#102 – Keen on Yoga Podcast with Dr Stacie CC Graham

By Theresa | August 17, 2022

Dr Stacie CC Graham (pronoun: she) is a management consultant, executive coach, founder, speaker and writer.

Finding herself often as the only person of colour at yoga retreats led Stacie to create her to create her holistic wellness brand, OYA: Body-Mind-Spirit Retreats. OYA is dedicated to underrepresented communities typically underserved by the mainstream wellness industry.

OYA Retreats creates holistic wellness experiences for Black women and women of colour to support on mental-emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing levels. They seek to co-create spaces in which shared practices are steeped in diverse cultural and wisdom traditions.

Yoga as Resistance

Stacie is the author of the book Yoga as Resistance Equity and Inclusion On and Off the Mat. The book outlines a dynamic programme of social justice reform within the yoga industry.

The majority of teachers in North America and Europe are white, able-bodied and cisgender. What does that signal to people differently identified about their place in yoga? This book will inspire and welcome all to take part in questioning the status quo. In addition you will learn how to move toward equity, and why it matters.

Diversity and inclusion within the wellness industry has been increasingly under the spotlight. Above all, the book responds to the appetite for guidance on how we actively create change. The mission of Yoga as Resistance is to educate and empower yoga practitioners and professionals to take action in aligning their practice on the mat with their lives off the mat.

In her first profession as a management consultant, Stacie supports companies, teams and individuals in reaching their fullest potential. This is accomplished through the help of practices and tools such as mindful leadership, intersectional attunement as well as emotional and social intelligence.

In addition, Stacie is the founder of Colour Balance Images, a digital media platform. They empower local creative communities to tell their own stories by delivering images and footage to media and advertising.

Stacie holds an MS in economics and a PhD in psychology as well as experience living and working in different parts of the world. She continues to cultivate a nuanced understanding of underlying drivers of human motivation and behavior in true Scorpio fashion. Her work is featured in countless digital and print publications including BBC, Essence, Huff Post, i-D, and Refinery 29.