A renowned leader in her field, Tawn Williams is a wellness consultant and speaker. One of only a handful of women of color in the corporate wellness consulting space, Williams has more than 20 years of industry experience, having worked with international leadership teams at Intel, Avnet, and BRP. She is CEO and head holistic experience curator at House of Anaya, where she uses her unique lens and extensive background to help design corporate and individual wellness plans that feel holistic, personal, and inclusive. Here, she shares how she navigates the ever-changing world of wellness.
What does wellness mean to you?
When I first started my wellness journey, I would say it leaned very much to the external, obvious traits we can see. I was meditating more, had daily cacao rituals, and studied various topics, like sound baths and crystal healing. Though these are still profound practices for me today, I would say a lot of what I do around wellness is more about learning what my mind, body, and spirit are asking of me; being so in tune with my Self that I leave a certain amount of fluidity in my journey to inner peace. This is how I view wellness—as a journey, not a destination, or an ever-changing climate of what nourishes me deeply.
What is your favorite healthy food, and do you have a favorite way of preparing it?
I love Mediterranean food, so naturally anything with loads of dill, olives, and just about all things with feta on it. My absolute favorite these days is salad with all those ingredients, cucumber, bell peppers, and red onion, with baked salmon on top. We then add a touch of lemon garlic couscous, and it’s heaven.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
That I get to say this is my job! When I was working in the corporate space, I was often behind the scenes and very much confined by the behavior and leadership style of my superiors. This left me feeling unseen and undervalued, and I craved corporate structure that centered around people-first mentalities, not just the bottom line. When sharing my vision for work environments, that looked like leadership connected with its team and employees feeling seen and heard at work. The reply, “that will never happen,” became a common part of the conversion. Today, my biggest achievement is that we only work with heart-led organizations that share this inspired vision for emotionally healthy and thriving workplace cultures. Our partners really get it, and together, we create lasting impacts for their teams.
What person in wellness do you most admire and why?
I’m not sure if she considers herself a person in wellness, and perhaps this would overlap to an admired author, but I truly fell in love with the words and work of Sarah Blondin. I found her meditations on an app at the start of my wellness journey, and she seemed to speak every word as though it came directly from my heart. Her softness and ability to craft lovely moments has put her at the top of the list of people I would like to meet someday.
What is the best piece of wellness advice you have ever received and from whom?
“This life is happening for you, not to you.” This mentality of life happening for me has shifted my mindset in more ways than I can imagine. Observing a scenario, be it good or challenging, offers up an opportunity to reflect and ask myself what I’m learning about myself or about my journey. This very mindset is what leads to a continued peace while remaining curious about what will unfold next, often bringing me to a place of gratitude and acceptance, peace, and sometimes surrender.
What do you think is the most overused word or words in wellness?
Perhaps “manifest” though I see “abundance” popping up quite often in its place. It can be a slippery slope, because abundance doesn’t just mean financial wealth. It means opening up to abundance in joy, in laughter, in play, in connection, in love—all of it. Calling in these things requires us to vibrationally align to them, and unfortunately, there is no set formula for this. In addition, the timeline and pathway are as unique as we are. For people trained on getting results fast, this can often be counterproductive and discouraging, which is why I tend to use it sparingly, if at all. There is no magic formula. What I do love about the law of abundance is that it asks us to trust the process fully. Trust in ourselves, trust in our heart’s desires, trust in the way it will be delivered to us. In the release of control, we also get to practice surrender, ultimately creating open pathways for flow. In this flow we become grounded in gratitude, and it starts to open our eyes to the abundant things already around us. Once deep gratitude sets in, more abundance makes its way in minor and major ways. So, we see that abundance isn’t something we command but rather something we align to.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
I love to self-soothe. This may mean taking a few deep breaths, or simply being quiet. I hold my hand over my heart and say, “I’m here, I love you” and center in. Once I’m centered, I gain clarity and then I nourish based on my need from there.
What aspect of your wellbeing do you struggle with the most, or would most like to improve?
In my personal journey, I have found that the more I learn, the more I become aware that there is so much more to learn. Every time I’m introduced to something, I want to peel back the layers and discover more. Sometimes, this leads to wondering if I’m doing enough, and I can easily go down a pathway of distraction. In my wellness journey, I am constantly improving on a mindset that says in every phase I’m in, I’m enough, even if I do nothing else.
How do you celebrate small victories?
Celebrate and honor each one as they come! Life is meant to teach us many things, but it is also meant for plenty of play and celebration. Being present with a win, big or small, can look like smiling for no reason, dancing with music full blast (my favorite), or celebrating each win with my fiancé. Whichever way it takes form, I love to celebrate it all!
