Hidden Gems: Meet Sierra Massey of Sierra’s Serenity

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Massey. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Sierra Massey was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She moved to New York in the summer of 2017 to pursue a career in writing. Her journey led her to become certified in yoga and energy work all while working with a Black-owned nonprofit organization where she began her studies in herbalism and deepened her passion for community work. She moved back to Los Angeles in 2018 to start her business Sierra’s Serenity which centers around providing holistic health services to the South Central community. While teaching community yoga classes and studying holistic nutrition she expanded her business to include herbal remedies for common ailments.

In the beginning of 2020, she attended two Black-led doula trainings and in March she began midwifery school and entered into an apprenticeship with Kindred Space LA as they were establishing their birth center. She continued to work diligently in her studies while nurturing her business, and in the summer of 2021, she gave birth at home to her son. For the last two years she has turned the focus of her business to providing more education within the birth community around maternal and infant health. She has had the opportunity to work with multiple organizations, including The Educated Birth and Frontline Doulas. Sierra has also taught a few classes at California State University Fullerton on herbalism in obstetrics to nursing students. Currently, she is in the final phases of her midwifery training and this year she has launched a sustainable retreat business called Amara Retreats.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being in midwifery school has been varying degrees of intensity over the years. Especially after having my son and becoming a single mom in 2021, being in a midwifery apprenticeship started to wane on me emotionally, physically, and financially. I took some time away from midwifery school to focus on working and caring for my son. As an apprentice, we don’t make any money but we dedicate 60+ hours a week to our clients, not including our book studies. Being a Black student comes with many challenges as opportunities are sparse and statistically many of us don’t graduate as the road to certification is narrow.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Sierra’s Serenity was originally created out of the need to provide more access to holistic health services and education in underserved communities in South Central. Even though it is a for-profit business, the overall goal was accessibility, so many of my offerings were very low-cost or donation-based when I first established the business. I really wanted to impact people’s lives in a positive way and provide spaces for healing within our community. I started off holding donation-based yoga classes and selling affordable homemade herbal remedies to my community, then I began to facilitate healing spaces for Black and indigenous people. As I started to delve into maternal and infant health and eventually started midwifery school I was also establishing myself as a community birth worker. I held healing groups for people that experienced abortions and miscarriages, provided low-cost childbirth education, and facilitated a moms support group. I have even worked for LA County to provide low-cost doula services as well as frontline doulas.

My work has shifted into providing more education in maternal and infant health, as well as offering traditional postpartum services. Recently, I launched another extension of my business that caters to my passion for philanthropy and travel. This year, I started Amara Retreats, which is about creating opportunities for Black and indigenous people to travel abroad, mainly to Africa. This isn’t a typical retreat business as the values I have created focus on funneling the money directly into the communities where the retreats are taking place. This fosters economic growth within those areas and provides more job opportunities. Additionally, every retreat will spotlight a local nonprofit organization which I will donate a portion of the profit to. This enables me to not only create connections across the diaspora but also help improve the lives of others which is my overall passion. I am very proud of this endeavor, as it has been years in the making.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is to help others. When I was a little girl I would see a lot of things that bothered me or made me feel sad here in the States and abroad. I always thought, what can I do to help? As I grew up and took interest in several different things I found a way to weave them together into what is now my business. Using my privilege and knowledge to assist others in their individual life journeys is what I am most passionate about. Helping people above all else fulfills me and makes me happy. To see people thriving in life is a blessing and I will always center my work around helping others to thrive in every area of their life.

Pricing:

• $3800 Mama Kito Retreat

Contact Info:

• Website: amararetreats.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amara.retreats/?igshid=MXRhdW9wMDdpdG5ibQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/sierras_serenity/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.wetravel.com/trips/mama-kito-amara-retreats-lagos-53998855