

The path to healing isn't linear, and wellness doesn't look the same for everyone. xoNecole's new wellness hub, Black Girl Whole, is a celebration of that fact.
Welcome to Black Girl Whole - the ultimate wellness destination to find your self-care rhythm. We're here to get you tapped into what makes you feel whole, happy, and full of joy. We're here to encourage you to focus more on the journey and less on the destination. We're here to inspire your greatness!
But let's be real — you can't have wholeness and healing without accountability, right? That's where our Black Girl Whole ambassadors come in. To help bring this new campaign to life, we've ushered in the help of some very talented and inspiring content creators: SAD Girl's Club founder Elyse Fox, model and activist Ebonee Davis, and content creator Thamarr Gurrier. The Black Girl Whole ambassadors were hand-selected by xoNecole to their own custom wellness challenges that we'll be following throughout the year. Whether it's journaling, taking more steps per day, or just getting more rest, there will be a mind, body, and spirit mission woven into each challenge to ensure you feel whole and happy from the inside out.
Meet our Black Girl Whole ambassadors below, and don't forget to check back to join our seasonal wellness challenges.
Ebonee Davis
Ebonee Davis is an American model, poet, actor, and activist from Seattle, Washington. Over the last six years Ebonee has become one of the fashion industry's most prominent voices, advocating for representation and diversity in front of the camera as well as behind it. In 2017, after penning an open letter to the fashion industry illuminating the importance of representation, Ebonee was asked to do a TED Talk at the University of Nevada on the topic of systemic bias in fashion which she titled "Black Girl Magic in the Fashion Industry". Following her talk, she has delivered countless speeches, participated on panels, and written for numerous publications, all while using her platform as a model to uplift, inspire and create space for those who visibility has been systematically denied.
Ebonee's BGW Affirmation: "I am a magnet for blessings."
Elyse Fox
Elyse Fox is a director, activist, and tastemaker living in New York City. You may have read her name in bylines for Vogue Magazine, Forbes and Broadly to name a few. Through her efforts to create access and community within the mental health world Elyse has partnered with Nike, Harvard University, The U.S. Intelligence Community, Instagram, and many more. Her mission is to connect communities, spread awareness and access to resources through vulnerability, gathering, and storytelling.
Elyse Fox BGW Affirmation: "Never build a life that you need to vacation from."
Thamarr Guerrier
Thamarr is a content creator and author of the blog "Musings Of A Curvy Lady." She's a positive body activist who fights to create the inclusion and visibility that is lacking in the fashion and beauty world. Thamarr started Musings Of A Curvy Lady in 2012 as an outlet to promote her personal style. Through her social media channels, she's constantly creating avenues for women to support other women.
Thamarr's BGW Affirmation: "I am healing more and more every day."
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Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
'Leave Quicker': Keri Hilson Opens Up About Learning When To Walk Away In Love
What you might call Black love goals, Keri Hilson is kindly saying, “Nah.”
In a recent appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast, the We Need to Talk: Love singer opened up about a past relationship that once had the public rooting for her and former NBA star Serge Ibaka. According to Cam, the pair looked “immaculate” together. Keri agreed, admitting, “We looked good.” But her demeanor made it clear that everything that looks good isn't always a good look for you.
That was all but confirmed when Cam asked what the relationship taught her. Keri sighed deeply before replying, “Whew. Leave quicker.”
It was the kind of answer that doesn’t need to be packaged to be received, just raw truth from someone who’s done the work. “Ten months in, I should have [left],” she continued. “But I was believing. I was wanting to not believe [the signs].”
Keri revealed to Cam that despite their efforts to repair the relationship at the time, including couples counseling, individual therapy, and even sitting with Serge’s pastor, it just wasn’t meant to be. A large part of that, she said, was the seven-year age gap. “He was [in his] mid-twenties,” she said, attributing a lot of their misalignment to his youth and the temptations that came with fame, money, and status.
“There were happenings,” she shared, choosing her words carefully. “He deserved to live that… I want what you want. I don’t want anything different. So if I would’ve told him how to love me better, it would’ve denied him the experience of being ‘the man’ in the world.”
But she also made it clear that just because you understand someone’s path doesn’t mean you have to ride it out with them. Instead, you can practice compassionate detachment like our girl Keri. “You can have what you want, but you may not have me and that.”
When Cam jokingly questioned what if there was a reality where a man wanted to have both “you and a dab of that,” Keri didn’t hesitate with her stance: “No,” adding, “I can remove myself and [then you] have it. Enjoy it.” Sis said what she said.
Still, she shared that they dated for a couple of years and remain cool to this day. For Keri, being on good terms with an ex isn’t a sign of weakness; it's a reflection of where she is in her healing. In a time when blocking an ex is often seen as the ultimate sign of growth, Keri offers an alternate route: one where healing looks like resolution, not resentment. “I think because I have such a disgust for ugliness in my life. Like, I don't do well without peace between me and everyone in my life. Like, I really try to resolve issues,” she explained to Cam.
Adding, “I think that's what makes things difficult when you're like sweeping things under the rug or harboring ill feelings towards someone. When you're healed, when you've done your work, you can speak to anybody when you've healed from things. I think maybe that's the bottom line.”
Watch Keri's appearance on Funky Friday in full here.
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Featured image by Paras Griffin/Getty Images