The Empower Net wellness expo Saturday in Tyler showcased businesses promoting physical, mental, and emotional well-being while highlighting the often-overlooked issue of Black residents’ health and wellness.
“Health and wellness are things that we just don’t pay attention to,” said Antwanise Jackson, CEO of Empower Net. “This is going to give attention to that and shed light on types of health resources that people might not realize that are out there.”
Empower Net’s inaugural event at APEC Gym and featured more than 20 small business owners showcasing their products and resources to attendees. Participants engaged in interactive sessions led by nutrition, fitness and mental health experts.
Empower Net is a professional organization that helps entrepreneurs advance through community engagement, collaboration and connection.
Jackson said she wants to provide East Texans with alternative health care options such as yoga, reiki healing and cryotherapy. She said another purpose of Saturday’s expo was to highlight the underrepresented Black entrepreneurs in the health and wellness industry.
She said many business owners who attended the event are new to the experience and are still adjusting to being in a crowd, experiencing a business expo and understanding the vendor environment.
“That’s one of our main missions and focuses because I feel like if you put more into the community, they’ll put more into you,” Jackson said. “Getting [businesses] out here in spaces like this will be helpful.”