About
Black Being was birthed out of the need of Black people of South Los Angeles to have a dedicated space to access wellbeing programming. In 2019, our team launched the first-ever South LA Wellness Tour (“The Wellness Tour”) with a microgrant provided by a corporate sponsor. The Wellness Tour was a free immersive community-led experience designed to deepen mindfulness-based practices in the South Los Angeles area. The tour offered activations and workshops led by community members and wellness practitioners.
During the tour week – we employed nearly 30 local wellness practitioners, artists, and thought-leaders from the community to share their gifts. Over 500 people attended our workshops over the 7-days. Tour attendees repeatedly asked us “what’s next for South LA Wellness?” – Black Being is our answer.
Black Being honors and prioritizes Black people at every stage of their healing journey. We exist to encourage physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, through practices and programs anchored in culture, belonging, and ancestral wisdoms.
A world where all Black people are taken care of emotionally, mentally and physically while living freely in their bodies and in their communities.
Black Being is a Black-led, queer and women-founded organization based in South Los Angeles, California. With nearly four decades of collective experience – we come to our work with backgrounds in mental health, contemplative practices, philanthropy, public relations, and nonprofit leadership.
Allison “Alli” Simon (She/Her) is a certified yoga and meditation facilitator from South LA.
With over 20 years experience in the nonprofit sector, she commits her energy to the field of philanthropy where she works with nonprofits dedicated to systems change and racial + healing justice.
Her meditation journey began as a way to restore from loss and systemic trauma. What began as just a personal journey and practice, transformed into her sharing her practice with friends and family and eventually throughout communities. She is devoted to increasing access to self-care practices for Black people and believes that tools, like meditation, yoga and therapy, can help foster a more compassionate, resilient and heart-centered world.
Alli also works with Social Justice Partners LA and regularly leads classes at Op e n, The Underground Museum, and Compound LB.
London Jones (she/her) is a seasoned nonprofit strategist and has over a decade of experience in organizational leadership and community facilitation. Born and raised in Los Angeles – London brings her training in transformative and racial equity practices to every area of her work. She co-currently serves as the Director of Network Engagement for Social Good Solutions. Under her direction, she co-leads two multi-million dollar initiatives both designed to
strengthen the power building and systems-change strategies of Black-led organizations throughout Southern California. London has previously contributed her skills to organizations such as The LGBTQ Center Long Beach, Colors LGBTQ Counseling Center, and Good+ Foundation, working on a wide array of social issues. London received certification as a racial equity facilitator through Southern California Grantmakers’ Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation program in 2019. She holds a MA in Nonprofit Management from Antioch University.
I am a strategic communications and marketing leader with over twenty years of experience working in
entertainment, sports, education, legal, and social justice sectors.
I have spent my career defining, elevating, promoting, and safeguarding the brand, reputation, and
impact of world-leading nonprofits and global media properties. This includes building multi-use
communications and marketing departments from the ground up and developing cross-functional
alliances to drive innovative, high-visibility campaigns, thought leadership programs, and strategic
communications.
I’m honored to be considered a trusted crisis/reputation advisor to celebrities, corporations, and non-
profit organizations—having helped to navigate many high-profile crisis moments. I’m adept at
providing strategic oversight for crisis aversion and brand reputation. I am an expert in change
management, delivering measurable results thatresonate throughout the company and industry.
Most recently, I served as the Chief Communications Officer at Lambda Legal. Over the past 1.5 years
I had the honor of building and leading the most fantastic team—and overseeing some of the most
amazing projects, including working with Debbie Millman to rebrand the organization—and bringing on
Robyn Kanner to redesign the organization’s website (both projects are underway). During my tenure,
I introduced strategy to the organization and significantly increased major media placements.
Nicole Cardoza is an award-winning serial social entrepreneur, investor, author, and public speaker
making wellness accessible for everyone. Her work is dedicated to addressing racial and health
inequities in the U.S.
Her entrepreneurship journey started with Yoga Foster (now Wellemental), a national organization
providing mindfulness training and resources to schools. Now, the organization works with schools
across the U.S., and its inclusive mindfulness app reaches tends of thousands of families at home. She’s
also the founder of Anti-Racism Daily, a media platform providing reporting, education, and action on
dismantling white supremacy.
All her projects operate under Reclamation Ventures, a venture studio creating and incubating
initiatives working towards health and racial equity. It also manages the Reclamation Ventures Fund,
which provides philanthropic and early-stage investments in individuals and organizations making
wellness more accessible.
Nicole’s first published book, Mindful Moves, was published in Spring 2021. Nicole is also a board
member of Camelback Ventures.
She is a 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30, and has been recognized as one of the most influential changemakers in wellness by Well + Good, and Wanderlust. She’s taught yoga across the globe and
now speaks regularly on the intersection of wellness, entrepreneurship and anti-racism at Fortune 500
companies, colleges and universities, conferences and summits.
Nicole identifies as a queer, cisgender Black woman. Her pronouns are she/her.
Shane Epps, MPH, was born and raised in the heart and soul of Southern California: South
Los Angeles. His experience spans work at one of the largest entertainment companies in
the world, with a world-renowned chef, and on a national organizing initiative. Shane has
worked on social and political campaigns in Atlanta, Georgia, Bloomington, Indiana, San
Diego, California, and, of course, in his hometown of Los Angeles. His current work is in the
nonprofit sector. He holds a Psychology degree from Morehouse College and a Master of
Public Health degree from the University of Liverpool.
Shane is a world traveler, burgeoning plant dad, and cinephile. He is passionate about health
policy and education, intersectional sustainability, and increasing enfranchisement in
communities of color. Shane is eager to lend his skills in outreach and activism to support
the vital work of Black Being.
Zami Tinashe Hyemingway, MSW, MAST, is the CEO and founder of Spiritus Wellness. Zami was born
in Inglewood, CA at Queen of Angels hospital, and grew up predominantly throughout the Inland
Empire. Zami’s passion is to teach people how to liberate their wellness practice, through using a spirit,
mind and body approach based in African diasporic practices and most importantly love. His mission is
to give tools and resources for health and wellness, to communities of Color, Women and Femmes,
Transgender and Non-Binary folks, and others pushed furthest to the margins.
Zami specializes in capacity building and technical assistance in the areas of Gender Affirming health
and cultural responsiveness, with over 10 years’ experience in developing and implementing health
behavior and health promotion programs. Zami provides the communities he works with, with an
ecosystem of knowledge and practical tools to incorporate holistic wellness practices.
When not working you will find Zami going on hiking adventures with his dog Houston, working in his
urban garden, and taking pictures of flowers. Zami also is a co-founder of Kindred Connections, in
Tucson, Ariona, a non-profit collective that he is honored to help lead with two other amazing
QTBIPOC community members, where they focus on healing via traditional food ways, art, and
community celebration as forms of wellness and planting seeds forliberation, prosperity and thriving.
Dhaujée Rose fuses her experiences as an educator, strategist and multi-modality healing
artist to support individuals and organizations in developing more mindful practices.
Her work has two layers.
Privately, providing professional and organizational development experiences for
organizations wanting to curate a mindful workspace culture.
Publicly, serving as a healing artist and facilitator. Assisting individuals in developing a
healthy mind, body and spiritual awareness through coaching and courses. Dhaujée’s work
centers the dynamism of communities of color; collaborating to explore mental, physical,
and spiritual restoration with joy and dignity!