Black History Month
KABRENA WILLIAMS IS ON A MISSION TO HELP EVERYONE EXPERIENCE SELF-LOVE
Kabrena Williams is proof that when you take care of yourself and listen to your needs, you live a more vibrant and fulfilling life. A behavior analyst, Kabrena made the shift to coaching, consulting, and blogging when she was laid off at the beginning of COVID.
Kabrena spoke to us about everything from addressing burnout to her love of barre3—plus what it’s really like to launch a business in quarantine.
B3 MAGAZINE: You’re a self-care advocate and you support people with resources and inspiration for incorporating movement and wellness into their lives through your website, Kb In Bloom. Can you share what inspired you to pursue this work?
KABRENA WILLIAMS: Before launching Kb in Bloom, I also founded Scratch Made Consulting, supporting mamas with Special Needs children in their self-care journeys and helping them create that much-needed “me time.” With my background in autism and developmental and cognitive disabilities, I wanted to begin a business that was catered to a community that I was already well-versed in.
But from there, I realized that I wanted to expand my focus to others looking for support with their everyday wellness. That was something I could absolutely relate to, because I was experiencing burnout myself. Though I loved the clients I was working with at the time, I had too much on my plate.
I actually found myself cancelling a lot of my barre3 classes during that time, because I was mentally checked out. I was creating excuses for myself as to why I couldn’t enjoy the activities I love because of work and how it overtook my personal life. I knew my work was affecting my mental, emotional, and physical health, and it was very clear that something needed to change.
I wanted to be an advocate for self-care, and to share the things that I was going through that other women could relate to, whether they’re a mother, working in a high-stress job, or experiencing a transitional period that’s causing overwhelm. If I was going to advocate for others’ self-care, I knew that I needed to create a system that worked for me.
B3 MAGAZINE: Burnout is a very real phenomenon and one that many people experience. How did you come out of burnout, and what are the practices and habits that support you in taking care of yourself?
KABRENA: I was laid off at the beginning of COVID. It was unexpected and traumatic, but an experience that I’ve grown so much from. It was a blessing, because it gave me time to pause, reflect, and reframe. That’s when I began thinking about launching Kb in Bloom and committing to my dance and barre3 practices.
I remember getting off the call when I learned that I’d been laid off, and I knew I needed to decompress and let the energy I was feeling flow through my body. Immediately I said to myself: I need to do a barre3 class. So I did it right then and there, my very first 60-minute online class, and I think it was the best class I’d ever taken because I had so much that I needed to release.
It was an emotional journey, and it was very cathartic to have that opportunity to connect with myself and it truly showed me the value that my barre3 practice offers me. I found solace in that workout; I needed it to help me process that time. Barre3 continues to help me manage my stress so that I don’t slip back into that place of burnout.
B3 MAGAZINE: You discovered barre3 in 2013. What initially drew you to the workout and what about barre3 that resonates with you?
KABRENA: When I was living in New Orleans, I must have just been riding my bike around the city one day and I passed by the studio. It immediately piqued my interest—I saw the barre and the floor and thought it was a dance studio. But I went in and discovered something different, and I immediately loved the class.
Quickly barre3 became something in my life that I needed to experience movement. At the time, I had just finished my Bachelor’s degree and moved to New Orleans, and had put a pause to my movement and dance routines. But when I discovered barre3, I found a workout that helped me merge my background in dance with mindfulness. Your body is challenged with every workout and you always feel this amazing sense of accomplishment afterwards.
While there are lots of great fitness classes out there, many of them are based on this language of shame, where you’re in competition with others or you have to look a certain way to participate. I’ve taken hundreds of classes over the years, and barre3 has never made me feel that way. Barre3 makes people feel welcome exactly as they are.
B3 MAGAZINE: What do you see going on in your life when you fall away from your self-care routines? How do you return to them?
KABRENA: I wear a lot of different hats, and I tend to say yes before truly considering if I’ll regret taking on another project. That’s what was happening before I was laid off. I was so stressed and my ethics were being tested. In a room with other clinicians, I’m often the only black woman. I’ve experienced many microaggressions that I’m coming to grips with. I would always receive much more critical and negative feedback than the other clinicians.
There have been studies about how people respond to stressors in corporate spaces that have shown that black women just continue to persevere. We get things thrown at us and the assumption is that you don’t have to worry about us. We’re reliable, and we’ll get things done. That’s the image I’ve upheld—I’ll just keep going, nothing is going to hurt me, and nothing will influence the quality of my work. I was tired of that, and I finally accepted that I’m a real person. Things impact me, and I’m not weak for admitting that there are things in life that I need to take a step back from.
I make it a priority now to fill my cup, and so I seek a lot of the things that help me do that. They’re the things that remind me that I’m human, that I’m okay, and that I can continue doing what I love. No one will think less of me as a clinician or as a person if I’m pouring into myself. I know how important it is now to give myself space from work so that I can return with renewed energy and excitement for my projects.
When I take barre3, I’m experiencing movement while also pouring into my mind and spirit. The mantras, the powerful reminders from instructors—all of that helps me to keep learning and uncovering new things about myself. Dance, barre3, and all my habits support me in really connecting to what’s going on in my life. That’s led to a greater sense of presence.
B3 MAGAZINE: You’re an Adjunct Dance Instructor at a visual and performing arts high school. How does incorporating mindfulness into your teaching support your students?
KABRENA: Being a clinician in the developmental and cognitive disabilities field for 10 years, I’ve always looked for ways to incorporate movement and mindfulness into my art. I’ve been dancing for about 23 years now. It’s my number one passion, and I get antsy if I’m not moving.
When I incorporate mindfulness and breath in my dance classes, my students love it. It provides them with an opportunity to check in. I don’t want them to ever feel like they can’t come to class exactly as they are and not have an opportunity to get quiet and breathe.
There will be students who come to class and it’s very clear that something is bothering them. I take them through an exercise of paying attention to their breath, and from there, we begin to add movement. With COVID and everyday life stressors, many of my students are finding themselves very overwhelmed. So I like to give them a chance to do a body scan, connect with their breath, and simply exist in their bodies. Once they’ve done that, they’re more focused, they’re more present, and they have more energy to dance and do their school work.
B3 MAGAZINE: You’ve experienced so much growth and change since COVID began. What does growth feel like for you? How can we know we’re in the process of growing?
KABRENA: Growth is uncomfortable. When I haven’t done something before, I feel like I’m being stretched or challenged. But that’s what growth is for me: Being stretched to a point where things are beginning to open up and you’re being presented with so much that you haven’t experienced before. It can be difficult, because you’re leaning into these new experiences, but I will always choose growth over being stagnant. That’s been my intention over these past several months and I’ve grown significantly from it.
When I started out, I wasn’t full-time with my business, and that was scary. I love writing, but I’m not trained in marketing, so working on the business side of things was absolutely growth for me. I put myself out there, communicated what I wanted and what I wanted to offer, and sure, that was uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I hadn’t chosen to pursue it.
B3 MAGAZINE: What are you excited about getting after next?
KABRENA: There’s so much. I’m really excited to be creating this self-care community for women who look like me. As I said before, people look at us and assume that we can continually persevere without giving back to ourselves. I want to dismantle that belief and let people know that they’re not any less strong for needing a break.
Thank you Kabrena! You can learn more about Kabrena by visiting her website, Kb in Bloom, or by following her on Instagram.
Start your own barre3 journey today. Find your local studio or sign up for a 15-day free trial of barre3 online.
Kabrena Williams is proof that when you take care of yourself and listen to your needs, you live a more vibrant and fulfilling life. A behavior analyst, Kabrena made the shift to coaching, consulting, and blogging when she was laid off at the beginning of COVID.
Kabrena spoke to us about everything from addressing burnout to her love of barre3—plus what it’s really like to launch a business in quarantine.
B3 MAGAZINE: You’re a self-care advocate and you support people with resources and inspiration for incorporating movement and wellness into their lives through your website, Kb In Bloom. Can you share what inspired you to pursue this work?
KABRENA WILLIAMS: Before launching Kb in Bloom, I also founded Scratch Made Consulting, supporting mamas with Special Needs children in their self-care journeys and helping them create that much-needed “me time.” With my background in autism and developmental and cognitive disabilities, I wanted to begin a business that was catered to a community that I was already well-versed in.
But from there, I realized that I wanted to expand my focus to others looking for support with their everyday wellness. That was something I could absolutely relate to, because I was experiencing burnout myself. Though I loved the clients I was working with at the time, I had too much on my plate.
I actually found myself cancelling a lot of my barre3 classes during that time, because I was mentally checked out. I was creating excuses for myself as to why I couldn’t enjoy the activities I love because of work and how it overtook my personal life. I knew my work was affecting my mental, emotional, and physical health, and it was very clear that something needed to change.
I wanted to be an advocate for self-care, and to share the things that I was going through that other women could relate to, whether they’re a mother, working in a high-stress job, or experiencing a transitional period that’s causing overwhelm. If I was going to advocate for others’ self-care, I knew that I needed to create a system that worked for me.
B3 MAGAZINE: Burnout is a very real phenomenon and one that many people experience. How did you come out of burnout, and what are the practices and habits that support you in taking care of yourself?
KABRENA: I was laid off at the beginning of COVID. It was unexpected and traumatic, but an experience that I’ve grown so much from. It was a blessing, because it gave me time to pause, reflect, and reframe. That’s when I began thinking about launching Kb in Bloom and committing to my dance and barre3 practices.
I remember getting off the call when I learned that I’d been laid off, and I knew I needed to decompress and let the energy I was feeling flow through my body. Immediately I said to myself: I need to do a barre3 class. So I did it right then and there, my very first 60-minute online class, and I think it was the best class I’d ever taken because I had so much that I needed to release.
It was an emotional journey, and it was very cathartic to have that opportunity to connect with myself and it truly showed me the value that my barre3 practice offers me. I found solace in that workout; I needed it to help me process that time. Barre3 continues to help me manage my stress so that I don’t slip back into that place of burnout.
B3 MAGAZINE: You discovered barre3 in 2013. What initially drew you to the workout and what about barre3 that resonates with you?
KABRENA: When I was living in New Orleans, I must have just been riding my bike around the city one day and I passed by the studio. It immediately piqued my interest—I saw the barre and the floor and thought it was a dance studio. But I went in and discovered something different, and I immediately loved the class.
Quickly barre3 became something in my life that I needed to experience movement. At the time, I had just finished my Bachelor’s degree and moved to New Orleans, and had put a pause to my movement and dance routines. But when I discovered barre3, I found a workout that helped me merge my background in dance with mindfulness. Your body is challenged with every workout and you always feel this amazing sense of accomplishment afterwards.
While there are lots of great fitness classes out there, many of them are based on this language of shame, where you’re in competition with others or you have to look a certain way to participate. I’ve taken hundreds of classes over the years, and barre3 has never made me feel that way. Barre3 makes people feel welcome exactly as they are.
B3 MAGAZINE: What do you see going on in your life when you fall away from your self-care routines? How do you return to them?
KABRENA: I wear a lot of different hats, and I tend to say yes before truly considering if I’ll regret taking on another project. That’s what was happening before I was laid off. I was so stressed and my ethics were being tested. In a room with other clinicians, I’m often the only black woman. I’ve experienced many microaggressions that I’m coming to grips with. I would always receive much more critical and negative feedback than the other clinicians.
There have been studies about how people respond to stressors in corporate spaces that have shown that black women just continue to persevere. We get things thrown at us and the assumption is that you don’t have to worry about us. We’re reliable, and we’ll get things done. That’s the image I’ve upheld—I’ll just keep going, nothing is going to hurt me, and nothing will influence the quality of my work. I was tired of that, and I finally accepted that I’m a real person. Things impact me, and I’m not weak for admitting that there are things in life that I need to take a step back from.
I make it a priority now to fill my cup, and so I seek a lot of the things that help me do that. They’re the things that remind me that I’m human, that I’m okay, and that I can continue doing what I love. No one will think less of me as a clinician or as a person if I’m pouring into myself. I know how important it is now to give myself space from work so that I can return with renewed energy and excitement for my projects.
When I take barre3, I’m experiencing movement while also pouring into my mind and spirit. The mantras, the powerful reminders from instructors—all of that helps me to keep learning and uncovering new things about myself. Dance, barre3, and all my habits support me in really connecting to what’s going on in my life. That’s led to a greater sense of presence.
B3 MAGAZINE: You’re an Adjunct Dance Instructor at a visual and performing arts high school. How does incorporating mindfulness into your teaching support your students?
KABRENA: Being a clinician in the developmental and cognitive disabilities field for 10 years, I’ve always looked for ways to incorporate movement and mindfulness into my art. I’ve been dancing for about 23 years now. It’s my number one passion, and I get antsy if I’m not moving.
When I incorporate mindfulness and breath in my dance classes, my students love it. It provides them with an opportunity to check in. I don’t want them to ever feel like they can’t come to class exactly as they are and not have an opportunity to get quiet and breathe.
There will be students who come to class and it’s very clear that something is bothering them. I take them through an exercise of paying attention to their breath, and from there, we begin to add movement. With COVID and everyday life stressors, many of my students are finding themselves very overwhelmed. So I like to give them a chance to do a body scan, connect with their breath, and simply exist in their bodies. Once they’ve done that, they’re more focused, they’re more present, and they have more energy to dance and do their school work.
B3 MAGAZINE: You’ve experienced so much growth and change since COVID began. What does growth feel like for you? How can we know we’re in the process of growing?
KABRENA: Growth is uncomfortable. When I haven’t done something before, I feel like I’m being stretched or challenged. But that’s what growth is for me: Being stretched to a point where things are beginning to open up and you’re being presented with so much that you haven’t experienced before. It can be difficult, because you’re leaning into these new experiences, but I will always choose growth over being stagnant. That’s been my intention over these past several months and I’ve grown significantly from it.
When I started out, I wasn’t full-time with my business, and that was scary. I love writing, but I’m not trained in marketing, so working on the business side of things was absolutely growth for me. I put myself out there, communicated what I wanted and what I wanted to offer, and sure, that was uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I hadn’t chosen to pursue it.
B3 MAGAZINE: What are you excited about getting after next?
KABRENA: There’s so much. I’m really excited to be creating this self-care community for women who look like me. As I said before, people look at us and assume that we can continually persevere without giving back to ourselves. I want to dismantle that belief and let people know that they’re not any less strong for needing a break.
Thank you Kabrena! You can learn more about Kabrena by visiting her website, Kb in Bloom, or by following her on Instagram.
Start your own barre3 journey today. Find your local studio or sign up for a 15-day free trial of barre3 online.
