How a north Minneapolis woman made it her mission to bring healing and wellness to People of Color
MINNEAPOLIS — Stopping short of holding her nose, Sierra Carter grimaces as she downs lemon-soaked garlic cloves.
It's 7:30 a.m. on a Thursday, and Carter is preparing for a busy day, running two wellness-centered businesses in north Minneapolis. That's on top of her full-time job as Vice President at Rhymesayers record label.
With that busy schedule, Carter says her self-care routines are focused on natural preventions, real food, physical movement, and community. It's something she's learned to create after years of health struggles.
"Once you get curious about your body, you just kind of start exploring things, researching things, finding ways to heal yourself naturally," Carter explains.
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Bringing healing and wellness to people of color is a year-round mission for Carter. That mission is lived out through her two businesses, The Zen Bin wellness studio and Heal, a plant-based café. She opened them after struggling to find healing places that offered mindfulness, exercise, and healthy food, without a side of judgement for her size or race.
Located at 42nd and Lyndale avenues in north Minneapolis — a food desert — Heal offers plant-based food, drinks, herbal medicines, and community. She says having a café with heathy food helps her keep herself accountable on her health journey.
Her mother Jamie says that whenever Carter creates something for herself, she also creates for her underserved community.
"I'm proud, and I'm happy for her, because she's a young lady and she doesn't allow people to put her in a bubble," says Jamie. "She just goes on and creates, and her creations are for the world."
Carter talks with her mom every day. At age 31, Carter knows that family is a priority, spending at least 10% of her week with family.
Her neighborhood is also a priority. Carter grew up in the suburbs but is now committed to north Minneapolis.
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"North Minneapolis makes me feel seen, it makes me feel heard, it makes me feel valued. It makes me feel appreciated," says Carter. "It makes me feel safe. A lot of people think this neighborhood is not safe, but I feel safest here."
The idea of safety is central to the way she runs The Zen Bin. The wellness space is located on the basement level of a building at Broadway and Penn avenues. She explains the idea is to create a space for women of color where they are tucked away from the noise of the outside world.
She turns out the lights and plugs in a string of lights, creating a quiet atmosphere as women stream in for a candlelit R&B yoga class. The low lighting is also part of the experience as a judgement-free zone.
In between instruction on poses, she reminds her students that rest is key, and that they are deserving of love.
"We're collaborating on one mission and one intention, to heal our hearts, our minds and our souls," she coaches.
The Zen Bin fills a gaping hole in north Minneapolis. According to the Yoga Alliance, 70% of yoga teachers and studio owners in the U.S. are white.
Carter says, on top of her own healing, she wants the people who visit her spaces to feel the acceptance she couldn't find elsewhere.