I AFFIRM:
Sweetness is not something I earn. It is mine. It has always been mine.
And I believe it is yours, too. I have spent ten years building spaces that prove it.
When I started Holistree in 2016, I was searching for something I couldn’t find anywhere.
A space where Black women could rest without performing rest. Where luxury was not aspirational - it was assumed. Where softness was not weakness but sovereignty. Where the question wasn’t whether you belonged, but how deeply you wanted to exhale.
When I couldn’t find that space, I built it.
What began as an intimate gathering has grown into a decade-long movement. More than 5,000 Black women held across retreats on four continents. A membership community rooted in rhythm and restoration. A philosophy - The Sweet Life Way™ - that has quietly become a framework for how Black women reclaim ease, beauty, and self-trust.
In 2017, I was named the “Queen of Retreats.” I smile at that title because what it really affirms is the power of intentional spaces that center us. But I am more than a retreat curator. I am a catalytic storyteller. A cultural reframer. The architect of The Resourced Black Woman - a framework born from watching thousands of women arrive depleted and leave themselves again.
Ten years as a queer Black woman building a luxury wellness brand is not something I take lightly. These years have not all been easy. There have been seasons of doubt, of financial strain, of wondering whether the world was ready for what I was building. And yet - here we are. Still standing. Still holding space. Still pouring sweetness.
That is not resilience as performance. That is faith as a practice. And it is the same faith I pour into every retreat, every gathering, every word I write for you.
Holistree is my love letter to Black women. A decade-long affirmation that we deserve, period. Not eventually. Not after we have earned it. Now. In full. As we are.
Sweetness is your birthright.
I will spend the next ten years reminding you of that truth.
With sweetness and deep gratitude,
Rakita Lillard-Brown
Founder & Sweet Life Maven · Holistree LLC. · Est. 2016
Meet the Maven Behind the Sweet Life
When Black Women thrive, entire communities rise.
The Sweet Life Way™ is not a program. It is a philosophy. A rhythm. A radical reclamation of how Black women choose to live.
The Sweet Life Way™
“I honor luxury as my birthright. Every detail of my life can be touched with beauty, ease, and abundance.”
— Luxury Lifestyle
“I build with intention. Every moment of care creates a legacy of abundance for generations to come.”
— Legacy + abunance
“I root deeply in spirit, culture, and healing. My wellness is sacred, and my rituals align me with wholeness.”
— Depth + Spirit
“I rise, and we rise together. My joy and rest are not just mine - they ripple through my community.”
— Collective Power
I savor life fully. From global retreats to everyday rituals, every experience is a chance to taste sweetness.
— sweet life experiences
“Ten years ago I built a space that didn’t exist yet. A place where Black women could rest without apology, gather in luxury, and remember that sweetness is not a reward - it is a way of living. That space became Holistree. And it is only getting more beautiful.”
-Rakita Lillard-Brown, Founder & Sweet Life Maven
