When Katie started this project, it was little more than a single service room and herself. Far from being a lone wolf though, Katie was committed to surrounding herself with committed client that both gave and expected mutual respect, as well as staff who understood that offering clients kindness and self-presence was as crucial as providing them with an excellent service. Although it took my ass coming along to capture the vision into words, Katie chose every Beehive babe intuitively with the following values in mind: radical inclusivity, body neutrality, and loving community. 

 

Let’s break those down real quick. 

 

1. Radical inclusivity means that every body is actively welcome and celebrated in our space. 

Radical Inclusivity means that Beehive is not just a “safe space”… Beehive is a *learning space*. It’s not some goal you arrive at – and in fact, those who think they have, probably won’t. We acknowledge that our whiteness will inevitably cause us to fuck up. Taking accountability for and being actively teachable when we make those mistakes is our highest priority. 

 

We are committed to growth. 

We are committed to change.

We are committed to vocal, uncomfortable advocacy.

We are committed to you. 

 

2. Body neutrality is the space we arrived in after body positivity. Even body positivity became a value we could judge ourselves and others by, and that’s precisely what we’re trying to get past: from judgment to presence and acceptance. We affirm that it’s not always accessible or realistic to love everything about how your body looks, moves, or feels at any given time. That’s okay. We listen to our bodies. We share our gratitude with our bodies, and we allow them to exist, just as they are, without assigning value to their phases and fluctuations. 

 

3. Loving community is our commitment to our town. In Katie’s own words, “community is everything.” We are committed to building a web of connection between ourselves, our clients, and our city. Sacramento is a small town with big needs, and we want to both initiate and amplify those as they arise. A community that works together to drive change and instill connection is a community that can’t be stopped. 

 

We are not meant to be islands unto ourselves. Loving community is the vehicle for grounding our healing journeys into our bodies, our relationships, and our neighborhoods. You’re invited to join us.