Meet Kwanza Coxbaker, MPH, CMT, RYT 200 | Holistic Health Practitioner & Owner of Tonix Wellness LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kwanza Coxbaker, MPH, CMT, RYT 200 and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kwanza, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work life balance has changed so much in the last few years. I use to passionately charge forward to complete the task oftentimes even forgetting to eat or rest. I thought because I love what I do, rest was not as important. Rather a work life balance wasn’t important because of my passion towards my work. The body has a funny way of demanding rest and mine is no different. I began to get colds and headaches, which are very uncommon for me. I soon surrendered. Not all at once and not overnight, but a process towards equally valuing my productivity and my lack of productivity. Coming to understand that free time is not synonymous with availability or an opportunity to squeeze one more thing out of my to do list. I now think about the balance as necessary. Breaking up with the capitalist idea that all of my creative ideas are meant to be capitalized on or used in my business. I create firm boundaries for myself about taking off days and I am now implementing phone free staycations where I stay in a local airbnb for a few days with my phone off and no access to technology to recharge and spend quality time with my first friend (self).

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the owner of Tonix Wellness LLC. We are a small Black, Veteran and Queer-owned wellness company that works towards bridging the wellness gap for BIPOC LBGTQ+ and Non-Binary humans through herbalism, bodywork and yoga. My focus is to empower these underserved communities to makes informed health choices by providing access to information and low-cost products and services from a member of their community. I got where I am today business-wise through community support and memories of my father who was also an entrepreneur. It has not been easy. There is so much I did not know that went into being a small business owner with no outside startup funding. The paperwork, the marketing, the networking and the legal stuff that take up the majority of my time. I have overcome the challenge of no outside funding by using my own savings as seed money and learning about applying for grants to pour more into my business and my community. One of the biggest lessons I have learned in business along the way is that it doesn’t matter how good your product or service is if nobody knows you exist. Doing business is about community relations and human connection. Tonix has made it this far because of the people I have met along the way and the wisdom/resources they have shared with me. I have learned the value of putting myself out there and taking risk even when I am not 100% sure my foot will land on solid ground. I want people to know that Tonix was birthed of an idea. For years before the name left my mouth I had been creating products and hosting events for the people in my life. I had no clue I would turn it into an LLC. I had no clue I would be creating something that I love. I was able to do this because I got quiet enough to listen. I knew that the path I was on was not working and instead of forcing things that were not aligned, I made a conscious choice to follow my intuition. I got quiet enough to tune into my own inner world and asked for clarity on what I was to do next and that is what I have done for the last 3 years. I get quiet, allow the answers to reveal themselves and I take the risk and do the next best thing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since most of my time in Southern California has been in San Diego County, it only feels fair to share my favorite 1 say road trip itinerary that starts in Sunny San Diego.

Start by heading east on the CA 8 heading out of the city.
Stop one: Jacumba Hot Springs – if you are willing to adventure into the desert a bit you can see an abandoned train covered in graffiti which is the excellent background for a photo op.
Stop two: The Glamis Sand Dunes
Stop three: Salvation Mountain and East Jesus Art Exhibit
Stop four: Bombay Beach near the Salton Sea (get here by sunset for amazing views)
Stop five: Continuing north on the CA 111 until you reach Joshua Tree National Park
Then you hop on the CA 10 West and the CA 15 south and you are back home by morning.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people could be listed here. I don’t even know the names of all of the people who have taught me a snippet in passing that then opened my mind to the possibilities. If I had to think of a person who has impacted me the most it is my Great Aunt Grace. The valuable lessons, recipes, books, hugs and love she shared with me over the course of her life were invaluable to who I am today. She would always call me and say “Always remember somebody loves you.” She taught me how to love myself before I knew what that meant. She encouraged me to live my life to the fullest and for myself. She would always remind me that in the end all we have are the choices we have made and that is what we get to live with.

Website: https://www.tonixwellness.com

Instagram: @Tonixwellness and @lovealwayskwanz

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwanza-coxbaker-0964201a4/

Image Credits
Brittani Ford and Flocka