Coming Together to Heal: Honest Conversations about Colonialism and the Wellness Industry

We’re gathering for honest conversations about healing—how colonialism has shaped what we call “wellness,” and how we can do better together.

Who we are.

Hi, I’m Shana. I’m Luisray. I’m Summer. and I'm Lourdes.

We come from different identities and experiences—many touched directly or indirectly by colonialism. We’ve been reading, discussing, unpacking, and practicing together. This series translates those conversations into a more accessible language for nature and wellness practitioners (including our own Deaf community members).

Four adults standing side-by-side, in front of earthy-toned background with a subtle textured pattern. At the top center, there is a decorative element featuring a small brown flower with green leaves. Below the design, white text reads: “Coming Together To Heal”. All are wearing black clothing, with one man- a dark-skinned Native American man with Native pattern jacket.

What we mean by “nature-based healing”

Across the U.S., many practices are marketed as “natural” healing—forest bathing, nature/outdoor therapy, yoga, Reiki, herbalism, plant medicines, and other spiritual or “shamanic” journeys. In this series, nature-based healing refers to those offerings.

This first article looks at how these practices are entangled with colonial histories—and how we can decolonize them in everyday, practical ways.

“Wellness” isn’t making us well—yet

“Wellness" isn’t making us well. It's making us worse. Until we confront the toxicity of our culture and systems, we won’t truly heal.” — Kerri Kelly, American Detox

In our modern society, we’re told repeatedly that we’re not enough—not good enough, strong enough, fast enough, smart enough. That constant message carves a wound in us—deep in our hearts, thus the need for healing.

Meanwhile, the commercial wellness industry—retreats, apps, supplements, trainings, tourism—keeps booming. The problem isn’t caring for ourselves; it’s how care gets packaged and who gets left out.

Why access & accountability matter now

This month isn’t about branding services. It’s about access and accountability—especially during Indigenous Peoples’ Month and amid charged politics.

A short note on history—and why exploitation persists

Indigenous Peoples have cared for land, water, and medicines long before “wellness” was a market. Colonization disrupted those relationships through dispossession, bans on ceremony and language, boarding schools, and laws that privileged extraction. When today’s programs borrow ceremonies, objects, or stories without relationship, consent, and compensation, they repeat those harms.

Decolonization is about the repatriation of Indigenous land and life, not a catch-all for generic “do better” work. It is about returning context, control, and resources to the communities from whom practices come. The decolonizing process honors Indigenous Peoples who have protected land and carried medicines since time immemorial—even as those practices are packaged, sold, and placed out of reach for many today.

For marginalized communities, wellness programs that are supposed to help us heal, but instead, are making it worse for us. The question is simple: Who can participate safely—and on whose terms?

How the wellness industry harms (and who it leaves out)

By wellness industry we mean the commercial marketplace that monetizes self-improvement: beauty/personal care, supplements, yoga/fitness programs, “wellness tourism,” retreats and trainings.

It is projected that by 2028, the wellness industry would have profited over $1 trillion dollars and the profit is still climbing. It’s expanding rapidly, but profits don’t automatically translate to safety, language access, or equity.

What we see, over and over:

• Cultural practices are extracted while the people and places they come from are excluded.

• Retreat venues stand on lands where Indigenous peoples were displaced; borrowing ceremonies, symbols, and stories has become profitable while the originating communities are sidelined.

• Aesthetics and revenue are prioritized over safety, language access, and equity.

• Structural harms (racism, poverty, environmental injustice) are ignored while individual fixes are sold. If our circles remain mostly white, hearing, and affluent, we’re reproducing harm—not healing it.

Why decolonize nature-based healing?

A decolonizing lens asks us to rebuild programs around relationship and responsibility:

• Place-based reciprocity. Name whose lands you’re on; follow local protocols; give back materially.

• Accessible design. Plan for Deaf access (ASL/voice interpretation, open captions), mobility and sensory needs, childcare, sliding-scale/low-cost options, and transportation support.

• Partnership with Indigenous communities. Move at the speed of trust; keep context intact; invite critique; share authorship.

• Transparent budgets. Compensate knowledge keepers at or above market; publish what you spend and where it goes.

Measure success by who gains safe access and who holds decision-making power—not by how beautiful the brochure looks.

Collective care: This is how we become stronger

“Shouting ‘self-care’ at people who actually need community care is how we fail people."-Nikita Valerio

There is power in the collective. Self-care matters, but on its own it can feel insular and short-lived—good for catching our breath, not enough to change the conditions that produce loneliness, depression, and abandonment. Collective care widens the circle: needs are named out loud, resources are shared, and healing lasts longer because it’s held by many hands.

Many Indigenous communities model collective care—tribal circles, drumming and community gatherings. Colonialism, by contrast, elevates rugged individualism and ableism (“do it alone,” “pull yourself up”), which isolates people and hides structural barriers.

For marginalized communities, this isn’t theory—it’s survival wisdom. Deaf clubs, sports teams, potlucks, church circles, community gardens, and grassroots groups are proof: the spirit of community is strong. We show up, we pass the hat, we give rides, we interpret, we cook. That togetherness builds resilience—and it reminds us, as a minority group, that we are stronger than we’ve been told. Recognizing that strength also grows empathy for people who don’t yet have a tight community bond; we know what it costs to go alone.

What collective care looks like in practice

• Access by default: ASL + voice interpretation, open captions, sensory/quiet space, childcare, ride shares.

• Shared load: rotating roles (host, cook, driver, interpreter, greeter), micro-funds for those in crisis.

• Rituals of belonging: land/lineage naming, check-ins, meal circles, “who needs what?” rounds.

• Reciprocity with place: volunteer days, give-back budgets to Indigenous-led efforts, local sourcing.

• Transparent help: publish how to ask for support, who to contact, and how funds/time are distributed.

Measure what matters: not how polished the event looks, but who feels safe to show up, who stays, and who is supported after they leave.

Decolonizing invites us to:

• unpack our privileges,

• remember our collective identities, and

• design programs where care is shared—so more of us can actually heal.

Invitation to keep going (and what’s next)

This series is an invitation to listen, learn, and act—together. We’ll explore steps wellness practitioners and businesses can take to align with Indigenous leadership, build language-accessible spaces, and practice reciprocity with land.

We’ll also host a book club to keep the conversation going—learning from Indigenous wisdom, unpacking settler privilege, and sharing real-life strategies to make healing accessible.

This is why we gather: to decolonize, listen, unpack, and recognize Indigenous wisdom and contributions—so we can heal in ways that are honest, inclusive, and accountable.

Join us. Help us make healing accessible.

(Note about our translation work: As a team, along with the support of an ASL coach, we took the initiative to translate this important conversation into ASL, doing our best based on what we’ve read and unpacked together. We know we may get things wrong. That’s part of the honest, sometimes messy process of unlearning and learning in public.)

Accessibility: Image description: The image shows four adults standing side-by-side,  in front of a soft, earthy-toned background with a subtle textured pattern. At the top center, there is a decorative element featuring a small brown flower with green leaves extending outward. Below the design, white text reads: “Coming Together To Heal”. All are wearing black clothing, with one man- a dark-skinned Native American man with Native pattern jacket.

Video description: Throughout the video, there’s a mix of shots featuring the signers, text overlay, graphical elements, and special transition effects visible— the visual style is plain with no other action shots, giving priority to the message delivered in ASL by the signers. The signers include a  biracial African American woman with short blond curls, glasses, and a warm smile; a Native American–Mexican man with short dark hair wearing a patterned hoodie and a calm, neutral expression; a White woman with shoulder-length light brown hair, glasses, and a bright smile; and a Mexican woman with long silver-gray hair who smiles while pointing upward toward the title.

Disclaimer (Translation Series)

This piece is part of an ASL-first translation by a team of Deaf, Queer, BIPOC, and Indigenous creators, sponsored by The Wild Cypress. We recognize that some signs related to Indigenous terminology vary by Nation/tribe, so this may not reflect all tribal signs. We welcome corrections and guidance.

• Transcript: Read the transcript

• Voiceover & open captions: coming soon

• Source inspiration: conversations from Summer Crider’s original blog, Decolonizing Forest Bathing

• This is voluntary, heart-based work. We’re seeking support to continue—starting with our winter book club, Becoming a Good Relative.

Stay involved:

• Get book-club updates: Sign up here

• Support the work: Donate here

• To learn more about how you can help us make healing accessible, check out our The Giving Cypress Foundation (TGCF), www.thegivingcypressfoundation.org 

Special Thanks to the team of translators:

• Lourdes Valenzuela

• Shana Gibbs

• Luisray Aguilar

• Rachel Boll

• Summer Crider

References & further viewing/reading

• American Detox: The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal, Kerri Kelly (book + site). Penguin Random House+1

• (Un)Well (Netflix docuseries on the wellness industry). Netflix+1

• Global Wellness Institute – wellness tourism will cross $1T (sector analysis). Global Wellness Institute

• Wellness 2025 (GWI/Summit report – growth path). Global Wellness Summit

• “Decolonization is Not a Metaphor,” Eve Tuck & K. Wayne Yang (2012). JPS+1

• On collective care: Coverage of Nakita/Nikita Valerio’s quote/context. FASHION Magazine+1

• Decolonizing nature critiques (example think-piece). Teen Vogue