MILWAUKEE — Gevonchai Hudnar Vogel supports and uplifts the women of Milwaukee by offering affirmations specific to women in the Black community.
Ghetto Mantra is a wellness brand that empowers women to find their light through mantras, affirmations, and experiences.
“What I always found so comforting was my grandmother’s words,” Hudnall Vogel said. “She could always disparage me with her own words.”
She offers wellness products and a mantra flip book full of positive mantras. Hudnall Vogel said naming her business after her was intentional, she said.
“The word ‘ghetto’ has negative connotations towards black people,” she says. “People used to call me that. I really wanted to change that narrative. To me, ‘ghetto’ is not what you think it is. “Ghetto” is colorful. It’s bright. It’s creative.. It’s like everything that is not the status quo. ”
(Spectrum News 1/Catalina Velasquez)
Originally from Detroit, she moved to Milwaukee in 2018. Since then, she said, she has immersed herself in the community.
Hudnall Vogel said her mantra focuses on health and she wants to express the inner voice of Black girls.
“When I think of the ghetto mantra, I want people to take ownership of their health,” she said. “Sure, I want people to buy my products and engage with my content, but what I really want is for people to know that they’re okay and what it means to be okay.” We want you to make sure you have the tools and procedures to create your list.”
Whether it’s in-person wellness sessions or virtual journaling sessions, she said she hopes to provide other women with tools for self-care and empowerment.
Ghetto Mantras recently Jrue & Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund grant.
Hudnall-Vogel said she plans to use the funds to host more in-person wellness experiences.
“Investments like this are generational,” she said. “I’m happy with my ghetto mantra right now, but who knows what plans God has for me?”
