FUEL THIS WILDFIYA

For the past three years, I’ve been cultivating a strong foundation for WildFiya through attending business classes, developing the brand, and building infrastructure. WildFiya is already creating traction and meaningful impact, but now it's time to take this work to the next level. I am raising $30,000 in Believe-in-You Money* to secure a physical space and reach more Black and Brown women across the Bay Area and the country. I need your help!

WHO WE ARE

WildFiya is a well-being and lifestyle social club for Black and Brown women with a playful, culturally relevant, and revolutionary spin on self-care, personal development, and community. We are a small business and social enterprise on a mission to enrich and empower the lives of Black and Brown women on their journey to live a memorable and meaningful life through curated workshops, events, and products.

WHY WE EXIST

Black women’s well-being is a public health crisis: 51% percent of Black women say stress has an impact on their health and well-being; 33% of Black women say they suffer from a chronic physical health condition; 59% percent of Black women ages 20 and over are living with some form of cardiovascular disease; and 71% of Black women aged 18 to 49 report negative encounters with healthcare providers.

In addition to facing structural racism, weathering from discrimination, and unequal access to quality care, we are expected to be everything to everyone and put ourselves last. All of this drives the disproportionate rates of poor health, chronic stress, dissatisfaction, reduced quality of life, and premature deaths.

This is serious.

Despite how much we give to our jobs, our families, and society, Black women have few places to go that feel safe and support our wellness and personal goals yet don’t mirror the same weathering stressors or pressure to be perfect we face everywhere else.

Either we’re caught in the rinse repeat cycle of an unfulfilling life, unable to tap into passion and purpose because we're fighting for survival–or we’ve found our calling, but living our truth is wearing us thin and making us sick.

WildFiya exists because Black women deserve better.

WHAT WE DO

WildFiya curates spaces of play, refuge, and exploration that empower Black and Brown women to take control of their stress, their health, and their happiness. We help women increase joy, nurture wellbeing, achieve personal goals, live beyond limitations, and disrupt the patterns that feed the disparities and keep us bored, stuck, sick, and sad.

Our wellness and personal development focused program calendar is designed to nurture the mind, body, and spirit of Black Women. We feed our minds through transformational workshops and spaces for conversation and self-discovery like our virtual book club. We speak to our bodies through movement centered classes that are judgement free zones to release what does not serve. And we cultivate our spirit through playful activities, community building, and collective, affinity experiences.

Our empowering products help Black women and women of color carve out time and space for passion and pleasure in their daily lives and empower their personal power.

We know that when the conditions for Black women are improved, everyone benefits.

WHAT YOUR GIFT SUPPORTS:

Securing a Studio

We need a space where we can consistently provide offerings and cultivate community. We've learned that the gathering spaces are where transformation happens and there are few spaces where Black women can go for refuge outside of home and work. We are creating a 3rd space where connection and growth can happen.

General Operating Costs

Like all businesses, we have bills and those bills are important to getting off the ground and maintaining minimal operations. From our business mailbox, to our liability insurance, platform fees to the design software, we have recurring expenses that keep us going behind the scenes.

Marketing

We can’t find our people if they can’t find us. Marketing is one of the most important aspects of a business being successful, because if no one knows you exist – you can’t make money. WildFiya is ready to spread awareness beyond our current guerrilla marketing and minimally funded social media campaigns. This includes an updated website, online and print ads, printed materials, and basic equipment for vending.

Product Development and Production

WildFiya is creating its very own empowerment deck that carries our mission and inspiration to live “boldly well” beyond in-person and virtual events. This is an income generating product that requires paying a designer and manufacturer in upfront costs to create an inventory.

We are also developing a multi-day playful and restorative experience that expands our in-person offerings and supports our program goals. There are foundational upfront costs that are owed before revenue sales begin.

Hiring Support

Being the Chief Everything Officer (heavy on the “everything”) means that I am wearing many hats at the same time – all the time. Having additional team members will allow me to focus on bigger picture tasks and the work only I can do, while knowing the administrative and marketing tasks that are vital to success are also being completed. Funds will be used to pay contractors (likely other small businesses) to fill specific roles.

SO I CAN FOCUS ON:

• Program Design: developing and expanding our transformational workshops that help deepen our impact;

• Partnership Cultivation: identifying partnerships and clients that connect WildFiya with aligned groups of our ideal customer; and

• Profit Generation: refining the business model and offerings to increase revenue and profit.

WHY YOU SHOULD SUPPORT:

• You believe in WildFiya’s mission.

• You understand entrepreneurship: no one starts a business alone and a strong community is hugely important to being successful.

• You know history: You recognize the extreme exhaustion Black Women have endured for over 400 years.

• You believe in living well: it’s time to change the narrative of Black women’s health and quality of life.

• You care about the economy: addressing and closing health and wellness gaps for Black women could boost the U.S. GDP by an estimated $300 billion to $500 billion annually.

• You believe in me!

EXPLANTATION OF THE GIFT TYPE:

As a for-profit company, contributions to WildFiya are not tax-deductible. This request is for Believe-in-You Money* support in the form of a gift or donation – not an investment tied to financial gains. Big gifts welcome and no gift is too small.

*"Believe-in-You Money is a commitment to providing Black founders and creators flexible, non-burdensome money at the beginning of their capital experience. It could be considered an intentional alternative to conventional friends-and-family capital because it's explicitly antiracist and non-extractive, but the spirit of the idea is the same." (Believe-in-You Money by Jessica Norwood)

If you or someone you know may be interested in supporting WildFiya in a deeper way or in exploring investing, please contact us.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Afiya Shani (aka Fi) and I’m a multidimensional impact producer, educator, artist, and wildflower. For over 20 years, my career has existed at the intersection of education, wellness, and community with a focus on elevating and advancing the well-being and lives of Black youth and adults and marginalized communities.

As the founder of WildFiya, I draw from many years of experience developing curriculum, managing programs, facilitating community engagement, and producing events, as well as using my Masters in Educational Leadership to create intentional, informed, and inspiring products and services that are unique and impactful.

I too am a Black woman with a chronic health condition who has found herself undervalued, overworked, and unwell. Through my health battles, trips to the hospital, and full stretches of time of being out of commission – I know too well that taking care of myself is a non-negotiable and that I cannot live a full and fulfilling life being unwell. I know too many Black women who share this story, and some even harsher realities, and I want a better world for us.

I am so excited because my vision for WildFiya is expansive and has so much room to grow over time and space. These ideas and stages of operations are just the beginning of building this business and movement. Your support helps fuel us through this critical early phase and set us up for long term success.

Thank you for your gift.