The Well 52: Kristen Evans – Sociocultural Researcher & Wellbeing Commentator
Welcome to The Well 52, a platform we are hosting at WISe Wellness Guild that celebrates women leading in the whole-self wellness industry and supporting other women along the way.
Meet our nominee of The Well 52: Kristen Evans
Kristen Evans (She/Her) is a Sociocultural Researcher & Wellbeing Commentator
What is the most important thing you do for your wellness?
One of the most important things I do for my wellness is sleep when I'm tired. In my teens I started pushing through tiredness to "get one more things done." Such a constant unhealthy habit completely threw off my natural sleep rhythm for the next 15+ years. I didn't know how to sleep well and battled insomnia.
A couple years ago I did something profound – I went to sleep when I got sleepy! It didn't matter that it was barely 7:00pm (haha). Now I wind down before bed with simple stretching exercises and head to bed when my body is naturally tired. Learning now, albeit slowly, to trust, and most importantly tend to signs of tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion, is one of the best acts of care I can give myself. It's time to rest, recover and be restored.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to other women?
My advice to other women: spend time studying your own physiology. The human body is the "smartest" technology we'll ever have. And your body specifically provides the personalized, customized and real-time intel you need to know yourself. Your body is smarter than any app. Study, learn and track your own physiology.
According to science, the human body replaces itself with a largely new set of cells every seven to ten years. Layer in the dynamics a woman's body may experience from puberty to menopause (periods, pregnancies, birth, etc.), as well as physiologically taxing agents like negative stress and emotional labor, and it's an understatement to say your body is going through a lot every day. Over time your body will change. Pay attention. Notice patterns. Be the first to notice what's going on with you.
One other piece of advice – get smart about how your body handles stress. I call this your stress intelligence. The smarter you are about how stress affects you, the better your stress management and resiliency will be.
What is one quote or mantra you live by?
"... and with all thy getting get understanding" - The Bible, Proverbs 4:7b.
Early in my career as an insights researcher I was taught the difference between information and insight. Information is prepared, organized data. Insights are conclusions generated through analysis and interpretation.
But it was only through the experience of representing the voice of the consumer to business and brand leaders that I truly discovered what made an insight "good." It had understanding: an empathetic reflection of what matters and why. In a day and age where information is readily at our disposal, I believe it's crucial that we value getting an understanding, going deeper than the surface level with people on the things that matter.
Brag on yourself- what is something you are REALLY proud of?
Last year I stepped onto the TEDx stage and introduced the world to the idea of black generational wellness. After dealing with a significant case of burnout followed by a deeply revelatory recovery, I did what any good researcher would do....I turned it into an inquiry (full of qualitative interviews). I wanted to understand. So I started asking questions.
Eventually it led me on a historical, cultural, sociological look at the intersection of black women in the workplace and wellness. Question by question, story by story, woman by woman I peered inside 80 years of black wellness debt and efforts to build black generational wellness. I never imagined my slow-burn burn out would lead to a research initiative let alone the TED stage. I'm proud that I simply let my curiosity and a small-still voice inside me carry this message forward.
Connect with Kristen Evans on LinkedIn here. And follow
@blackgenwellnessproject to learn more about Kristen's research in understanding and impacting the racial and generational wellness debt/gap.
Join us on Instagram at @wise_wellness_guild. This month we lean into our ability to ask for help and provide coaching and resources in all eight pillars of wellness.
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