This past July 4th, America was ailing. Amid political tensions, social unrest, natural disasters, and various national crises, the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness needed a remix.
Enter the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, the annual three-day celebration of Black empowerment and excellence in its longtime home of New Orleans. Though the event has attracted recent criticism from artists and festivalgoers for changes in planning and partnerships, folks in NOLA were mostly ready for a Juneteenth part two.
The festival, which could be described as an annual Black wellness check-up through culture and community, brought ample opportunities for self-care with free daytime programming designed to revitalize the mind, body, and spirit. At the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, attendees were given access to tools and experts who could help them on their health and healing journeys.
This year’s Wellness House included a Health Innovators Hub, a dedicated space for experts in the field to illustrate how they have used technological tools to advocate for intergenerational health.
At exhibitor GeneLean360, Dr. Phyllis Pobee, a medical doctor and weight loss expert, says she uses advanced scientific technology to create a personalized weight loss plan based on an individual’s genetics. The innovative procedure includes building one’s “genetic avatar” — some alliterative names include Fatigue Fighter, Cortisol Carrier, and Carb Converter — and forming a blueprint designed to help you lose weight based on your body type. This mission was born from her own struggles with shedding fat, even after pulling two-a-days at the gym.
“I found this opportunity when I underwent my 100-pound weight loss journey, that I could use my DNA to change my life,” she tells UPROXX, noting that a one-size-fits-all approach to health does not work for women in the community. “So we’re using genetic information for women over 30 because [these women] are going through these difficult changes with their body and their health to [help them] understand themselves, and to really transform [their] life.”
Others in the Hub promoted apps that offered Black women access to information from medical and wellness experts they may not be able to obtain elsewhere. Apps included Jayla, which focuses on expert peri/menopause care; Birthvue, a digital companion for expectant mothers, tracks contractions and reduces anxiety about going into labor; and Irth, which is on a mission to provide maternity and infant care support without bias for Black and Brown families.
The plethora of technology-based health platforms indicates a positive sign of progress towards more resources for all. With community-driven tools, users are more likely to take action, be proactive, and make informed choices about their bodies.
Several nonprofit organizations were also on-site to help raise awareness and provide health screenings for heart disease and breast cancer, blood pressure and glucose tests, and mental health check-ins with various healthcare professionals. But it’s hard not to notice when deep lines form for free swag from beauty brands and big-name sponsors as convention visitors stroll past the wellness booths unless they’re 35 and up.
Look to trends on social media; achieving wellness also seems to require a certain level of wealth. According to a report from The Global Wellness Economy, the United States’ wellness market, valued at $2 trillion, is the largest in the world as of March 2025. Today’s $2 trillion US market represents nearly one-third (32%) of the entire global wellness economy, with American consumers spending more than $6,000 per person annually on wellness.
At the Convention Center, wellness resources came with no charge. Wide-ranging discussions on everything from food to systemic racism in Black women’s healthcare filled the agenda. Healing poetry sessions and chats with licensed therapists also took place on the Wellness stage. Even moving your body was highly encouraged. Festival sponsor Smartwater also hosted free “Move Ya Brass” morning dance sessions for the early birds to get their blood pumping. At any time of day, you could spot a congregation of Black aunties and matriarchs line dancing with their fans out to the sounds of 803Fresh’s viral hit “Boots on the Ground” or the 2020 Flex jam “Cupid.”
For those in need of more mental stimulation or actionable advice, hip-hop artists like Master P and Bun B were giving out life lessons during their respective panels on building generational wealth and finding mentorship. “You need to know yourself, because when you go out into this world, people are going to try to shape and mold you into the version of you that benefits them,” said Bun B. “You have to know what it is that you want to be, where you’re trying to go, and be solid and sound in that vision.” The price for admission to all this game (evening concerts not included): Free.
Which is why events like Essence Fest matter. Music, culture, and community remain the most viable sources of wellness. Perhaps for both performers and patrons alike. This year’s execution may not have been perfect, but this summit of Black culture and womanhood offers the support most people need but might not get in America. During Erykah Badu’s Night 2 performance, the Queen of Neo Soul said it best: “I’m a child of rhythm, I’m a child of funk. I do this for therapy.” Before launching into “Window Seat,” she told the crowd, “I got 50,000 therapists right now, I thank you for doing this for free.”
