GOOD Fest, a wellness event started by three women who believe that “living well doesn’t have to be about sacrifice and denial,” comes to South Carolina for the first time Sat. Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cannon Green. The four hour, $109 midday event features a keynote self empowerment workshop, guided sound bath and meditation, a self-care panel made up of female entrepreneurs, a wellness swag bag, healthy lunch, and “plenty of time to mingle with like-minded women.”
If a $100 price tag for a four hour fest gives you pause, you’re not alone. Especially if that event is founded on inchoate buzzwords like ‘wellness,’ ’empowerment,’ and ‘self-care.’ We’ve been so intrigued by these buzzy terms (and find a new, more puzzling phrase every day) that in August we devoted a cover story to exploring the evolving concept of self-care, its history, and how the industry is growing at a rapid pace.
[embed-1] The takeaway? There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to taking care of ourselves, and it isn’t all face masks and bath bombs. It’s easy to dismiss the self-care industry as an expensive trend, one that tricks burned out Millennials into investing measly paychecks into workshops and classes and pop-ups. But then there are the people behind the brands, lots of them badass women, who devote their lives to improving the health and wellness of others.
Some of these women will be on the GOOD Fest panel, including artist, writer, and transformational coach Alexandra Roxo; holistic life coach Elli Richter; One Part Plant author Jessica Murnane; the woman behind the blog Bare Beauty, Jessica Morse; The Works founder and movement queen Sarah Frick; and Dr. Carrie khoLi of Khafra and Company, a “dream incubator investing in communal actualization” that is run by a team of 100 percent people of color, over 80 percent women, and more than 51 percent of people who identify as queer.
GOOD organizers are planning similar events in New York and Austin.
[embed-2] In a press release last week, fest founders say, “We recognize that wellness is not one size fits all, and finding what works for you is key in becoming the best version of yourself … Our events are rich with thought-leaders and change makers who seek personal growth, but more importantly, hope to raise the vibration of the world and community around them.”
We aren’t sure that we would drop $100 for a four-hour fest focusing on ‘thought-leaders’ but yes, we would spend a Benjamin to hear smart savvy women talk about what gets them out of bed in the morning. Hell, that may just be a pretty good way to spend a Saturday morning.
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