About Us:
Queens Room Women’s Empowerment Group &
Virtual S.H.E. Shed
Welcome to The Queens Room. Here you will find a sacred place to de-stress, revitalize, and grow. Although being a queen is a great job, it can be challenging and overwhelming. Whether you are the queen of a country or the empress of your household, the responsibilities required of a leader can take away from the vital time and attention a Sistah needs to stay fabulous and successful.
In the Queens Room, we offer information and services for self-love and personal growth. Often when we hear self-care, we think of a hot bubble bath and a mani/pedi. Self-care is so much more! You must also attend to your spiritual, mental, social, and professional self-care needs. It is our goal to create a network where women can find self-care services, share their stories of self-care triumphs, and where others can learn from those experiences. The Queen’s Room provides free self-care information, including original articles and tools, as well as links and a directory connecting women to a wealth of self-care information and services from other organizations. The Queens Room also provides professional self-care routine development and maintenance, Writing to Heal workshops and webinars, and even a Venting Room that allows you to express yourself uninterrupted, unchallenged, and un-judged.
About Our Founder:
Terri L. Bailey, MA
Greetings! My name is Terri L. Bailey. I am a 56-year-old woman who wears many different hats: wife, mother, writer, community educator, and organizer. I have worked in the field of women’s health for many years, holding a variety of jobs ranging from receptionist to lay health worker at a feminist clinic. I have taught women how to do vaginal and cervical self-examination and have been trained in the Black Women’s Health Project method of self-help facilitation. My life has been challenging, but I have managed to persevere despite my obstacles.
In the past, I felt the primary requirement of being a good woman was putting the need of others before I attended to my own needs. This sense of responsibility and obligation led to stress and often serious bouts of depression. Stress and depression, in my opinion, led to a physical manifestation of emotional pain. I was always sick because I rarely took the time out to care for myself. Placing the needs of others before mine was an excellent excuse for not taking care of myself.
For a long time, I classified myself as a victim. Year after year, I would repeat my victim story. I was a victim of childhood sexual molestation, rape, kidnapping, domestic violence (observed and experienced), poverty, educational discrimination, and religious trauma. When I began to share my story, hoping to help others, I would relive each second in victim mode. I talked in length about how bad I felt, and how scarred each incident left me. The narrative was always sad and pathetic. Then one day, I read something about internalized oppression and self-imposed victimization. I realized if I believed I was a victim, I was my own worst oppressor. Seeing myself as a victim kept me depressed, beat down, and with low self-esteem. I worked hard to change my thinking and began to see myself as a survivor and a warrior.
I began to study EFT (tapping), and life-coach techniques and made a conscious decision to invest in myself spiritually. I made little changes to my daily routine and challenged myself to become my most vocal cheerleader. These minor changes made a significant difference, and I began to transform. I reclaimed my power, and with hard work, I changed from a weepy, scared woman to a warrior woman.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not perfect. I wake up in the morning, reminding myself about the necessity of self-care. Sometimes the moment I open my eyes, I consider all that needs to be done for others before I’ve even given thanks for another day. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten better and held myself accountable for loving me first. I also have a network of friends (including my husband) who hold me accountable, and I do the same for them.
I Am My Sistahs’ Keeper!
My womanist, Black feminist, and advocacy background made me want to share what I learned with other women. I created the Queens Room to help women get started on their self-care journey. I wanted to give women space and tools to identify and attend to their self-care needs. We will link Sistahs with articles, interviews, and services that will help them establish and maintain a self-care routine.
I believe two things keep me growing strong: my willingness to change and my acceptance of the necessity of growth. Each and every day, it is my goal to take care of myself regardless of how impossible it may seem. Each and every day, I open myself up to new experiences and consider the many opportunities that come my way for personal growth and development.
Please join me on this journey as we all work towards becoming our most fabulous selves and our best personal advocate.