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4/30/2022 3 Comments

The FLYY Movement: Welcome to The FLYY Community

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By Joelle Murchison & Andrea Barton Reeves
“Freedom to Love the You in You. Who’s FLYY? I’m FLYY!
Are you powered up?
I’m powered up! 
Are you fired up?
I’m fired up!”


As soon as you walk through the doors into FLYY Zumba®, you are drawn into what I’ve come to know as the FLYY experience. Sistah Anyangō energizes those in attendance by calling out, in traditional African Call and Response form, and the attendees respond.

“Freedom to Love the You in You. Who’s FLYY?
I’m FLYY!
Are you powered up?
I’m powered up!
Are you fired up?
I’m fired up!”


It’s impossible for you to stand on the sidelines as Sistah makes full use of the room, repeating the now familiar refrain. Nowhere to hide, here she comes to make you recognize the freedom to love you.
FLYY Zumba® is more than a dance class, more than a series of routines; it is indeed an experience. It is self-care, movement, and an opportunity for reflection. You are encouraged to find your own two step if you miss the beat which is also an important message in how we navigate life.

For me, FLYY Zumba® was an opportunity to enjoy dancing but also to step outside of my comfort zone as I began to explore the concepts of freedom and love all while moving. The carefully curated songs serve as the perfect soundtrack to your personal transformation. The overwhelming sense of support, power and strength permeate the air. Very quickly you will learn that this Saturday morning dance class is much more. Fast paced moves, pulsating rhythms, smooth grooves, and inspirational words. I’m always ready to face whatever will come. We are encouraged to see this space as me time, recognizing that we cannot pour from an empty cup!
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Once the dancing is done, it’s time for a photo to capture the moment and then to gather in a circle to reflect. As you get comfortable in your new “moist” state, you will be encouraged to share why you are FLYY. It could be that you woke up that morning, or even that you made it through the routines unscathed! Whatever your reason, you will know for sure that you will be back. Release, inspiration, and support, it’s everything that you need. 

Beyond Zumba®, the FLYY Movement offers several other engagement opportunities, including Empowerment Freedom Coaching, which I have also participated in. I encourage you to get out on the floor as a first step to learning just how FLYY you are!

It was only four years ago when Sistah Anyangō envisioned a coaching program that would invite women to navigate their own journeys to healing their minds and spirits, and finally embrace the joy they knew they deserved in the seat of their souls. Now supporting over 40 women in individual, group and live sessions, (with a waitlist almost as long), women throughout Greater Hartford are excitedly entering their own sacred space as a “self- healer” in Sistah’s Empowering Freedom Coaching sessions. In this place, women journey with her, exploring their pain, hurt and vulnerability with no judgment, and discover healing and peace. Sistah meets you where you are, in what she often describes as the “muck, the dirt, the broken places we don’t want people to see.” In that very place, she guides you to understanding who you are and supports you on your journey to joy.  Whether in group discussions, individual self-healing sessions, or her Facebook Live gatherings on Thursday mornings, women can find safe spaces to share their dreams, triumphs, challenges, and joys. 
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Empowering Freedom Coaching is not just about teaching women to feel better about who they are - it is about empowering women to fully embrace their joy without apology, accepting that happiness is their birthright. Her work teaches women how to shift their mindsets to believe that they are worthy of joy, peace, and serenity in every area of their life. Through the regular practice of powerful affirmations, meditation, breathing, and journaling, women are led on a journey to their own definition of happiness that is unlike any other experience. Self-healers set healthy boundaries by clearly identifying relationship standards, defining what you want and what you will simply not tolerate in relationships, whether romantic, work or family, embracing the power of NO (which Sistah repeatedly emphasizes is a complete sentence in multiple languages), moving our bodies daily, eating in a way that sustains our physical and emotional health, and taking time to rest. 
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Women journey through every season of nature and every season of their lives with what Sistah calls “FLYY support”, a unique combination of her guidance and your intuition to lead you to a deeper understanding of what may bring you happiness and sustains your soul. With Sistah and her FLYY support, we learn that no hurt is too deep to be healed, and more importantly, we must deal with our hurt in order to embrace our healing. Once the journey has begun, the transformation women experience is nothing short of amazing. Many tears are shed along with layers of pain and hurt, and what emerges are strong, beautiful souls, reclaiming their lives, setting healthy boundaries, and experiencing the joy of accepting themselves exactly as they are. Empowering Freedom Coaching is life changing. For every woman seeking to love herself unconditionally, your journey can start today.  

The FLYY Movement is located at 141 South St f, West Hartford, CT 06110. Find The FLYY Movement online on Facebook, Instagram or on their website at theflyymovement.com.
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AUTHORS

Joelle A. Murchison combines her passion and expertise in education, equity & inclusion and communications in her work as the Founder & Principal of ExecMommyGroup LLC (EMG), an inclusion and leadership strategic consulting practice.

A career diversity and inclusion champion, Murchison, a graduate of Brown University, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, also currently serves as the Executive Director of The Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity and as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Connecticut School of Business.
 
A native of Queens, and raised in Long Island, NY, Joelle takes her professional and leadership queues from her mother, a trailblazer in her own right, who was the first African American woman manager in the Social Security Administration in the 1970s. Joelle began her career in higher education followed by a stint in the non-profit sector; then transitioning to corporate America - first with United Technologies and then as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at Travelers Insurance. Murchison returned to higher education in 2016 as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Connecticut where she served before launching EMG.

A recipient of numerous awards, Joelle serves as the chair of the board of RE-Center Race and Equity in Education and is a member of the board of directors and chair of the Human Capital and Diversity committee for College Possible, a national nonprofit focused on college access. In 2020, Joelle was elected to serve as a trustee of the Corporation of Brown University, the university’s decision-making body and currently serves as the chair of the Corporation’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion standing committee.
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Additionally in her most demanding yet fulfilling role, Joelle is the mother of four children between the ages of 7 and 18 who are the wind beneath her wings. At her core, she is passionate about encouraging and inspiring all people to reach their highest potential and about creating space for open dialogue to enhance inclusion and understanding. 
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Andrea Barton Reeves is currently serving as the Inaugural CEO of the CT Paid Family & Medical Leave Insurance Authority. Previously she served as president and CEO of Harc, Inc. where she supported people with intellectual and related disabilities and their families. She was also the former Director of Program Operations at Lawyers for Children America, Inc., and she had a ten- year career at Chubb Insurance in Operations, leading large-scale implementations
 
Andrea is active in Community Engagement. She is the immediate, past President of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, is the former Board chair of Village for Families and Children, former Board member of Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance, and current Board Chair of the YWCA, Hartford Region
 
Andrea has been recognized for her work in the community. She was named one of the Hartford Business Journal’s ‘Forty Under Forty, and Five New Leaders to Watch’, was recognized as one 100 Women of Color - Class of 2020, 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut – 2021 by the CT NAACP, Power 25 – Most Impactful Professionals in Healthcare – 2021 (Hartford Business Journal) and Hartford Business Journal’s ‘Top 25 Women in Business’ 2022.
 
Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts, English from Rutgers University and a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School.
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PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER

Shariffah Mason is a female, versatile, freelance photographer from Connecticut. She typically admires photographs of friends and family, scenic views, and just moments that are memorable without even realizing it! She wanted people to see that same beauty she does so she decided to get a camera, create her brand (Reef's Views Photography) and went to work! Now she's able to deliver quality content and make memories last a lifetime for her clients. Currently as a photographer, she volunteers for ShopBlackCT and does her own freelance work too. If you'd like to see more of Shariffah's work, check out her IG/Facebook @Queenofallltrades! ​
3 Comments

4/28/2022 0 Comments

Richual Boutique: Where Thrift Meets Glamour

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By Lajeune Hollis
Fashion has always been Brittany Rae’s first passion. So much so that in 2021, she made it her full-time career and opened Richual Boutique—pronounced "ritual"—in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a curated thrift, vintage clothing and accessories shop.

Before opening the doors of this new chapter in her life, Rae was invested in the mental health field, having managed group homes and worked as a case worker and social worker in New York, where she was born and raised. 

After losing loved ones to COVID-19, Rae did some soul-searching and decided to focus her energy on what she loved most: fashion.
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“The pandemic definitely gave me the courage to say life is short and I should just go for it,” she shared. 

And go for it she did. After visiting a friend in Bridgeport, Rae decided to relocate, noting that she liked “the diversity and culture” that downtown had. She was also inspired by the “art world” the city offered.

Rae opened her business and noted lower rents and grant opportunities as some of the silver lining to the pandemic for entrepreneurs. Since she started her business with her own capital, she was able to negotiate more with landlords.
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 "I love helping people, so owning my own boutique came very naturally. It went from a hobby to my full-time career."
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But, it was a challenging time to open a business in the height of the pandemic, because shoppers were not coming out to stores like they previously did.

Rae’s solution was to offer private shopping at her boutique based on the shopper’s availability. She also offered online shopping on her website so that anyone across the country could purchase her products.

Richual Boutique features a mix of new, thrift and vintage styles. It offers trendy, fashionable, affordable clothing for both men and women, including furs, coats, shoes, handbags, accessories, jewelry and more.

For those looking for a special twist, Richual offers The Curated Thrift Box, a collection of 20 pieces of clothing or accessories valued at $200-$300, but at a cost of only $50. Shoppers are asked to indicate their sizes, preferred colors and tone, style and other key factors before Rae chooses what is added to their box. Because of her great fashion sense, the results have gotten rave reviews.
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Rae hand-picks the pre-loved clothing available at Richual Boutique, using her keen eye for fashion and her knowledge of all the latest trends. She only selects fashion-forward, unique and on-trend items for her shop. Rae also works with designers who specialize in upcycling clothing and jewelry.

“I was kind of born into fashion,” said Rae. “Raised by very fashionable women, I have always been a shopper, have always thrifted, and I have all of these clothes that I collected. I love helping people, so owning my own boutique came very naturally. It went from a hobby to my full-time career.”

A shopper at heart, Rae admits that she thrifts almost every other day. She loves to travel too, which she says is “tied into thrifting” as she looks for unique pieces domestically or overseas.
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Richual Boutique’s mission is to provide high-fashion designs and great material for little to no cost and to save the Earth by buying second-hand. Rae also believes in giving back by donating clothing to people who are experiencing homelessness.

As for what’s next for Richual Boutique, Rae hopes to expand and open additional locations throughout Connecticut. Her ultimate goal? To build a nationwide brand.

Richual Boutique is located in the Arcade Mall, 1001 Main Street, Suite 12, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Find Richual Boutique online on Facebook, Instagram or at their online shop at shoprichual.com.
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AUTHOR

Lajeune Hollis is a Connecticut resident, media sales professional, local news junkie, daughter, sister, proud aunt and colon cancer survivor. She has spent the past 30+ years in the media industry and has written, produced and hosted mini-biographies (bio-line) for a gospel video show called Lifeline Gospel Videos on a Bridgeport, CT public access television station; written African American book reviews for a monthly urban newspaper, The Inner City Newspaper, in New Haven, CT; co-hosted an on-air book review (the L & L Book Review) on an urban contemporary radio station (WNHC AM 1340); hosted an African American monthly book club at Barnes and Noble bookstore in North Haven, CT; worked as a community radio announcer (Lovers Corner with Lajeune) at a New Haven area radio station (WYBC 94.3 FM); worked as a local ad sales manager for Umoja Newspaper in Bridgeport, CT; worked in radio advertising sales and management for a total of four Connecticut radio stations (WNHC AM 1340, WEBE 108FM, WICC 600 AM, and WYBC 94.3FM) and is currently working in local ad sales (television, digital, online, content marketing and social media) for News 8, a New Haven, CT based ABC TV affiliate. Lajeune also has her own website, LajeuneHollis.com and blog, The View from Lajeune.
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PHOTOGRAPHER

Larianne Tide is the owner of Photography By LarJ, which has been in business for over 10 years. Tide and her husband, Roody, have traveled all over the Tri-State area photographing hundreds of weddings and events, and thousands of portraits. She has two young boys, Jaden and Jonathan, who keep her motivated and driven to be the absolute best that she can be. Their new studio, Tide & True Studios in Norwalk, has become her and her husband's second home, and they are proud to be able to provide quality portraits that will last a lifetime.

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