Maryam Ajayi’s Dive in Well is making wellness a more diverse and inclusive space.
Here’s how she got started and why the work she does is so important.
Today, Ajayi is a leader in the industry.
Shes also a certified Akashic Records reader.
But before, she was hurting.
She suffered from chronic pain, crushing anxiety, PTSD, and bouts of depression.
…
She knew she needed healing.
And when presented with a Reiki add-on to a massage in 2016, she went for it.
She didnt know at the time that it would turn out to be exactly what she needed.
And then I ended up accidentally going to see a shaman.
Ajayiwas born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and an African American mother.
Her dad used to belong to a subset of conservative immigrants.
So Ajayi set her sights high and decided she wanted to be a lawyer.
So she started working at Republican lobbying firms.
After six years, shed seen enough.
…
Some of the things I saw really freaked me out, she says.
She left her lobbying job and entered the tech world insteadwhich she quickly realized wasnt much better.
I was like, Well, every industry is fucked up.
Im in pain, Im hurting.
What is the answer?'
Then came that accidental shamanic session, and soon, Ajayi started seeking out alternative healing on purpose.
I just felt like I had a huge emotional clearing, so I started making it a regular practice.
But as much as she loved it, the practice also made her feel like an outsider.
A white man that lead the space was like, Wow, that was a lot.
I felt so much shame in taking up space, she says.
I remember trying not to cry too loud or share too much.
Her family, meanwhile, was a bit confused about her new practices.
My dad is Muslim, my mom is Christian, and my grandmother is a preacher, she says.
Anything like [energy healing] was bad juju that we didnt talk about.
But Ajayi kept going.
Her first Reiki master reached out to see if she was interested in training.
What is The Missionary Sex Position?
And things went all the way left.
I called upon leaders to change and no one said anything.
I called upon leaders to change and no one said anything.
The first dinner was on February 24, 2019.
(She recently decided to end Indagba and perform consulting under her name.)
It also partnered with brands likeHealth-AdeandImperfect Foods.
At the end of the year, I was like, I cant deny that theres something here.
I dont think this is a dinner seriesI think this is a movement, Ajayi says.
Diversity in Wellness became Dive in Well, LLC at the start of 2020, and relaunched in February.
TheDive in Well Instagram accounthas grown from 2,000 followers to over 16,000 in the past week.
Doing the work also means trusting your intuition.
Join Dive in Well to celebrate Juneteenth througha donation-based weekend of virtual events.
The road to get here hasnt been easy for Ajayi.
Of these startups,less than 4 percent were led by Black women.
And in the past decade, Black women have raised only .06 percent of all tech venture capital funding.
I was doing this for a year, says Ajayi.
I wasnt making any money.
I was bootstrapping anything I made to make this happen.
But it will require much more to sustain its work.
But through it all, shes unabashedly been herself.
Ive always leaned into being the unhealed healer, says Ajayi.
That was me being unapologetically fun and open and raw and a healer.
…
Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.
