Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Meadows.
Hi Candace, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey began with a deep commitment to health equity and a vision to create spaces where Black women could thrive unapologetically.
With roots in nonprofit leadership and public health, my career has been dedicated to addressing health disparities, particularly those that disproportionately impact Black women and girls. As the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives for the Emory COMPASS Coordinating Center at Rollins School of Public Health Emory University, I lead initiatives tackling HIV in the Southern U.S., often blending art and advocacy to ignite public conversation and awareness about HIV and dismantle HIV-related stigma and stereotypes.
Last year, I submitted several proposals to fund projects focused on Black women and sexual health, particularly HIV education, prevention, and care. I wanted to design and implement programs that infused arts and culture as strategies to address and amplify health disparities and inequities, particularly related to HIV and Black women.
Despite the proposals not being funded, my vision remained clear—to identify creative strategies to center and discuss Black women’s wellness with an intentional inclusion of sexual wellness and HIV. My vision was also refined to focus specifically on women in the “meno” years and the myriad of challenges we face navigating this mid-life season of our lives.
As a proud alumna of Clark Atlanta University, where our motto is “I’ll find a way or make one”, I chose not to let “no” be the end of the road. Instead, I allowed my commitment to Black women’s wellness to fuel a new path forward. That fuel was the launchpad for Living Well Collective.
Living Well Collective is a modern sanctuary centering Black women’s individual and collective wellness as we journey through the “meno” years. Living Well Collective exists to create and hold space for Black women to engage in intimate and curated conversations that inspire restoration, empowerment, and resilience as we navigate mid-life transitions and embrace living well on our own terms, by our own definitions, built on our own narratives and lived experiences.
Living Well Collective believes in collective wellness and welcomes all women, and occasionally men, to join in authentic conversations rooted in connection, joy, healing, and liberation.
When I launched Living Well Collective this spring, my goal was to host quarterly Social Sips this year. I accomplished my goal hosting our inaugural Social Sip and Luxe Bazaar in April in collaboration with LOTUS (Loving Ourselves Through Unity and Strength), Inc., an Atlanta-based nonprofit providing peer support to cisgender women living with HIV.
Recording artist and Atlanta native, V. Nichole; Grammy-nominated musician and producer, Wildmann; multi-hyphened, spoken word artist, Ashlee Haze; visual artist, Katina Douglas; and menopause expert, Dr. Shelia Payton are a few of the guests who joined our Social Sips this year.
As we approach 2026, I look forward to new opportunities and collaborations to hold space for meaningful connections and conversations that facilitate Black women living well during the “meno” years and help reduce health disparities.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Entrepreneurship is never a straight path. Slow ticket sales tested my faith and resilience, but they reminded me of the power of relationships and personal outreach.
Entrepreneurship can also have its share of doubt and second guesses, but I anchored myself in my faith, my “why”, and gifts
and continued to operate in the spirit of abundance and overflow, and my divine assurance that this was my assignment.
Every challenge became proof that when you lead with vision and authenticity, the right people and opportunities will align.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Nearly 25 years to the date of our inaugural Social Sip, I launched SistaSpace Collective, Inc., a mentoring program for middle and high school girls to help them navigate the teen years. Today, I am on the other side of the chaos of life and hormonal changes. Living Well is to Black women what SistaSpace was for Black teenage girls in the 2000’s. I was divinely assigned to do this work.
I approach my work with Living Well Collective through a public health and health equity lens. Living Well Collective focus extends beyond menopause, perimenopause, and the associated symptoms. We explore women’s individual and communal well-being from a wholistic view addressing their emotional, physical, psychological, physiological, spiritual, financial, political, and economic well-being. We believe in women’s full-body yes to wellness and soul-care with a goal of reducing health disparities among Black women who not only experience perimenopause earlier, longer, and with more severe symptoms compared to other ethnic groups, but are also disproportionately impacted by other health conditions like HIV, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, maternal mortality, breast cancer mortality, and stress, anxiety, and depression when compared to our counterparts.
Living Well Collective hasn’t even turned one. I am proud that in such a short time we’ve created a beautiful community of (Black) women, artists, entrepreneurs, community leaders, health advocates, and subject matter experts all who contribute to our sanctuary and inspire and facilitate Black women living well during the “meno” years and beyond.
I want Voyage ATL readers to know that if they are or if they know women navigating the “meno” years experiencing a Living Well Collective Social Sip is a must. While we center Black women, our doors are open to all who value authentic connection and collective healing. All women are invited to experience our vibrant, curated gatherings fusing arts, culture, and transformative conversations that celebrate, embrace, and inspire (Black) women to live audaciously well during the “meno” years and beyond. I invite readers to follow us on IG @livingwellcollective_atl and join our Social Sips.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
For me, success means honoring and elevating the voices and lived experiences of Black women. Holding space where Black women are fully seen, truly heard, and genuinely valued.
Creating spaces where women feel safe to show up as their whole selves—ready to connect, share, learn from each other, and heal. That is the evidence of success I cherish most.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: livingwellcollective_atl
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candacemeadows/
