News about Ayoku

Stories of Growth and Connection

Connect with Ayoku’s journey as we continue building a space for social justice leaders to rest and recharge. You’ll find the latest updates, media features, and reflections from the people shaping this vision. Each story offers a glimpse into the evolution of Ayoku — a thriving ecosystem where rest, restoration, and renewal come to life.

Our Newsletter

Stay Rooted with Ayoku

Connect to the heart of Ayoku. Our newsletter offers updates on progress, programs, and gatherings — along with reflections to inspire rest and renewal wherever you are. It’s more than news; it’s a touchpoint for those who believe in healing as a collective practice.

I Was the Strong One for Decades. It Nearly Cost Me Everything.

Retreat Life & Reflection

Soft girl era. You have probably seen the phrase by now, floating around the internet, usually attached to a woman in her twenties or thirties choosing ease, choosing slowness, choosing […]

Every Single Cell: What My Body Remembered About Healing

Retreat Life & Reflection

It is National Wellness Month, and I decided to join the “happy cell song” challenge, with a little cultural and spiritual twist of my own. I heard the song online […]

I Hate My New Sofa

Retreat Life & Reflection

It arrived on a Friday. I had waited weeks for it. I had donated the old one, sat with the empty room, and written about the courage it takes to […]

Get Yourself a Rug Pad

Retreat Life & Reflection

I bought a beautiful rug recently. It arrived first. The pad came days later. In the meantime, I laid the rug anyway. It looked gorgeous. But something felt off. It […]

I Cleaned the Attic First: A Lesson in Twisted Priorities

Retreat Life & Reflection

I moved into my house eight months ago. In that time I have worked on nearly every room. The guest room. The kids’ rooms. The bonus room where friends gather. […]

I Put It On the Calendar

Retreat Life & Reflection

For years, my calendar was a runaway train. Meeting after meeting. Day after day. My assistant would beg me to slow down, and we’d try, and somehow it would fill […]

The Empty Room and the Courage to Make Space

Retreat Life & Reflection

There’s an empty space in my living room right now. This week, I donated our old sofa. It was the one that moved with us to North Carolina. The sofa […]

two women sharing joy at a wellness retreat in Ayoku

From Managing to Feeling: What I’m Choosing Now

Retreat Life & Reflection

For most of my life, I believed I was good at emotions. I could name them quickly. Contain them efficiently. Move them out of the way when the work demanded […]

When the World Feels Too Heavy: Listening for the Whispers of Our Mental Health

Retreat Life & Reflection

A reflection on holding ourselves gently when the weight of the world—and our own worries—becomes too much to bear. The Day I Broke Over a Phone Call I was trying […]

Returning to Myself: How Slowing Down Saved My Spirit

Retreat Life & Reflection

A personal journey from frantic living to soulful restoration. The first time I noticed it, I was standing at my kitchen counter, making tea. The kettle hissed. I waited, but […]

Celebrating the Small Wins Sustain Us

Retreat Life & Reflection

In the fight for justice, we must learn to pause and honor the incremental victories that carry us forward. As advocates and changemakers, we’re taught to keep our eyes fixed […]

Quita Cole

Before It’s Too Late: My Urgent Call for Rest and the Sanctuary We Deserve

Retreat Life & Reflection

I’ve been sitting with a heavy heart since reading on social media the news of Quita Cole’s passing. I didn’t know her at all, but her story immediately gripped me. […]

Message from the Founder

Building Ayoku

Ayoku is so much more than a retreat center to me — it’s a calling. It’s a vision rooted in love, legacy, and healing. When I first stepped onto this […]

Ayoku Renovation Update – April 2025

Building Ayoku

This month, we took additional meaningful steps toward bringing Ayoku’s vision to life — a place of rest, restoration, and reconnection. Every phase of this renovation is not just about […]

The Next Chapter of Ayoku!

Building Ayoku

I’m excited to share some big updates regarding Ayoku Healing Retreat Center with you! This month marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our efforts to bring our […]

Community and Connection Are Key to Healing for People of Color

Community, Culture, & Connection

Let’s be real: Healing-centered practices designed and led by people of color are distinct from Western approaches. Traditional healing often: Words like “individualistic,” “separate,” and “self” are core elements in […]

4 Ways That We Can Care for Our Leaders — And Ourselves

Community, Culture, & Connection

When we look back, we shouldn’t feel like we have won as social justice leaders yet lost everywhere else in our lives. We run from our family to work, to […]