Anuella, Founder + Director
Anuella, Founder and Director of A Green Community FL
Outreach Liaison at kärnl moon, Content Creator at The Green Goddess Diary
Website: agreencommunityfl.com
Instagram: @thegreengoddessdiary, @agreencommunity, @karnlmoon
What moment has defined your journey the most?
The experience I had living and working with Alaska’s at-risk youth is as defining as defining moments come. There I was, 25 years old living in a home with five to six girls who had significant behavioral issues while parenting my 1 year old. The lessons I learned while working in that treatment center changed the course of my life. Because of that experience, I have a new perspective on a lot of things.
Mainly, I learned how our mental and emotional wellbeing are strongly tied to nutrition. Sure, I was pretty health-conscious then, but as my work started to consume me, I became more disconnected from my body. I wasn’t getting the right food into my system, or enough exercise. I lacked positive experiences. And the more time I spent with the girls, the more I started to realize that they were going through the same biological issues. So, then and there, I decided something had to change, and I started with diet and lifestyle.
What drives you?
My family, especially my son. In everything I do I think of him. I know that when I follow my passions wholeheartedly, I am teaching him to do the same. As a Haitian immigrant, I acknowledge this is a privilege the majority of the prior immigrant generation did not have. My mother’s main concern was making sure our family back home was provided for. My generation has the opportunity to do things different; and we are. I want to help create the kind of future my son deserves. A kind of future where he feels even more empowered and privileged than I do now.
How are you paving the way for people in your community to succeed? Or opening doors that were once closed?
Creating access and empowering my community is at the center of everything I do. It’s my WHY. That can look different depending on which lens you’re looking through.
With A Green Community it’s cultivating a relationship between the youth and nature to help eradicate nature deficit disorder as well as promote whole foods knowledge.
With kärnl moon it’s bridging the wellness gap in marginalized communities and making mental & self-care accessible to wo/men of color. With The Green Goddess Diary it’s providing weekly inspiration to make those necessary lifestyle changes that will eventually create a better connection to nature, whole foods, and our overall well being.
Most meaningful project to date?
A Green Community means so much to me. It is, without a doubt, my most meaningful project to date. When I first moved back home to Florida I was lost. I was having a very hard time trying to redefine my life. Now that this chapter was over, who was I? What was I passionate about? It was time to do some soul searching to find my place in the world. A Green Community is what came out of that period in my life. It’s my way of providing a sort of prevention method to what I witnessed in Alaska.
In the past couple years, I’ve experienced much success building school garden curriculums and workshops that were well received by youth and adults alike. My proudest moment happened in the winter of 2020 when the school board of Palm Beach County wanted to implement my program in more of their schools. A real chance to reach more children. A dream come true. Then COVID reared its head and before I knew what was happening all of those potential students in those potential schools disappeared. I went through one of the most uncertain times of my life along with millions of other Americans.
I buckled down, applied to a business accelerator program and found a way to pivot to a subscription box geared towards reconnecting families to nature through fun activities based in agriculture. That program reinforced my belief in the power of community but most importantly my belief in myself. We are often more resilient and resourceful than we give ourselves credit for.
Advice or a mantra you would like to pass on?
Helene D. Gayle once said, “Real sustainable community change requires the initiative and engagement of community members.” This quote has been on my mind a lot lately. Especially when I think about how I want to influence change in my community or how my community has helped me, and the kind of community solidarity it will take to truly see change on a larger scale. It’s a simple call to action for those that have the privilege to make an impact to do so.
