Rising Stars: Meet Tyra & Sharun Bell of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyra & Sharun Bell

Hi Tyra & Sharun, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I originally named the brand TRU after one of my grandmothers. As both of our grandmothers helped to raise us, my sister Sharun and I are now co-collaborators of TRU. The idea was birthed out of a need to resurrect feminine creativity and compassion in the surrounding world and in my personal life. My grandmother Trula was someone who embodied creative healing in her daily life that I always admired. She was a Pisces with highly intuitive gifts. My grandmother Annie, who we called “Granny Anne,” was an Aries and an essential thread in our family as she provided spiritual advice and yummy recipes. My sister and I share our lifestyle within our work that is endowed with the wisdom of our ancestors. With a holistic approach, we uplift what it is that we do daily (meditation, exercise, plant-based eating, tarot readings, and sharing literature) or creatively (dancing, making music, visual journaling, content creation, and more), while doing the inner work.

Overall, I am a dancer, artist, and creator who aims to inspire others to be multifaceted. This platform was created to support and inspire others along their journey and is something I felt I needed growing up. I’ve learned along the way that the alchemical process that is the healing journey invites us to find creative and intuitive empowerment in all that we do. We go by many names and today we call ourselves “Awakened” – which we view as being, “a rebellious act of self-love and authentic expression.”

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a journey full of ups and downs. Being the voice for a more “feminine way of life” and embodying these ideals is completely underrated and undervalued. Though our ancestors inspire our work, a lot of what we do is dismantling outdated beliefs and systems while operating within these still existing pressures. I do feel we are ahead of our time and similar to how I feel in my personal life, I feel our position is misunderstood. When I first began, my family and community did not understand. I was the first in my family to try plant-based food, holistic practices, meditation, and openly talk about my spiritual gifts. My sister and I were raised Lutheran and attended a private Christian school for the majority of my formative years. With little to no support and my sister by my side, we pushed forwards and continue to do so. We have had adversity with simply making our footing as a business and the more practical side of things because this unconventional path isn’t always valued.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the moment I am a movement Instructor. I am a classically trained dancer and I make music. I have always enjoyed singing and dancing since I was a child. I have studied with the Joffrey Ballet, The Ailey School in NYC, and more. I also offer spiritual guidance and life coaching as an intuitive medium. I enjoy many other forms of art including painting, cooking, and writing. My sister and I currently offer in person “common space” journaling classes. My body work with others is special because of my experience. My music is timeless and catchy with a hint of spiritual wisdom. The services I offer with TRU or Awakened are highly celebrated by my clients. My favorite pastime is giving intuitive readings at group parties. My sister and I are also the hosts of the Awakened podcast where we dive into all sorts of informative topics. – Tyra

I am currently a youth dance instructor, artist, and online creative. I have studied dance since a young age in varying styles including tap, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop. More recently, I was able to study at the University of Iowa and The New School, Eugene Lang in NYC. I graduated from the University of Iowa in 2022 with a degree focused in Writing & Arts, and Justice & Ethics. In the present day, apart from teaching, I also make music and YouTube videos for the shared Awakened channel with my sister Tyra. Throughout my music, and our videos, I find myself proud to share my authentic expression and to create things that bring my audiences and listeners healing, hope, optimism, self empowerment, and peace for their own life’s journeys. I find that with teaching, creating, and sharing what sets me apart from others, is my gentle approach to life – really validating mine and others’ emotional experiences first and foremost. I find when we can honor what we feel inside, we are better equipped to show up as our most authentic, honest, courageous, and confident selves. I also enjoy sharing spoken word content and guided meditations on our YouTube channel, that is especially focused on regulating the nervous system through inner child and inner teen healing. – Sharun

Any big plans?
We have so many things rolling already and so much planned for the future of Awakened. The biggest thing we look forward to is expanding the community IRL and online. We love to meet with other creatives to uplift the collective voices. Any small business desires to expand – maybe we will have a space designed to be a workspace for artists. There are a lot of big plans, some of which we cannot yet reveal – we are excited for what TRU can be. Right now because we have been quite active with teaching in person, we would like to have online classes.

Pricing:

• In-Depth Readings : $50 (email)
• Video Call Readings: $2.50 per min ($30 deposit for 12 min, 25 min is $50 and so on)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/truawakened
• Instagram: @wearetru_
• Twitter: https://x.com/wearetru_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@trulyawakened/videos
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R__PfRppMSo&list=PLxun5SuA-WOSwAoJ7CZqs-RQOC6CcG5lw