“Wellness is a revolution—of communal support, of liberation. But this requires a few things…It’s first knowing the genesis of the very concept. It was always about healing oneself so that we could be of better service to society. But we have lost our sense of service to each other. We have forgotten what it means to owe each other.”  - Fariha Roisin, author of Who is Wellness For?

“...so used to being unwhole and unwell, one forgot what it was to walk upright and see clearly, breathe easily, think better than was taught, be better than one was programmed to believe - so concentration was necessary to help a neighbor experience the best of [themself]. For people sometimes believe that it was safer to live with complaints, was necessary to cooperate with grief, was alright to become an accomplice in self-ambush.” - Toni Cade Bambara, author of The Salt Eaters

Introduction

In the fast-paced and high-stress world of entrepreneurship, the well-being of founders is often overlooked. While self-care is crucial, there is a component of wellness that is necessary in relationship to others. This is where collective care steps in, providing a more holistic and supportive approach to wellness. At Camelback Ventures (CBV), we have witnessed the power of collective care through one particular wellness initiative, the Well Founded Retreat. In December of 2023, we partnered with Afro Yoga, a global platform that works to increase access to wellness and wealth for marginalized communities through wellness experiences, entrepreneurship education, and DEI corporate leadership development. I had the honor of planning the experience for 12 Camelback Fellows and being on-site to witness the benefits of our organization’s wellness investment in real time.

Understanding Collective Care

Collective care involves mutual support and shared responsibilities within a community, aiming to meet each other's needs. It contrasts with self-care by focusing on communal well-being rather than placing the onus solely on individuals. This approach not only helps manage stress but also fosters a sense of belonging and support, which is particularly beneficial in high-pressure environments like social entrepreneurship.

Camelback’s Wellness Initiative: The Well Founded Retreat

The Well Founded Retreat was a prime example of communal care in action. This initiative aimed to support the growth and sustainability of founders of color by providing a space for rest, connection, and reflection. The retreat included activities such as group fitness classes, yoga, meditation, and reflective workshops, all designed to create a balanced environment for personal and professional growth.

Our key objectives of the retreat included:

  • Cultivating community and connection: through networking and engaging sessions.
  • Improving mental health: by offering a safe space for rest and reflection.
  • Reducing stress and preventing burnout: by providing opportunities for relaxation and wellness without financial stress.

From the Well Founded Retreat, we learned:

  • Community Support is Crucial: collective care helps founders feel supported and less isolated.
  • Structured Time for Rest and Reflection: founders need intentional time away from work to recharge and gain perspective.
  • Integrative Wellness Approaches: combining physical, mental, and emotional wellness activities can significantly reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

The Need for Wellness in Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs frequently face immense stress, burnout, and isolation. Moving toward this experience, interviews were held to provide space for conversation on what our fellows were navigating, needing support with, and yearning for. I witnessed each fellow arrive at the retreat with hesitation, exhaustion, and eagerness and leave having let something go, having planted new seeds or re-watering what was already planted but perhaps forgotten. 

“I was avoiding a lot of my medical needs & the retreat kind of saved me. I had a hard time at the retreat because I realized how much I was running. After the retreat, I made a ton of appointments for things I had been putting off and surgeries. The retreat was a good break to see that things weren’t gonna slow down, but we’re gonna get worse.” - 2021 Camelback Ventures Fellow

Camelback Venture’s vision is to create livable communities and wealth for future generations to inherit; I stay rooted in that. The other day I was reflecting on a phrase, “Freedom is not freedom without care,” words from Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care, and Safety by Cara Page and Erica Woodland. And I think this retreat further grounded my intention around care - that everyone deserves to be fed, clothed, housed, rested, seen, and provided the time to dream, create, and imagine.

“This retreat had a significant impact on me. Stepping back and slowing down together with other entrepreneurs in a safe space planned towards calm, slow, intentional time together helped me realize just how unsustainable my practices had been as a new manager of people in 2023. As a result, in 2024 I am already reducing my time working from 70-80 hour weeks to 50-60 hour weeks, and I'll continue trying to reduce time. My team has noticed a change and are working on some of their health priorities too.” -2021 Camelback Ventures Fellow

Perhaps the significance of actually prioritizing wellness is at a really fundamental level. What is all this work for if all of our breath remains stifled? What would the world be if we were doing work that wasn’t just in response/conducive to the ones in power? What is our responsibility to ourselves and each other to ensure that we are deeply well and cared for, so that the tillage and steadfast movement toward the world we deserve is sustained?

“As a founder who has transitioned from their org, I felt this came at just the right time. I was surrounded by so much love and care from the CV fam and the Afro Yoga team, affirming me as a person first then a social impact leader. As a founder, you are often the ones taking care of all the things, it was wonderful to be taken care of and reminded to re-prioritize your health and wellness first before anything else.” -2018 Camelback Ventures Fellow

I intimately know that health and wellness is bound up in the interlocking systems of racism, classism, and ableism of who is defined to be well, what is determined to be well, and how access to care is restricted. A wellness retreat seems quite small or unnecessary in the scheme of things and yet, I wonder what could be if more organizations and spaces moved with that paradigm. Wellness is not a thing separate from us—it’s the basis and grounding of how we relate to another and show up. I do not have anything profound to end with but I suggest that we each sit deliberately with ourselves to allow the intention and responsibility of wellness to be listened for, so that we all understand what we owe each other for the future ahead to be.

Conclusion

The Well Founded Retreat demonstrated the profound impact of what it means to be supported in community, to be encouraged to rest and be reflective of one’s own health. By shifting the focus from individual self-care to a more communal approach, we can create healthier, more sustainable environments for founders to thrive. As we continue to prioritize collective wellness at CBV, we encourage other organizations to explore and implement similar initiatives, recognizing that the well-being of each member strengthens the entire community.

About The Camelback Fellowship

Camelback Ventures is committed to empowering entrepreneurs to create impactful solutions that address socio-economic inequities. We offer a rigorous accelerator, the Camelback Fellowship, for innovative and driven entrepreneurs.

The Camelback Fellowship is a 15-week program that supports the development of both founder and venture. Since 2015, Camelback has supported 163+ entrepreneurs (many of whom have been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, received fellowships such as Echoing Green and Richards Draper Kaplan, and collectively gone on to raise over $50 million). Our next Fellowship application window opens September 3-24,  2024, to learn more visit: https://www.camelbackventures.org/apply.