B4BC’s First Ever Chasing Sunshine Wellness Day
Santa Monica, CA
Words by Maggie Gonzalez
Photos by Tahnei Roy & Devon Steigerwald
On October 19, 2019 B4BC rolled out it’s first ever Chasing Sunshine Wellness Day at Tool of North America in Santa Monica, CA. Born out of the desire to serve more young breast cancer survivors/ thrivers than the current 10-12 person Wellness Retreats, B4BC was able to host this one day event for up to 50 women.
The day started off with a welcome reception and the ladies coming in were able to catch a view of Thrive Market Chef, Megan Mitchell preparing a healthy, anti-inflammatory meal with ingredients provided by Thrive Market. Drinks from Suja Organic and Four Sigmatic were served in custom B4BC Yeti tumblers for all of the girls to take home. Photos were being snapped left and right under the boob balloon arch photo booth and the energy vibration of the room was definitely tangible.
Once everyone arrived and got acquainted we flowed into the stage area where B4BC Founder and President Lisa Hudson and Event + Outreach Manager Maggie Gonzalez opened up the day sharing stories of how Boarding for Breast Cancer was founded and how we got to the point of making this dream of a day a reality. Heath + Wellness / Marketing Manager Megan Pischke spoke about her involvement and the Chasing Sunshine Wellness Retreats and honored our friend Michelle Zwirn, who has a huge influence on this Wellness Day.
The first guest speaker, Integrative Dr Caileen Vermilyea of Heaven and Earth Medicinals, opened her talk with a moving meditation while a home brewed ‘Golden Milk’ was passed around the room. She lead an insightful talk about using botanical plants as medicine, from herbs to CBD, to adaptogens, all of which support the immune system, anxiety and more, and serve to relieve inflammation.
The aroma of food being prepared in the next room lured all of the women over to the lunch tables where they were met with gift bag lined seats. Each woman received not one but THREE gift bags from our partners Erin Condren, Yeti, Dakine, Vans, Pura Vida, Bloom Farms, Akai Life CBD, Lululemon, Merge Socks, Athleta, Four Sigmatic, Thrive Market and more.
Once everyone was settled, Chef Megan Mitchell and Angela B Gaines introduced the delicious meal and provided nutritional insights about an anti-inflammatory diet and the benefits of all of the ingredients chosen. Everyone dug right in, going for seconds, thirds – and some of us may or may not have eaten about 25 of the Gluten Free Golden Milk Cookies! Between bites it was hard to get a word in edgewise as everyone was chatting each others ears off asking questions about each other, their journeys and simply connecting.
After lunch we headed back to the stage for our second guest speaker Reconstructive Breast Surgeon, Dr Tiffany Grunwald who lead an hour plus talk on everything from cancer and those difficult decision making times, to the types of surgeries available to those with breast cancer, and the materials used for reconstruction. She not only educated but she inspired, as she is a huge advocate for the healthy lifestyle and optimistic mindset that is possible to ensue after and even during cancer and treatments.
Getting towards the end of our day together it was time for yoga led by thriver and past Ocean Wellness Retreat participant Kiyomi Takahashi. Kiyomi lead everyone through a meaningful gentle Kundalini yoga flow to get our bodies moving and grounded. She also shared mantras and how they assisted during her own cancer journey. To close the day everyone (including the staff) settled onto their Lululemon yoga mats for a powerful and chill inducing sound bath ceremony lead by Sugar Panbehchi of Be Crystal Clear Studio. The entire room became entranced by the sounds, as an energetic clearing created peace and relaxation.
Coming back into the light you could feel the serenity and sense of freeness in the room. Many hugs, tears, thanks yous, and more hugs were exchanged. Walking into the building as mostly strangers, every woman departed with new life-long friends and community.
B4BC is so proud to have made our dream of serving more women in our community a reality and we hope to continue this program in different areas around the country. Thank you to everyone that has supported us in all shapes and forms to assist us in our continued dedication and commitment to this cause.
Special thanks and so much gratitude to our sponsors who made the event possible:
Tool of North America (owners Deidre and Erik) who provided the lovely venue
Thrive Market and Chef Megan Mitchell for creating a fantastic healthy meal
Suja Organic for the tasty juices and kombuchas and for always supporting us.
YETI for the beautiful custom tumblers
FNTECH and Chad Kropke for the sound and visual equipment
For the the lovely gift bags : Erin Condren, Pura Vida, Dakine, Merge Socks, Akai Life CBD, Vans, Bloom Farms, Show me your Mumu
Big Hugs and Love to our volunteers and team for making it happen:
Samantha Kuhr – All Around Lady Boss, Grisel at Tool of NA, Zoe Pattin, Kirsten Gum, Kristen Cotter, Tahnei Roy and Devon Steigerwald.
For the the lovely gift bags : Erin Condren, Pura Vida, Dakine, Merge Socks, Akai Life CBD, Vans, Bloom Farms, Show me your Mumu
