Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominique Chapman.
Hi Dominique, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name’s Dominique, and I’m passionate about all things movement & people. I started as a dancer in my early years and later noticed the hardships it caused to my well-being. Thus began my journey into the yoga world and eventually CRAVE!
I noticed a lot of fitness studios didn’t foster a community environment, I was getting tired of seeing people sweating and leaving without even sharing their name. I mean, after all, yoga can be so vulnerable you might as well get to know your neighbor! This piqued my interest and has now become my life work. How can I help people connect through mindful movement and meaningful conversations?
Then, what started as just yoga became something much bigger. Crave now represents all types of community wellness avenues. Wellness is not a one-size-fits-all; I wanted to give people an opportunity to be a part of a community that offers different experiences that feed their souls.
Crave has evolved into. It’s not just yoga. It’s funky art shows, dinner parties, adult dance classes, painting, social gatherings, hypno breathwork, sex therapist workshops, music, tattoos, art, pottery, etc. Crave is your home away from home of all things Lifestyle & Wellness.
By allowing San Diego’s hotspots to be a part of this experience, it has helped bring together like-minded individuals for specific events!
CRAVE helps foster a warm, welcoming environment for all to connect and be a part of something magical.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
A small business in the first two years will never be filled without hardships. The first year of Crave Community was filled with lots of long nights planning, small turnouts at events, and (of course) some tears. Nonetheless, I have never had a more rewarding job, and boy, oh boy, do those long nights pay off. I’m so proud of the community I have helped foster.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a San Diego native born and raised. I moved to Oregon for College and, after that, moved to New York to dance full time and be in the edgy art scene. I came home because of COVID-19 and realized San Diego needed more community and more events. I asked myself what I was craving out of life and took everything that I was missing and turned that into a business in hopes other people would feel the same way.
I had been practicing yoga my whole life and teaching yoga here and there, but I never thought it would be the catapult for my life’s work. What started out as an outlet for life’s stress evolved into something magical.
The most important thing that I value about myself is my passion for human connection. I enjoy making meaningful connections with the people who attend my events as well as the businesses I collaborate with. My main mission is to fill up people’s souls with good shit (excuse my language) & connect them to humans who are also interested in the same shit (sorry)! In hopes their soul will feel full. It’s hard as an adult to make new friends, so I made a make a whole company just to do so! It’s not just an event it’s an experience.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Human connection is vital for our mental health
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msha.ke/cravecommunity/#about
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cravecommunitysd/
