Covet: The Disrespectful Health and Wellness Talk

Story is a workaholic

Story is a workaholic. In fact, she spends so much time chasing her dreams, her bag and her babies that she can’t even begin to imagine how she’s going to run (or walk) for her health. And when she is not chasing work, it’s chasing her in her dreams or keeping her up at night, forcing her to pace the floor wondering how to solve this problem or crack that code. She’s barely drinking enough water and can’t remember the last thing she ate, but she’s pretty sure it came out of a wrapper and was filled with sugar or a restaurant and is filled with…she doesn’t even want to begin to imagine.

  • "Sagashus was simply phenomenal!! What an amazingly powerful way to close a day full of learning! I felt unified with and mesmerized by Sagashus. Her standing ovation was well-deserved! A brilliant speaker who gave of herself so whole-heartedly. I'm humbled and honored to have been in the room."

  • "This was my favorite talk of the day. I appreciate Sagashus sharing from her heart and being so vulnerable in front of us. Her talk really moved me."

  • "Sagashus was an amazing speaker, and was very touching and personable."

  • "She was amazing and her story was amazing and so inspiring. The standing ovation at the end was not enough to show her just how moving her speech was. I am glad she shared things that must have been extremely difficult, especially things people would say to her when she was pregnant. Reminds you to not judge so quickly, etc but also reminds you that there are cruel people in the world and you need to be YOU and not let that get you down."

    sagashus

We live in a beautiful world riddled with tough realities and unjust systems that impact our bodies and influence what happens in and to them.

Covet: The “Disrespectful” Health and Wellness Talk acknowledges this. With sass, attitude, and edge, it’s the keynote that sits somewhere between the “marshmallows and rainbows” and the “pain is gain” approach to moving towards a stronger, more confident and sexier version of you. Join us for the health and wellness talk that celebrates vulnerability and imperfection; invites you to lovingly own your “mess”; inspires you to vent authentically; and clears a path for you to craft a health and wellness experience that truly honors you and your journey. This talk will challenge mainstream ideas about who deserves to be the face of fitness and wellness and who has a right to occupy those spaces. My hope is that you will leave the Covet talk realizing that what you yearn for isn’t what someone else has…what you yearn for is what’s inside of you…the best version of yourself. And I want to inspire you to bring that person out.

Learning outcomes

  • Embrace authentic reflection

  • Revolutionize your gratitude practice

  • Build a daily habit of honestly checking in yourself

  • Appropriate inspiration that wasn’t meant for you

ALL KEYNOTES

  • Inconceivable

  • Naked

  • Your Hands Are in My Panties

  • Covet

  • Nothing’s Wasted

  • Story

  • Perseverance/Tenacity

PRE -PROGRAM SETUP

What is the best way to set up the room? 

Please, if possible, make sure the stage or platform is as close to the audience as possible, 10 feet or less is great! 

While Sagashus will move around the stage, she will require a lectern with a told that holds her water, book and notes and a hidden shelf for her purse. 

If the AV requires the computer on stage, please make sure the lectern has space for it. Otherwise, please create a setup where the notes, book and technology can all be in the same space. The goal is for Sagashus to be able to move seamlessly between the technology and materials without having to separate them. 

AV REQUIREMENTS

Sagashus requires the following A/V equipment be provided:

Wireless lavalier microphone 

Computer 

LCD projector with the capacity to play audio and video 

Large screen or screens 

Confidence monitor 

Sagashus will bring her program on a Flash Drive in a PowerPoint format. But she will also have a backup in Google Sheets.

Is audio/video recording allowed? No audio or video recording of any kind is permitted during the presentation without Sagashus’s prior written permission.

All rights reserved. No selling, distribution, or reproduction of the contents of this article are permitted without the prior written consent of the author.

Dr. Sagashus T. Levingston was born in Chicago and raised in the area now known as Bronzeville. She holds a bachelor’s in English Literature from the University of Illinois. She also holds a master’s in Afro-American Studies and a PhD in English literature—both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While her research focused primarily on literature, it was informed by theory and criticism from rhetoric, motherhood studies and black feminism.