PROUD ALLIES: AWARENESS TO ACTION
Building Safer LGBTQIA+ Inclusive
Wellness Spaces
£45 | Early Bird £35 (limited to 10 spaces)
24.06.26 | 3:30 PM - 6 PM GMT | IRONWORKS STUDIOS, BRIGHTON
If you’re working in and around Brighton, around 30%* of the population is LGBTQIA+– which means LGBTQIA+ people are already in your classes and wellness spaces.
Yet, many LGBTQIA+ people never step foot inside a yoga studio, fitness space, or therapy room for fear of discrimination or harm.
LGBTQIA+ folks are missing out on vital wellbeing support, and practitioners are missing the opportunity to support them.
Right now, wellness is failing LGBTQIA+ people. This is your opportunity to help change that by learning to create safer, LGBTQIA+ inclusive and affirming wellness spaces.
Why we’d love you to join us:
*Health Counts Survey 2024 - Brighton & Hove City Council
This is for you if:
You want to understand the current legal and social landscape for LGBTQIA+ communities in the UK.
You care about creating safer, more inclusive spaces, but aren’t always sure what that looks like in practice.
You’re already supporting LGBTQIA+ clients and want to strengthen and deepen your approach.
Right now, too many LGBTQIA+ people still don’t feel safe or fully able to be themselves in wellness spaces.
The wellness industry is changing — and the need for truly inclusive, affirming, and safer spaces has never been clearer.
Proud Allies: Awareness to Action is a community-led gathering for those ready to play an active role in that change.
Held during Pride month, this event is all about moving beyond good intentions and into meaningful, values-led action.
This isn’t about getting everything “right.” It’s about learning, reflecting, and being accountable — as a collective.
Lasting change in wellness spaces doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens when we come together and choose to build something better.
Who is Proud Allies for?
Health, fitness, and wellness practitioners, facilitators, and space holders
Coaches, therapists, and teachers
Studio owners and wellness business founders
Whether you’re at the beginning of your learning or already supporting LGBTQIA+ clients, we’ll meet you where you are — and support you to improve your LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
What Will Happen On The Day?
We’ll be gathering at Ironworks Studios, home to Brighton Pride — a space rooted in LGBTQIA+ community and culture.
The afternoon will include a mix of talks, learning, and discussion — creating space for you to feel more confident and grounded in your LGBTQIA+ inclusive practice.
Arrival + Tea with a complementary drink from Bird & Blend
A relaxed, welcoming space to land and connectGuest Speaker: Why Allyship Matters (and what it looks like in practice)
with Natasha Jackson (she/her), Founder, Brighton Wellness FestivalSession 1: Understanding the Landscape & Your Role Within It
A review of the current LGBTQIA+ context and challenges - and how our biases and assumptions shape safer (or less safe) spaces.Break
Tea and reflection breakSession 2: From Awareness to Action — Creating Safer LGBTQIA+ Spaces
Practical steps for inclusive wellness, supporting Trans, non-binary & gender diverse communities, and becoming an active ally.Interactive Element: The Allies Action Wall
A collective moment to reflect, commit, and name one action you’ll take forward into your work.
What You’ll Walk Away With
By the end of this session, you’ll:
Understand the current UK context around LGBTQIA+ inclusion
Feel more confident and grounded to create inclusive, affirming, and safer wellness spaces
Understand the 4 non-negotiables you can apply in your work straight away
Gain practical tools to build trust with LGBTQIA+ clients and communities
Develop a more authentic, values-led approach to allyship
Confidently support trans+ communities within the current context
Leave with clear, tangible actions to take forward
All participants receive an Awareness Certified digital badge and a CPD certificate of completion.
£45 | Early bird £35 (limited to 10 spaces)
Why This Matters
LGBTQIA+ people are up to three times more likely to experience mental health challenges — and are still facing real barriers to accessing safe, affirming wellbeing support.
And yet wellness isn’t always designed with LGBTQIA+ people in mind.
Many practitioners haven’t been given the tools to offer inclusive, affirming support. And too often, LGBTQIA+ people are left feeling unseen, unsafe, or excluded — often without anyone even realising it’s happening.
When wellness spaces aren’t inclusive, they don’t just exclude — they can cause harm.
At the same time, LGBTQIA+ practitioners remain underrepresented across the sector. And when queer voices aren’t present in training rooms, businesses, and leadership spaces, the future of wellness continues to be shaped without them.
Allyship matters because inclusive wellness isn’t the responsibility of LGBTQIA+ people alone.
It’s something we all shape — through awareness, reflection, and action. This event is about coming together as a community to begin or deepen that work.
Meet Our Event Hosts
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Sarah Taylor (she/her)
FACILITATOR
Founder of Proud Wellness CIC, Sarah is a passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ inclusion. A life coach, DEI trainer, and speaker, she brings years of experience and personal insight as a queer woman to help wellness businesses create powerful change.
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Musa Francis (he/him)
FACILITATOR
A resilience coach and founder of BLOOMING QUEER, Musa is a proud queer trans man dedicated to helping LGBTQIA+ creatives thrive. His unique blend of lived experience and professional practice makes him an engaging and inspiring facilitator.
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Natasha Jackson (she/her)
GUEST SPEAKER
Founder of Brighton Wellness Festival and the BWF Community, Natasha Jackson is an NLP-trained life coach and business strategist on a mission to make wellness accessible, inclusive, and community-led, especially for those most marginalised.
Feedback from wellness practitioners we’ve supported…
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"Eye opening and powerful. This training was way more valuable than I expected, I discovered areas in my business and wellness services where I still need to learn and grow - and crucially what actions I can take to include and affirm all LGBTQIA+ people. You are doing amazing work, it’s so needed."
Chantel, Holistic Wellbeing & Life Coach
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“I learned so much — from updated terminology to hearing other people’s lived experiences. It shifted my thinking from simply avoiding harm to actively affirming LGBTQIA+ clients. I’m using what I learned to update my website copy and intake forms. I feel much more confident navigating mistakes when I don’t get things right.”
Dana, Yoga, Meditation, Breathwork & Massage practitioner
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“I’ve upleveled my own inclusivity toolkit, and helped others in the team to be inclusive too. My wellness studio is more welcoming, affirming and safer for LGBTQIA+ folks than ever before. Thank you so much - excellent training.”
Laura Bentley, SOMA Breath facilitator & Owner, Dragonfly Wellness Studio
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“I really value the way you deliver the training, it's never with judgement, and always helping people see what they may not have been able to without your insightful and supportive guidance and reflection.”
Natasha, Breathwork, Trauma & Somatic Healing Teacher
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“The group discussions and the audit section were invaluable! I’ve re-written my website copy to ensure I spell out who my services are for, and running a free session for the queer community. This training helped me understand and consider my own privilege and how my services can be more accessible to all LGBTQIA+ communities."
Michelle, Sound Therapist, Ayurveda & Yoga Teacher
£45 | Early bird £35 (limited to 10 spaces)
Our Sponsors
Bird & Blend Tea Co. QualiTEA
We’re thrilled to sponsor Proud Wellness! We’ll be serving up tea mocktails at Ironworks, fuelling an afternoon of learning, connection, and LGBTQIA+ allyship for the Brighton wellness practitioner community and beyond.
Brighton Wellness Festival
