The Wellness Collective

Empowering lives & amplifying voices through sports & fitness.

Empowering lives and amplifying voices through sports and fitness

Read their stories

A woman doing sit-ups on a mat in a bright gym

Everybody has a story.

Nominated by their community, shared by us

Featured Stories

Meet A Few Of Them

Each month, our community nominates someone whose relationship life was changed with sports and fitness. These are a few of their stories.

Trevon Nieves

Trevon Nieves

Hybrid Athlete and Wrestling Coach

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Hear the full story

Sara Pelletier

Sara Pelletier

Yoga and Mental Health

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Hear the full story

Jade

Jade

Boxing, Martial Arts, and Wellness

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Hear the full story

Christina

Christina

Dancer, Choreographer, and Teacher

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Hear the full story

Know a story that should be heard?

Read more stories

FightStory
Movemint
Leap for AAPI
Martial Arts Coalition for Sustainable Development

Events and News

Featured

NBC Connecticut

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Watch the segment

Partnered event

NYC AAPI 5K, 2023

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Check out upcoming events

The People Behind It

Meet The Team

The organizers, coordinators, and volunteers who make free events, community, and everything else, happen.

President, Chief Executive Director
Misha Shahid
President, Chief Executive Director
Misha Shahid
Misha Shahid is a Muslim, South Asian American personal trainer specifically working to empower beginners embarking on their physical health journeys. She enjoys most of her free time taking “hot girl walks” (though in the winter she will complain about being anemic) and trying to figure out where she put her AirPods last!
Director, Athlete & Strength Coach
Mira Gracia
Director, Athlete & Strength Coach
Mira Gracia
Mira Gracia is 2022 World Champion, Coach, and your local internet 언니 (Eo-nni/ Big Sister in Korean). Passionate about making fitness a safe and inclusive environment for all Mira is here to remind you that strong is beautiful, and fitness is a space we all can learn and grow from.
Director, Founder of Master Mind Nation
Abdullah Oduro
Director, Founder of Master Mind Nation
Abdullah Oduro
Abdullah Oduro is a Ghanian American revert to Islam. A spiritual leader, and founder to a training business, he is dedicated into transforming lives to assist men in becoming the best versions of themselves.
Director, Founder of FIGHTSTORY
Angela Lee Pucci
Director, Founder of FIGHTSTORY
Angela Lee Pucci
Angela Lee is a former ONE Championship athlete, and 6x MMA World Champion. After retiring from the professional MMA sphere, she currently directs the mental health non-profit FIGHTSTORY dedicated in championing a global community of mental wellness through the combat sports.
Director, Site Director at Yale Prison Education Initiative
Tracy Lee Westmoreland
Director, Site Director at Yale Prison Education Initiative
Tracy Lee Westmoreland
Tracy Westmoreland is the Site Director for YPEI’s Danbury campus and also serves as the Reentry/Transfer coordinator for returning students. Tracy completed his Master’s in political science at the University of Connecticut, and is currently pursuing his EdD in Social Justice in Higher Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A long time resident of New Haven, Tracy saw first hand the effects of over policing in his community and is committed to providing a high quality, rigorous education to those who need it the most. Previously Tracy worked for the Missouri Department of Higher Education expanding prison education programming in the Midwest and was part of the Vera Correctional Education Leadership Academy’s 2022 Cohort.
Coordinator
Norah Kader
Coordinator
Norah Kader
Norah Kader is a Palestinian American long-distance runner, certified running coach, and civil engineer. She has completed one full marathon and eight half marathons, and is currently training for the 2026 Chicago Marathon. She's a knafeh enthusiast and believes knafeh khishneh reigns supreme.
Youth Advocacy Lead
Konatsu Sonokawa
Youth Advocacy Lead
Konatsu Sonokawa
Konatsu Sonokawa is a Japanese-American elementary school teacher in CT. She loves teaching and having discussions about identity and diversity, and her goal is to create an inclusive community where students feel empowered. As her students know very well, her favorite thing to do in her free time is to "eat or sleep."
Website Designer/Manager
Richard Zou
Website Designer/Manager
Richard Zou
Richard Zou is a Chinese-American fitness coach and aspiring web developer. He specializes in helping clients in the wellness industry create their ideal platforms. In his free time, you'll find him running, rock climbing, or reading...sometimes all three!
Podcast Co-Host, Advocacy Development
Yvonne Kong
Podcast Co-Host, Advocacy Development
Yvonne Kong
Yvonne was born in Hong Kong and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Now based in Seattle, WA, she serves as a program therapist at the Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center. Yvonne founded the Leading Eating Disorder Awareness Project (LEAP) for AAPI, an initiative dedicated to supporting AAPI individuals and families affected by eating disorders through culturally-targeted resources. Yvonne is an aspiring pediatric psychiatrist who hopes to advance early screening and intervention strategies for mental health in at-risk youth through dedicated research and quality patient care. She enjoys producing music on occasions, being near the ocean and trying out new recipes in her free time.
Mental Health Advocacy Lead
Seon Kim
Mental Health Advocacy Lead
Seon Kim
Seon Kim is a Korean American neurodivergent licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in substance use-related disorders and ADHD. As an advocate for social justice and equity, he supports the well-being and empowerment of marginalized populations. Through teaching and community engagement, he seeks to foster greater awareness and understanding of neurodiversity, cultural diversity and promote inclusive practices within mental health care. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking and hiking
Event Photographer
Tyler Trevor Davis
Event Photographer
Tyler Trevor Davis
Tyler is a current student studying at Boston University, majoring in sports journalism. He hopes to pursue a career with sports broadcasting, focusing on visual storytelling post-grad. Some of his hobbies include working out, photography, and watching soccer and hockey.
Logo & Social Media Maintenance
Mealear Tan
Logo & Social Media Maintenance
Mealear Tan
Mealear Tan is a Cambodian-American illustrator. Currently, she does freelance illustrations on the side as she studies animation, and storyboard art. She is an enjoyer of all things nerdy and likes to spend her free time reading.

SwipeDrag to meet everyone →

Building A Wellness Community

The Wellness Collective is a community-based organization created to provide access and equity in fitness and sports. Something as simple as lifting, running, or dancing has the power to transform a life.

01
Community
Bringing together communities by hosting free and discounted fitness.
02
Visibility
Sharing personal narratives on how fitness and sports have positively impacted lives.
03
Resources
Wellness resources in nutrition and mental health for socioeconomically deprived communities.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth!”

Muhammad Ali