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, August 31st - "Historical Traditions Of  Spiritual Baths"

Facilitated By: Veronica Kirton-Johnson & Katy Wolf

Rituals are not superstition — they are ancient technologies for transforming energy and reality. From the sacred practices of Afro-Caribbean culture and Haiti’s spiritual lineage, rituals have always been used to shift consciousness, summon protection, and open doors to wealth and freedom. Fir this session,  learn how to how to unlock this ancestral technology to reprogram your subconscious and step into your highest timeline.

Monday, September 1st - “Do You Trust YOU!​” Part 1

Facilitated By: Queen A

Trusting yourself is one of the most powerful acts of leadership and self-liberation. This session invites participants to explore what it truly means to listen to their inner voice, honor their intuition, and lean into their own wisdom — even when external voices or circumstances create doubt.

By the end of the session, participants will have gained a deeper understanding of the roots of self-trust and how it impacts every area of life. They will leave with practical strategies to quiet self-doubt, rituals and affirmations to strengthen daily self-trust, and a renewed courage to take action from a place of authenticity and power.

Tuesday, September 2nd - "JuneteenthNY Cultural Heritage Trip to Ghana"

Facilitated By: Coach Athenia 

This session will outline the vision behind JuneteenthNY’s upcoming trip to Accra, Ghana. We’ll explore how the journey connects participants to African heritage, creates opportunities for cultural exchange and collaboration, and strengthens community pride and unity.

Wednesday, September 3rd - “Do You Trust YOU!​” Part 2

Facilitated By: Queen A

In Part 2, we move beyond awareness into practice. Building on our exploration of self-trust, this session focuses on embodying trust through real-time decision-making, boundary setting, and self-compassion. Participants will be guided to notice where they abandon themselves in moments of fear or doubt, and how to return to their inner wisdom with courage and clarity.

Thursday, September 4th - "Serial Helper" 

Facilitated By: Teresa Scott

This session explores the balance between helping others and honoring yourself. We’ll unpack the difference between healthy service and self-erasure, and practice setting boundaries that protect your energy while still allowing you to lead with compassion. Participants will leave with tools to shift from serial helping to sacred helping — service that is sustainable, reciprocal, and life-giving.

Our Facilitators!

Veronica Kirton-Johnson believes that the one thing our Ancestors wanted, was to be remembered! What better way than through art and story telling in any form?  A mother, grandmother, wife is a happily retired educator of over 30 years, her passions are creating art as a quilter and image maker/doll maker. Her quilts have hung in Ethiopia International Arts Shows, Texas and libraries in and around New York City. She has taught and created images for the historic Maafa reenactment produced yearly at Mt Pisgah Baptist Church. She has discovered that her passions are embedded in her DNA after researching her ancestral history. She can proudly say that making and giving baby quilts has been a ministry for many years and is often reminded of a gift that has been saved and is a cherished memory for future generations. The construction of her quilts and ancestral images are therapeutic as well as intended to help keep the memories of our ancestors alive. Many as they begin to reconstruct and construct the image feel as though the particular ancestor is crying out for the story to be told. Yes, there are  a cloud of witnesses at times screaming out for the story to be told.

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Queen A is all about planting seedz to water mindz with clarity in order for others to grow Confidence.

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Athenia Rodney is the Founder and CEO of Umoja Events, a female-owned corporate events logistics planning company based in Brooklyn, NY, and organizer of the flagship event annually known as Juneteenth NYC Festival and Summit. Umoja Events is a MWBE business and focuses on partnerships with city agencies. Athenia has a passion for travel which has led her to start Rodney Tribe Travel and Tours where she offers group travel for weddings and retreats. 

Athenia a wife, mother of 3 holds many positions in the New York City community of Brooklyn where she is currently a chair on the Family Advisory Board of United For Brownsville, an Ambassador for Brownsville Sentiment, Board member at Brookdale Hospital One Brooklyn Health, Co-chair for “Moms Who Lead With Love” a virtual advocacy support group and organizer and founder of the 13th Annual Juneteenth NYC Summit and Nationally recognized Festival. 

One of Athenia’s inspiration is her mother. Growing up in Brooklyn, Athenia’s mother faced barriers to participation as an immigrant in the educational system and that has fueled her ambassadorship with education not only for herself and family but also for others who do not have a voice. Athenia learned how critical it was to be able to access an equitable education, and recognized that the pandemic meant a gap in educational services and childhood development. Athenia acted fast with the help of her peers to put support in place for community members to improve the education, health, and wellbeing of families. 

Among other accolades, Athenia has mentored youth, married couples, and entrepreneurs to achieve their greatest potential.

Athenia, a psychology graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont and a long time lover of education continues to take certificate programs and add to her long list of recognitions that are way too many to mention here. 

Lastly, Athenia was recognized by The Robin Hood Foundation in 2020 as a New York Hero recipient for the work done with United for Brownsville. In addition, Athenia received an Entrepreneur of the Year award from New York City for her amazing organization of the NYC Juneteenth event for 12 years running and her superb outreach work with the community.

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Like a Blow Pop—Teresa Lorraine Scott is tough on the outside, but soft, chewy, and full of goodness on the inside. She's like a Sweet Tart—sweet with a little sour, depending on the day. Teresa's a Baby Ruth—rich, chocolatey, and just the right amount of nutty yet like a wintergreen Lifesaver, she's helped save a few lives along the way.