Working Women Wednesday
It’s 2021 and we are still celebrating awesome women through our Working Women Wednesday blog series. For 2021, we will feature one woman a month. If you didn’t get to check out the previous women please take time to read the blogs for Dr. Almaz Getachew, Taj Sudderth, DJ Williams, Tamera Gethers, Cristen Jones, or LaKeisha (Kei) Ross. This week we will highlight Ms. Raven Gibbs, Founder, and CEO of Mindfulness Movement and Motiv8 Incorporated.
Highlights
Industry: Choreographer; Professional Dancer; soon-to-be Clinical Mental Health Counselor;
Business Information: Motiv8 Incorporated & Mindfulness Movement
Favorite Quote: Your purpose is greater
TikTok - @_raven_nicole_
YouTube Channel: Raven Nicole
Website: https://beacons.ai/raven_nicole
Email: ravenngibbs@gmail.com
Community Service: Eustress Inc., NAMI, Miss Black America
Let’s Learn a Little About Raven...
Raven is a military brat who never lived in a place longer than two years. She loves traveling, dancing, meditating, reading a book while on her hammock, lavender tea, and her dogs. Raven has been dancing since she was four years old. Over the years she has grown to greatly appreciate dance because it has been a great way to express herself and have a form of release. Early in life, she was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and depression disorder and dance has been the thing to help her heal. This is the primary reason she ended up in the mental health world and combining that with dance. She wants to be a voice and help break the stigma around mental health. Raven is named after and was heavily influenced by Ms. Raven Wilkinson, the first Black ballerina. She grew up knowing she was named after her and what she was able to accomplish. Raven followed over the years and one day she tweeted about her and Ms. Wilkenson responded and they were able to meet and she ended up being the greatest influence. She gave her advice on the dance industry, self-preservation, and taking care of her family. Raven described her as “legit the favorite auntie you go and talk to her about everything.” She talked to her about her secrets etc. They became very close and she was so instrumental in what she is now doing in dance.
Raven the Choreographer…
Dance was not always something she wanted to do. She was initially forced to participate in dance because she was a tomboy growing up. She and her oldest brother are 14 months apart and she was always close to him and his friends. Her mom put her in classes so all the flipping and running she was doing with the boys would be put into something more constructive. As she got older she was able to participate in dance-related things and it became cooler to her. She was a junior dancer for the Sacramento Kings which allowed her to get into the games free and she loved it. All of this is what created Raven the Choreographer! Raven has had the opportunity to tour internationally and perform in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. These have all been eye-opening and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. During her career, she has been able to meet and dance for some of her favorite celebrities. She has done choreography for BET, BET Her, the CW Network, Steve Harvey, the Essence Festival, and South by Southwest. She has toured with some of our favorite artists, one of my favorites Tank! One of her best experiences while touring was when Brandy sang happy birthday to her.
Raven the Mental Health Advocate…
At the time of this interview, Raven was in her last semester of her Master’s program to become a Mental Health Clinician. Even though she has a love for dance, she also has a love for the mental health of people. Black people represent ~3% of black-owned mental health practices and she wants to be in that 3%. She believes that this lack of representation could be one of the reasons that some people of color don’t seek assistance or struggle with finding help. Sometimes they want assistance from people who look like them. When she was seeking a counselor for her anxiety and depression concerns she struggled to find a counselor that looked like her and would be able to understand her challenges as a woman of color and how that could impact her anxiety and depression. She wants to be that person for those who are seeking not only mental health counseling but from someone who looks like them.
Raven bringing her love of Choreography & Mental Health together…
Dance and mental health are her passion. She had the opportunity to chat with the musician Macy Gray about mental health. From that conversation, Macy Grey told her that most celebrities don’t seek counseling out of fear of someone selling their information. They don’t trust people enough to seek the help many of them desperately need. Since she has been in the entertainment industry and experienced that world, she feels she can assist with this problem by possibly providing mental health services to individuals in the entertainment industry. Until then, she has created Mindfulness Movement NC. Mindfulness Movement partners with licensed therapists to provide a unique movement experience that promotes, emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration to improve health and fitness while tackling the issue of self-care and mental health. She also offers classes, workshops, and retreats in dance/movement therapy. She has a non-profit, Motiva8 Incorporated, which teaches and helps others tune into their inner child by using the arts to better themselves.
Raven’s Closing Advice…
When asked what would she tell her younger self, Raven would tell a younger Raven to take up space and take it all up. To use her voice and don’t let anyone shut her up. She would want her to go for everything that she wanted. The advice she would like to give others is to pray, meditate, or visualize who you want to be and be adamant about accomplishing those goals. She advises that you don’t let naysayers including yourself defeat you, practice positive self-talk. If you don’t do anything just go for it and don’t question it. She loves Nike’s Just Do It Campaign because that is her life.
I hope you all enjoyed learning more about Ms. Raven Nicole. Our next blog will be posted on April 14 and I will be highlighting myself. Please share with a friend or if you are interested in being featured please contact us.
XOXO,
Keisha J. ~ Boss Lady
