Choose to Awaken with the WUE Nation!

On March 29, 2020, Spirit of A Woman, LLC, launched the Wake Up Everybody (WUE) Virtual series in partnership with community healers, thought leaders, coaches, medical and mental health professionals, educators and artists from across the nation. WUE was created to provide community members, from across the country and abroad, with an opportunity to keep their mental, emotional,  physical and spiritual well beings balanced and whole as they navigated the impact of the devastating impact of the COVID-19 global health crisis. 

WUE was  originally designed as a 30 day offering that would provide “temporary” covering and support for participants until the quarantine period ended, however, the producers and community members quickly realized that the WUE journey would last much longer than they originally anticipated. 

The series was created by Shawnee Benton Gibson, CEO, of Spirit of A Woman (SOW) Leadership Development Institute, who was inspired by the lyrics of the song  “Wake Up Everybody” by Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. The song, which was popular in the 70s, speaks of issues that we are still glaringly relevant today; (racism, war, poverty, sickness, political strife, corruption, etc). The WUE Virtual series was designed to “WAKE UP” the masses by providing empowering messaging, holistic healing tools, guidance for daily living and strategies for addressing the injustices, pain and imbalance that exists in the world. 

All of the “Wake Up Everybody” sessions take place 5 days a week (every Sunday, Tuesday, & Thursday from 7:00am - 8:30am EST and every Monday and Wednesday from 7:00am -7:30am EST.) over Zoom and Facebook Live. Every session is facilitated by powerful and prolific presenters from various backgrounds and areas of discipline. Each facilitator guides participants through an interactive experience that fosters education, conversation, new insights, empowerment  and expansion. 

The WUE Family invites you to join our phenomenal community so that you can share, heal and grow as part of the collective. You are free to join as a community participant, as a session facilitator and/or a member of the admin team to support the magic that happens behind the scenes. We hope to hear from you. 

Sunday, February 9th - "Charting Your Course Through Conflict: A Feminine Perspective"

Facilitated By: Shawnee Benton Gibson

During this session, Facilitator, Shawnee Benton Gibson, will guide participants through an exploration of the power of crisis as a teacher and the inevitability of conflict as part of human existence. Community members will distinguish between crisis and conflict, examine the six types of conflict, and analyze how patriarchal leadership structures have shaped our current social and political climate. Through discussion and interactive activities, participants will uncover how feminine leadership—rooted in collaboration, intuition, and holistic wisdom—offers an antidote to systems of greed, dominance, and scarcity. Join this transformative session and reclaim the power of feminine leadership to navigate crisis and conflict with grace, resilience, and transformative impact.

Monday, February 10th - "Emancipate Yourself from Mental Slavery Part 1"

Facilitated By: Coach Sam

We all know the song by the Honorable Bob Marley, but how do we personally connect to it? Lets come and explore and share around these words.

Tuesday, February 11th- "Abundance in the Village: Revolution"

Facilitated By: Marilyn Douglas-Jones

Tune in for the next installment of "Abundance in the Village" with Marilyn Douglas-Jones as we explore the 4 pillars of meaningful change.

Wednesday, February 12th - "Make your cells happy Pt 4 - Damn, I Wasn’t Expecting That! I’m Still Happy!"

Facilitated By: Rev. Brandon Smith

On our journey of happiness, there will be unexpected events that might throw us off. In this session we will discover what to do when you have those moments. 

Thursday, February 13th - "TBD"

Facilitated By: Shayna Hewitt

 TBD 

Upcoming Facilitators!  

Shawnee Benton Gibson, LMSW / FDLC, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Spirit of A Woman (SOW) Leadership Development Institute; established in 2002 to educate, elevate and effect positive and sustainable transformation for individuals, groups, families, communities and leaders within institutions. Under Shawnee's leadership and vision, SOW offers innovative coaching, counseling and training experiences to those who are seeking to expand their power, purpose and impact in the world. 

Ms. Benton Gibson is a licensed practitioner with over 31 years of professional experience. She is also the Co-Founder of the ARIAH Foundation (The Advancement of Reproductive Innovation Through Artistry & Healing) which was created in memory of her eldest daughter, Shamony Makeba Gibson who passed away on October 6, 2019 due to complications associated with giving birth. Shamony’s story and Shawnee’s reproductive activism are depicted in the award winning documentary “Aftershock” which addresses the black maternal health crisis in the United States and its origins. 

Shawnee’s expertise ranges from substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery, child welfare, youth development, individual, family and group counseling, trauma, grief, loss and bereavement, women’s health and leadership, birth equity, racial equity, social and restorative justice. Shawnee employs a holistic, cultural and spiritual approach to her work and applies a racial equity, social justice lens as the foundation for all of the programs and services that her company provides. Her principal teaching, training and healing tools consist of spiritual counseling, vision coaching, psychodrama, sociometry, sacred rituals, energy work, the performing arts and storytelling as mediums to ignite transformation and initiate catharsis. According to Shawnee, doing healing work is "a labor of love and liberation".

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Mr. Samuel Adewumi, Founder and President of Creative Achievement Success (CAS Prep), holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a Masters Degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Virginia. A product of the New York City public school system he went to the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School where he graduated with honors and eventually returned as a teacher for 13 years and head football coach for 4 years. After spending several years in corporate America and as an entrepreneur, Mr. Adewumi was led towards the teaching profession and became a teacher in 2001. Here he discovered his love of educating and sharing his life experiences with children through the mediums of math, engineering and computer science. Mr. Adewumi founded CAS Prep as a means of providing quality SHSAT test prep services to underserved students in the Bedford Stuyvesant community. Since its inception in 2013, CAS Prep has grown beyond just providing SHSAT test prep services but also supports students from third grade through high school through its various programs. CAS Prep students currently come from all areas of Brooklyn and across New York City. Through its enrichment and SHSAT prep programs, CAS Prep has been responsible for sending students to the Specialized High Schools (SHS) each year of its operation and even more importantly has helped all of its student increase their confidence, desire and determination to succeed academically and in life. CAS Prep students who do not enroll in a SHS still continue on to have great high school careers and end up at the same top colleges and universities across the country as their SHS counterparts. CAS Prep alumni are in great high schools and colleges across the country or are gainfully employed and are pursuing their dreams. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, CAS Prep has pivoted its services online and is effectively using this platform to successfully educationally enrich the children it services. CAS Prep has also expanded its services to include SAT prep, and provides free virtual math instruction on a weekly basis to the students of NYC.

In addition to his leadership of CAS Prep, Mr. Adewumi is an advocate for the need to improve the education offered our children and also the need to support supplementary education for communities of color. He has written numerous op-eds on education for the Amsterdam News and other media and has presented at conferences and workshops. Mr. Adewumi believes that CAS Prep is a model that illustrates the possibilities of what can occur when dedicated adults of a community decide to bond together and support their children academically. His desire is to continue to provide more services to more children of our community and to inspire others to provide this experience to the so many gifted and talented children of NYC. 

Sam Adewumi is a father, coach, teacher, healer and writer. He is cocreator of Ink and Insight and the LovecoLab a series of workshops and curated experiences aimed at personal and communal transformation. He believes in the power of community as a means of manifesting the healing that is needed and desired in our lives.

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Marilyn Douglas-Jones is a retired college professor and a licensed financial professional. She’s an international business consultant, chamber of commerce executive, a financial coach specializing in college and retirement planning, and a philanthropist in the global African Diaspora communities.

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Brandon Jamal Smith, A.K.A. “Rev. B.” entered this life stream under the astrological sign of Libra with a life path to illuminate and help others see the light. 

He is the son of a Pastor, was born in Yeadon, PA and grew up in Bermuda. He began his formal music training at 4 years old. He sensed a calling to preach at 6 years old. Brandon started playing the organ and piano in church at 13 years old. Also, around this time, Brandon noticed that he had the ability to ‘know’ what was going on with different people and would share prophetic messages. Brandon also can recall some of his earliest dreams at four years old were glimpses into the future of the energy healing modality that he would become trained in.

​While living in Brooklyn, Brandon was led to an Energy Medicine group known as The Noble Touch that would ultimately open his eyes to the larger picture of the universe.

Under the tutelage of Jeffrey Vincent Noble, Brandon has completed certifications in: 

• Basic Pranic Healing- March 2016
• Advanced Pranic Healing- April 2017
• Essential Oils for Pain Management- April 2018 
• Pranic Psychotherapy October 2018
• Licensed and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner- Aug 2019
• Pranic Crystal Healing- March 2023
• Cellular Healing- May 2023
• Generational Healing- May 2023

He also completed Energy Healing with Master Del Pe of BE Life Sciences.

• BE Well Sciences Basic course- May 2021

​In 2017, Brandon met world-renown Astro-numerologist, Brother Lloyd Strayhorn. After getting a reading from, him he was determined to learn more. As a result of his guidance and wisdom, in August of 2020, Brandon published his first book on numerology, "Namaste 2 Numbers: Seeing God Through Numbers".

In 2019, He was Ordained at the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Brooklyn, NY. under the leadership of Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood where he is affectionately known as Rev. B.

It's Brandon's firm belief that everyone has the God given right to unlock their potential and B-Well! 

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Shayna "Shay" Hewitt is a visionary in the world of arts, a health and wellness professional, and a thought leader in community service. Each day, she aims to be the driving force behind a paradigm shift in the art and wellness industry, where creativity, self-care, and community engagement converge synergistically, creating a ripple effect of inspiration, innovation, and social responsibility that attracts a like-minded collective. Shay is a thought leader in her community, driving positive change through strategic insights and collaborative efforts. Her expertise spans volunteer management, grassroots organizing, and social impact strategy, resulting in tangible improvements. Shay empowers others through mentorship and public speaking, emphasizing the pivotal role of community service in inclusive societies.