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KPIX 5 - CBS SF Bay Area

Female-Founded TendWell Collective Seeks To Make Wellness Activities Accessible To All

By Amanda Starrantino | 3/25/22

“I wanted to be part of creating a space where you can be a full range of abilities, skin colors, and body sizes, and everyone could get something positive out of the practice,” said Bowman.

“From my own experience, if I see someone who is a Black woman – she doesn’t even have to be a fat-bodied person – but just a Black woman, I think she would see me in that class,” explained Bowman.

“And that is not to say that anybody can’t have a wonderful class that feels inclusive and inviting, but it makes a difference. Especially if you have had experiences like myself, where you feel like you are the ‘only’ of someone in a class, the only Black woman in a class, the only person of color in a class. But if the teacher is a reflection of you in some kind of way, that makes it a little bit easier to dip your toe in and try it.”

SF Chronicle

‘All of it forgiven?’ Dozens of S.F.’s Black-owned businesses learn they don’t have to pay back pandemic loans

By Shwanika Narayan | 2/16/22

Stern had to close her Satori Yoga studio in October 2020, after 16 years in the Financial District. She has since moved her business online and also started TendWell, an online wellness community.

She had about 12 independent yoga teachers working at her studio before the pandemic and now counts at least 25 for her online classes. But because she’s intentional about offering yoga and wellness access to communities that don’t always have access to it, her sliding scale of $5 to $25 per class, while affordable to customers, is not enough to let her set up a new physical storefront just yet.

“It’s about building community online and in person,” she said. “Both are crucial for my businesses and while it’ll take time, I plan to get there.”