Michelle Nelson is a creative entrepreneur who thrives on life and leading with purpose. She is a speaker, educator, artist, author, and personal trainer who recently relocated to Oakland, CA to share her wealth at Impact Hub Oakland. Michelle is working diligently in the black community to help uplift and empower people to live their healthiest life through her company Brown and Healthy. She has been recognized in Forbes Magazine for how Brown and Healthy Promotes Health and Wellness for People of Color.
Rising to the Occasion
Raised in Columbia, MD Michelle’s upbringing was rooted in diversity and racial inclusion. There was no lack of representation in the way of adult leaders with a shared experience. She thrived athletically, academically, and socially but always had an inner struggle secretly living as a queer person.
When she entered Coppin State College in Baltimore, MD at 18 years old Michelle came out to the world and began navigating life out loud. Experiencing life in Baltimore gave her the realization that she had grown up in a false reality. Michelle had been protected from the hardships of being a black woman in America, and now she was adding another layer of division, being gay.
I am black, I am a woman, and I am gay. My whole existence is political. Every time I wake up, somebody wants me dead for one of the three things.
This mantra gave her the strength and determination to create her own destiny despite anything the world gave to her. She is now using her differences to make a difference in society.
Michelle’s creative spirit was born in her college years as she began writing poetry and performing in venues throughout the city. Her first taste of entrepreneurship was establishing Be Free Fridays, using her moniker LOVE the Poet. The concept of this event was an open mic night for fellow artists to showcase their work in an inclusive diverse environment. She wanted ALL people to feel loved, included, and “FREE” when they walked through the door. 2020 will mark 14 years of Be Free Fridays, and Michelle has been able to provide a platform for artists, educate, inspire, and motivate thousands of people through her art. In 2010, she released her first title Black Marks on White Paper, a remarkable book of poems inspired by her life experience.
Black Marks on White Paper is not just about the words you see but the words you don’t, the erasures, revisions, and conversations; the past, the present, and the future; the Griot, the Woman, and the Warrior.
In 2015, Michelle was inspired to launch a health and wellness brand Brown and Healthy. Brown + Healthy promotes physical, mental, and emotional well being for people of color around the world and is designed to provide a unique space for them to learn ways to improve their well-being.
There is nothing more positive and proactive than getting healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally.
When Brown + Healthy first launched, it had a heavy focus on physical initiatives. As time went on, however, Michelle noticed that many people with whom the organization worked needed more safe spaces to talk through trauma and focus on improving their mental and emotional well-being.
Impacting Societal Change
Michelle began working as the Director of Community Engagement at Impact Hub Baltimore, whose mission is to support and connect a community of Baltimore changemakers by providing an inspiring workspace and innovative programming to scale and sustain their social impact. In her role, she developed a speaker series and various workshops to support and improve outcomes for youth in Baltimore. Michelle believes that “if you change the narrative you change the world” and she uses this concept in her work to help people shift their thinking to a growth mindset and ultimately help them live the life they choose.
In 2019, Michelle was offered the opportunity to move to the West Coast to join Impact Hub Oakland and institute a Brown + Healthy Wellness Residency program. “This residency program seeks to change the face of wellness by providing key resources, professional development, and strategic design consultations for highly trained wellness leaders from brown communities—highlighting communities of Black and Indigenous people of color. We train, B+H certify, and equip wellness professionals of color to have meaningful careers, build viable businesses, and change lives in their cities and around the world.”
The Journey of Living in Truth
Living in truth requires you to investigate your past.
Our stories don’t get told. I want to change the narrative to change the world.
“I write to highlight these issues of people of color. When I think about, what do you face when you walk out of your door every day? The answers solidify for me what needs to happen. Telling our story unapologetically and pushing it into mainstream life.”
Michelle is convicted to live a life designed by her own choosing. She inspires and motivates every person she touches by modeling the freedom to express, the freedom to love, and the freedom to create. She traveled to South Africa to curate a wellness program for an entrepreneur retreat. Partnering with Brioxy, an organization providing tools for people of color in the realms of homeownership, social enterprise, and nonprofit leadership; enabled her to connect to her deep roots and gain cultural awareness. This experience was transformational for her spirit and she is now fueled to spread her message of living authentically in love and truth. “One big step is helping people feel confident in themselves. For Brown + Healthy, our direction is we exist. We’re going to be here. I don’t have to matter to you, but I have a responsibility to matter to me.”
Michelle’s journey of truth continues to flourish with every hosting event, speaking engagement, or black yoga class she leads. Simply following her on social media channels will surely uplift and encourage you to get up and do something. A recent Facebook post reads,
If you aren’t reading or watching or taking a class about what will give you the information you need to live a better life, You need to be. Google whatever it is you want to achieve and get the info you need… buy the book, watch the video, take the class. Grow damn it. Grow.
Michelle is unafraid to speak her mind and is unbothered by naysayers. Determined to change the mindset of the majority around black life and black women, she is taking the lead in navigating difficult but necessary dialogue. “Our narrative is not part of the normal American conversation, and we need to make sure we are part of the conversation.” Her hope for women is that “they understand there is no place for an inferiority complex. Intellect, talent, and skillsets are enough. When we own that, the world has no choice but to accept.
Thank you, Michelle, for lending your voice to The American Mom! We honor your bravery, dedication, and service to uplift people of color. You are an American Shero! Follow @brownandhealthy and @lovethepoet to learn more.
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