Check Out Ayanna Williams’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayanna Williams.

Hi Ayanna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’d say my journey into tech and wellness really happened organically. I’ve been in tech for over a decade now, and I actually got my start through Year Up United. From there, I worked my way up from help desk roles into systems administration and eventually into high-pressure government and enterprise environments.

On paper, everything looked great. I was building my career, increasing my income, traveling, and accomplishing goals I once prayed for. But behind the scenes, I was dealing with a lot of stress, burnout, anxiety, and eventually health issues that forced me to slow down and really reevaluate how I was living.

A huge turning point for me was deploying overseas to Iraq as a civilian contractor during the pandemic. That experience changed me in a lot of ways. Being away from home, operating in a high-stress environment, and trying to stay mentally grounded during such an unpredictable time really opened my eyes to how much pressure people in tech and high-performance careers carry every day.

Not too long after that season of my life, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. That honestly shifted everything for me. I started paying closer attention to the connection between stress, the nervous system, burnout, and overall health. I realized so many of us in tech normalize being exhausted, overstimulated, disconnected, and constantly “on” because we think that’s what success is supposed to look like.

That realization pushed me deeper into holistic wellness practices, things like mindfulness, movement, nervous system regulation, intentional rest, meditation, breathwork, being in nature, and building real community. What started as me trying to heal and regulate myself slowly turned into purpose.

That’s how Tech Wellness Society was born.

I created it because I wanted to build the kind of space I wish existed while I was navigating some of the hardest seasons of my career. A space where ambitious people in tech could prioritize wellness without feeling like they had to disconnect from their goals or identity to do it.

Today, Tech Wellness Society brings together tech, wellness, leadership, travel, and community through experiences like wellness walks, recharge sessions, retreats, mindfulness experiences, and intentional conversations centered around burnout prevention, mental wellness, and sustainable success.

A lot of what we’re building is really about helping people reconnect with themselves outside of productivity culture. Especially in tech, we’re taught how to perform, produce, and push through but not always how to regulate, rest, or take care of ourselves in the process.

What makes this journey meaningful for me is that it’s all rooted in lived experience. From working minimum wage jobs, to building a six-figure career in tech, to deploying overseas, to navigating health challenges, and now building a wellness-centered company and community. Every chapter taught me something about resilience, purpose, and what success actually means to me now.

At the end of the day, the biggest thing I want people to understand is that wellness is not separate from success. Your health, peace, and ability to feel grounded are a part of the foundation too.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I think one of the biggest challenges has been learning how to build something meaningful while also healing in real time. A lot of people see the highlights like the career growth, the events, the community, and the partnerships, but there were many moments where I was trying to figure things out while mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted.

Working in tech, especially in high pressure environments, taught me a lot about discipline and resilience, but it also showed me how easy it is to lose yourself in performance and survival mode. There were seasons where I tied so much of my worth to productivity, career milestones, or constantly proving myself. When you are ambitious, it can be hard to recognize burnout until your body forces you to slow down.

Navigating my autoimmune diagnosis was another major challenge because it changed the way I had to move through life. I could no longer ignore stress or push past exhaustion the way I used to. I had to become intentional about my health, my environment, my routines, and even the people and energy around me. That process was uncomfortable at times because it required me to unlearn a lot of things I thought success was supposed to look like.

Building Tech Wellness Society has also come with challenges because we are creating something that does not fit neatly into one box. We are blending tech, wellness, leadership, travel, and community in a way that still feels new, especially in spaces where hustle culture is deeply normalized. Sometimes that means having to educate people on why wellness belongs in conversations about career growth and leadership in the first place.

There have also been moments of self doubt, wondering if people would fully understand the vision, whether I was qualified enough to lead it, or how to build something sustainable while still working full time in tech. But every challenge has reinforced why this work matters so much to me.

The biggest lesson through all of this has been redefining what success means to me. I still care about ambition and growth, but I no longer believe success should come at the expense of your health, peace, or quality of life. I want to build a life and community that actually feels good, not just one that looks successful from the outside.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently work as a Systems Administrator and Site Lead. I’ve spent the last 10 years building my career across different areas of tech, from help desk support to enterprise systems administration within non-profit and government high pressure environments. My background includes Windows systems administration, infrastructure support, virtualization, server management, patch and compliance management, cloud integration projects that strengthen both operational efficiency and cybersecurity posture supporting mission critical systems. Over the years, I became known for being adaptable, resourceful, and able to navigate complex environments while still leading with empathy and collaboration.

One thing I am most proud of is the journey itself. I did not come from a traditional tech background or have a linear path into this industry. I built my career through consistency, curiosity, and being willing to keep learning in every room I entered. Going from minimum wage jobs to building a six figure career in tech, traveling internationally for work, and now building a company rooted in wellness and community has been incredibly meaningful for me.

What sets me apart is that I bring both technical expertise and emotional intelligence into the spaces I work in. I understand the realities of high performance environments because I have lived them, but I also understand the importance of people feeling supported, seen, and well while doing the work. That perspective naturally led me into building Tech Wellness Society.

Outside of my technical career, I am also focused on creating experiences and conversations that help people in tech reconnect with themselves beyond productivity and burnout culture. Through Tech Wellness Society, I blend wellness, leadership, travel, and community into experiences designed to help professionals feel more grounded, connected, and sustainable in both their personal and professional lives.

I think what I am most proud of overall is being able to evolve without abandoning myself in the process. A lot of people in tech are successful externally but disconnected internally. I want my work and my story to show that you can build an ambitious career while still prioritizing your health, purpose, community, and quality of life.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was very outgoing, curious, and active. I always liked being involved in different things and staying busy, shout out to my mother for keeping us active. I played basketball elementary & middle school, softball in high school, and I was also in Tae Kwon Do self defense classes from age 5 to 16 years old. Sports and activities taught me a lot about discipline, teamwork, confidence, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone early on.

I was also always creative and loved creating things. Looking back now, I can see how a lot of my interests naturally aligned with the work I do today, even before I realized it. One of my favorite classes in high school was TV production. We were responsible for creating and broadcasting the afternoon announcements for the school, and I loved every part of it. At the time, I just thought it was fun and creative, but in hindsight, it was definitely tech adjacent, if not full blown tech.

I think that mix of creativity, communication, leadership, and curiosity has always been a part of who I am. Even now, whether it is working in systems administration, building Tech Wellness Society, speaking, creating experiences, or producing content, I still feel connected to that same part of myself that enjoyed building things, bringing people together, and creating experiences that make an impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.techwellnesssociety.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayannacwilliams?igsh=dGsxcmR5Y28zaTdn&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DyKYEdCCa/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-wellness-society/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Techwellnesssociety