While we may know Ashanti for being an actress and singer, her sister Kenashia “Shia” Douglas is making a name for herself in the wellness space. After a traumatic experience in a past relationship, Douglas has made it a priority to help other women, and men, on their healing journey to not allow trauma to define them.
In the year 2020, she revealed that she had survived a violent relationship, sharing that information through a vulnerable social media post in honor of her 31st birthday. She would speak further about what she’d endured at the hands of an ex-fiance, and her path to healing from it.
Since then, Douglas has been intentional about putting her mental health first. As she grew mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, she became passionate about helping others do the same. That desire would turn into Wife of Creation, a wellness maintenance lifestyle brand.
“Wife of Creation is rooted in conscious awareness and holistic healing. After my traumatic experience, I was trying to figure out what my next move in life was going to be. From all the knowledge that I have been obtaining on my journey, I wanted to share it with people,” she tells ESSENCE. “The name itself I found in a healing prayer. One day, I was really down and I gravitated towards ancient Kemetic teachings. I was reciting a healing prayer to the goddess Sekhmet and I was able to find the name Wife of Creation.”
The site offers knowledge though a network of professionals “versed in the areas of mind, body, soul and spirit,” a marketplace to support a holistic lifestyle, and most importantly, a sense of community. As people heal from painful experiences, the process of doing so can be isolating and scary sometimes. With her brand, Douglas hopes to bring a sense of community to the healing process so that people do not feel alone as they work on themselves.
“I hope that Wife of Creation will inspire other Black women to shine brighter than their shadows. I hope that Wife of Creation inspires them to be their authentic selves, always,” she says. “My intention is to create a community where both men and women can heal on a holistic level and are given the tools to connect with themselves. It’s so easy to throw the terms around like ‘heal’ or ‘shadow work,’ but it’s a whole different ball game to hold someone’s hand through the work, while you are also going through healing yourself.”
As she continues to grow the brand, which she first announced to the world in 2020, she doesn’t mind if you call her Ashanti’s sister. She’s not concerned about labels or titles, but rather, maintaining peace of mind and helping others turn trauma into triumph to find the same transformative tranquility.
“Without any titles, I am perfectly imperfect as I am. I bring my own unique energy vibration. I like what I see when I look in the mirror. I speak my truth and I stand on it. I stand as a catalyst for change,” Douglas says. “I believe that, had I not experienced what I’ve experienced, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to reach this level of consciousness. I believe for me, my situation happened for me to really begin to do the work. I can’t really say that things happen to you, but rather, they happen for you.”