Our third annual Daytreat at Body Bar Chicago was filled with movement, floral therapy, and sweet community care, complete with affirmations and delicious bites to round out the day!
Grateful to everyone who joined us, to Body Bar Chicago for hosting us, Boards by BW for the treats, Angel for guiding such a grounding Pilates session, and Trader Joe’s for the partial flower donation that made our arrangements even more special! Beautiful captures by Karmyn Stewart Photography.
Vanessa Flowers, Founder of Flower Girls Meet, hosted her first Today at Apple event in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, and it was such a treat! We’re so grateful for the opportunity to hold space for reflection, creativity, and connection. We’re looking forward to more moments like this to explore how we can all take better care of ourselves. Now more than ever, it’s essential to find what works for you – like building your own personal self-care kit.
Last weekend, we gathered at Lurie Garden for a peaceful afternoon of shadow drawing, creativity, and connection. With guidance from the wonderful Jacqueline Carmody, we explored nature through art, shared space, and took time to slow down.
A big thank you Lurie Garden for hosting us, and to our amazing partners for making the day extra special. And of course, heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us. Here are some lovely moments from the day. We hope they bring a little joy and inspiration to you screen!
Always listen to what your body needs you to know.
Remember to breathe.
Document what’s working, what you need to do next, and how your body is responding to different products you’re using.
Do something that makes you happy every day.
Drink water. Smile at yourself!
Listen to your body.
Rest when you are feeling exhausted.
Eat what you called to, and take breaks when you need to.
Drink water.
Take time for yourself even if you feel guilty about it. Maybe the guilt is happening because you’re now putting yourself first.
Move your body every day.
Walk, dance, yoga.
Take care of your body and it will take care of you!
Body and mind are connected!
If your doctor isn’t meeting your needs, it’s okay to look for another one.
Give yourself grace. You are doing more than you think. Breathe.
Take your time to grow and develop.
Start talking about your experience with people who feel safe.
Treat yourself like your own loved one.
Get your blood work done.
Pee after sex.
If it feels wrong, get checked out.
Many symptoms mimic each other. Get a second opinion.
There are different interpretations of normal. Trust your gut.
Schedule your screening yearly. Mamo, colon, etc.
Learn how to connect to your mind, body and soul. It’s important!
Don’t feel like you have to be strong all the time.
If a health plan is not working for you, talk to your doctor so adjustments or a solution can be made.
On International Women’s Day, we gathered for a powerful conversation that moved beyond the usual dialogue around pay equity. Instead, we opened space to talk about healthcare equity—how it affects women, especially women of color—and what self-advocacy really means.
Here are a few key takeaways from the day:
1. Know your body, advocate for yourself, and don’t stop until you’re heard.
2. “You are an active collaborator in your [doctor] appointments. You should feel confident in whatever the next steps are going to be for your treatment, because it’s your life and you live with the day to day reality of whatever that health conditioning is.” -Janese Evans [A resource guide from Janese can be found here].
3. “As a provider, help me fix that, instead of just telling me to get rid of an essential part of my body.” -Veronica Appleton, A reminder to always seek out a second or third opinion!
4. It’s literally because of my eating habits (I’ve completely changed that by going vegan) and also being very mindful by exercising, and just taking care of my mental health, and loving myself, making sure that I’m taking herbal stuff, like sea moss and burdock root, drinking teas, doing detoxes and intermittent fasting, that I’ve been able to shrink my fibroids.” -Delilah Martinez
5. “So the solving for me has been an ongoing process. It’s consistent maintenance, you know? And there are days or weeks or months that are great, and then there’s setbacks. It took a lot of effort with me, with my parents’ help in their advocacy, alternative practices like functional medicine, functional nutrition. And last year, I started doing somatic therapy and body work to help with internalized mental trauma that was still in my body that I was having trouble releasing.” -Britt Julious
Thank you to our speakers for leading with such honesty and care, and to everyone who shared their voice in the room.
A special thank you to our sponsors, Daytrip and the Chicago Park District, for helping make this conversation possible.
