Denise Francis
Let’s face it: we all want to heal, but where to start can be overwhelming—causing many of us to suppress our pain. For Denise Francis, wellness creator and owner of The Self-love Organization, this was the large gap within the community she could no longer continue to witness.
“After starting my wellness company, I saw a need for the Black women in my community to have access to wellness, mental health, and Community,” says Francis. It was evident to Francis that Black women wanted to heal but didn’t know where to start. The disparities in the space created a fire within Francis. Instead of conforming to the limitations placed on Black women, she decided to break down barriers by creating a wellness app.
The Heal Sis App is a safe space for generational pain to be released. Francis created the app with three top intentions: to heal, grow, and enable Black women to connect with a community that prioritizes self-love and mental health. “For too long, the mental health and wellness needs of Black Women have been overlooked and underserved. I created Heal Sis to support black women.”
The app has three pillars: monthly journaling sessions, meditations, and affordable therapy sessions. According to Francis, journaling sessions allow for self-reflection and emotional release. At the same time, meditations curated by Black women create a safe space to release anxiety and stress and increase self-compassion. In addition to this, group therapy sessions are an additional asset, along with a directory of Black therapists dedicated to making one-on-one healing accessible. These individual therapy sessions offer exclusive rates to members ranging from $40 to $90.
“We have a small but mighty team of therapists dedicated to healing black women! Their specialties range from Women’s issues to Generational Trauma, Anxiety, Stress, Depression to Relationship concerns, stress, self-esteem to codependency, and adulthood to growing closer to God,” mentions Francis. Wellness powerhouses like Be-morr and Being Victorious have joined forces with Heal Sis’s mission of providing culturally sensitive care for Black women and achieving their life goals.
Francis is a dedicated business owner who glows from within when discussing the importance of providing self-love opportunities for Black women. As I listened to her story, I couldn’t help but wonder about her mental health. Self-care is an essential skill that everyone must practice, even those making space for us in the room.
Like her app, Francis’s self-care routine is routed around three practices: journaling, meditation, and faith. These allow her mind to remain at ease while moving her body in exciting ways—keeping her joy alive. Finally, combining solo dates and making new friends fuels Francis’s soul. It’s clear that Francis focuses on the most essential form of beauty—inner beauty.
Despite Francis’s wholesome routine, she still leans on her app on those hard days. “I look forward to using the soul therapy meditation feature to calm and soothe my anxiety. Sometimes, you must be reminded to take a deep breath.”
If you’re looking to take your next deep breath towards healing, The Heal Sis App (Beta) is available in the Apple App Store for iPhones and the Google Play Store for Androids.
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