rice was suffering from entrepreneurial burnout, the then founder and CEO of a New York-based public relations and marketing agency started taking hot yoga classes, frequently visiting the studio and eventually signing up for a teacher training course. “I wanted to get deeper into my practice. I could see the changes in me, both physically and mentally,” she says.
But Rice also noticed something else. In a class of more than 50 students, she was the only black woman. She chronicled those 10 weeks of training on social media, and once she started teaching, numerous black women reached out about her classes. “It was a lightbulb moment for me,” she says, “that they want to feel a special kind of support through their wellness journey.”
As founder of OMNoire, the one-stop wellness shop for women of color fosters a nurturing, holistic approach that reframes the conversation about black women and their health journeys. Rice’s priorities are creating a physical space for the OMNoire community, including the successful, yoga-centric OMNoire retreats in Granada, Barbados, the Poconos, and Bali. This year’s highlight will be the Summit at Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona in April. More than just yoga, Rice will offer educational programming spanning mental, financial, relationship, and reproductive wellness.
The Atlanta-based Rice champions a realistic approach to wellness, defining it on one’s own terms while not carrying guilt “because we can’t show up like super women every day.” She admits to stepping over her own yoga mat sometimes, too. “At least it’s there,” Rice points out. “It’s a daily reminder for me that this is where I came from.”
