PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — As Women’s History Month comes to an end, the YWCA of South Hampton Roads is hosting the Women’s Wellness Collective.

The Third Annual Women’s Wellness Collective is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Mustard Seed Place at 340 High St. in Portsmouth. 

“The Women’s Wellness Collective is designed to be a true resource for women who are looking to change careers or upskill themselves, whether they want to get their financial house in order, whether they want to make sure they are on track from a health and wellness perspective,” said Michelle Ellis Young, YWCA chief executive officer. “We’re providing an opportunity for women to do a one-stop shop and learn about resources in this community.

“We also invite a community, especially a community of men who care about women, to come in and learn about the things that they can be better stewards of the women who are in their lives and help them on their path to wellness.”

The event has grown every year. 

“This initially started as a simple education fair between us and our partners at Bryant & Stratton College,” Ellis Young said. Then we partnered with our higher education partners in what’s called EACOVA, the Educational Alliance of Coastal Virginia, to really uplift and empower women through education and understanding — education as a pathway to changing the trajectory of their lives. …

“We could talk about workforce development through trades, but we know that, especially for marginalized communities, that education is the great equalizer. … We want women to understand that there’s power in them being well-educated, whether that’s through an associate’s degree, a four-year degree or above.”

The event is free.

“It’s open to everyone,” Ellis Young said. “It’s just targeting women.”

In 2024, the anti-violence agency added a financial wellness feature. 

“We need to look at what workforce development wellness looks like, and we need to look at what health and wellness looks like in order for women to be well — our mind, body and spirit,” said Ellis Young. “We really have to learn how to take care of ourselves in order to be better for other people. We always think about self-care as a massage, pedicure or a manicure. Self-care is financial wellness. It’s educational wellness. It’s workplace wellness. We really want to drive home that self-care wellness comes in many forms.”

Courtesy of Waters Films
Courtesy of Waters Films
Courtesy of Waters Films
Courtesy of Waters Films

Last week, the nonprofit honored women making a difference in the community at the 2025 Women of Distinction Awards — The Rejuvenation Experience.

After Ellis Young was voted the Remarkable Woman for Hampton Roads for 2024 and took a trip to Hollywood, she felt inspired to bring the local award back.

“When I went to Hollywood and just saw women being — no pretense, no anything, just being — it reinvigorated my why,” Ellis Young said. “We need to do this and do it in a different way. I wanted to bring that feel of the sisterhood that I experience in Hollywood and continue to experience.”

Nine women were recognized during the event.

“To bring it back and then to integrate those that have been a historical part of the work at the YWCA — two of the former executives, Dr. Ruth Jones Nichols and Cathy Drewry, who ran this organization for 20-something years — I just wanted to not dismiss what the history of this organization looked like and honor that, and then to honor the nine women that we had. It was just amazing.”