Founder
Dr. Francine “Olivia” Shakir
Born and reared in San Francisco, California, Olivia’s work in holistic wellness grew out of her early quest to solve problems related to social inequities and the mis-education of Black and Brown children. Her work began in school settings and eventually evolved to higher education research. She received her Doctorate in Education at the University of San Francisco. Soon afterwards, she found her “home” in the College of Ethnic Studies and the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center at San Francisco State University (S.F.S.U), where her teaching and leadership practices were framed by identity development, culturally-relevant education, civil rights and the removal of educational barriers. As an educational leader and director at S.F.S.U., her work was fashioned to raise the consciousness of young adults to rouse social activism in their personal lives and in their communities.
As the universe would have it, her community of students and family inspired her to purposefully link the dynamics of holistic wellness with education and culture. Hence, The Goddess Commune was created in January 2019 as a model for a unique wellness movement to sustain Black and Brown lives and their culture. Since womyn are the carriers of the culture of wellness, Dr. Shakir brings together other local womyn healers and wellness advocates, across the gender spectrum, to provide healing experiences and ancestral knowledge to local womyn.
In all aspects of her life and work, she operates from a place of gratitude, promoting the values of revolutionary love, cultural wisdom, humility and openness.