about

us

a safe space for

black women

who we are

founded in October 2018, black girls breathing® was created with the intent to help Black women heal their generational, societal and individual trauma. using breathwork as the main tool, black girls breathing® has introduced this work to thousands of Black women across the globe. our work is innovating the wellness industry by providing free and accessible culturally relevant mental health care to an overlooked and underserved demographic.

our mission

Black women are dying from chronic stress. black girls breathing® is committed to helping Black women heal their taxed and heightened nervous systems and manage their mental health by providing free and accessible mental health resources and tools to combat the various stressors this demographic faces. we plan to impact 1 Million Black women and girls by 2025.

if you’re a Black woman, take the pledge to take one action to better your mental health here. to support our mission, donate here or inquire about corporate partnerships.

jasmine marie

ceo & founder

Jasmine Marie is a speaker, breathwork practitioner, and the founder of black girls breathing®. Her work is innovating the wellness, healthcare and research industry by making mental health services accessible to Black women while filling in the gaps of data and research available on this underserved and underrepresented demographic. Marie plans to impact 1 Million Black women and girls with her work by 2025.

She is a serial founder with a past life in global haircare brand marketing and an alum of NYU Stern. The impact and range of her work to date is expansive—ranging from underserved minority communities to stressed-out college students and executives. She’s brought her expertise to elite colleges such as Harvard Business School, Columbia University, Cornell University

and her client list includes corporations such as Estée Lauder Companies, Under Armour, Capital One, Ford Motor Company, Facebook and Twitter. Marie has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, VOGUE, Forbes, Harper’s Baazar, Marie Claire, Glamour, Nylon Mag, Wall Street Journal and Black Enterprise to name a few.

Dr. Danielle Cottonham, headshot

dr. danielle cottonham

lead mental health coach


Dr. Cottonham is a licensed psychologist, Clinical Manager of Culturally Responsive Care, and lead community therapist for black girls breathing®. Dr. Cottonham received her doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her clinical and research expertise includes culturally informed evidence-based practice, experiences of gendered racism among Black women, race-based traumatic stress, and the impact of racial discrimination on mental health in the Black community. She also has specialized training in PTSD and co-occurring substance use with an emphasis on moral injury among combat veterans.

Dr. Cottonham’s work is rooted in her experience as a Black woman born and raised in southern Louisiana. She is passionate about destigmatizing mental health in communities impacted by barriers that limit access to quality mental care and cultivating spaces that promote connection, authenticity, and healing.



Dr. Cottonham is a licensed psychologist, Clinical Manager of Culturally Responsive Care, and lead community therapist for black girls breathing®. Dr. Cottonham received her doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. 

Dr. Danielle Cottonham, headshot

Her clinical and research expertise includes culturally informed evidence-based practice, experiences of gendered racism among Black women, race-based traumatic stress, and the impact of racial discrimination on mental health in the Black community. She also has specialized training in PTSD and co-occurring substance use with an emphasis on moral injury among combat veterans.

Dr. Cottonham’s work is rooted in her experience as a Black woman born and raised in southern Louisiana. She is passionate about destigmatizing mental health in communities impacted by barriers that limit access to quality mental care and cultivating spaces that promote connection, authenticity, and healing.

 

want to work with us?

black girls breathing® has facilitated employee engagement and speaking sessions for companies like Facebook, Twitter, Capital One, Ford Motor Company, and many more Fortune 100 companies.

For inquiries on corporate employee engagement sessions, speaking and partnership opportunities, reach out to our team.

join our online community.

sign up with your email address to receive our notes that encourage your mental well-being and to access our online meditation library.

Kalyn

“Yesterday I had a chance to experience breathwork for the first time. I felt so many emotions as we did this energy work. Fear, grief, sadness, laughter, joy, comfort. I felt safe enough to open up about things that I tell my journal. Afterwards I felt calm and ready to heal even more. I’m sure that I will be back to continue pouring into my growth and my healing as a Black woman.”

kalyn c., writer

Jai Danielle

“I left the breathwork session feeling lighter and much better about the things that didn’t pan out for me in 2018, and clearer about my intentions for the new year. It felt good to release pent up energy that I didn’t even realize I’d been holding in my body.”

jai danielle, analyst

Cyan P.

"...I am so grateful to you for offering the 150 low-cost slots because this experience was my first ever doing breathwork and it definitely made an impact that it was within a room full of Black women doing it with me. having access to these sessions throughout the last year of my undergrad experience has helped me to feel a lot more secure and grounded within myself..."

cyan p.