Cultivating Self-Love and Structural Change: Monika C. Mathews Champions Wellness and Community Power on The Pop-Up!
Structural discussions on community healing met recapping recent headlines when Monika C. Mathews returned to the Black Media Matters Studio for The Pop-Up! Mathews, the CEO of QueenCare Products and the Life Enrichment Group, sat alongside host The Big O to share her vision of self-love as an essential tool for social impact.
Dissecting Corporate Responsibility vs. Community Care
The show opened with an analysis of recent Pacific Northwest headlines, starting with a Seattle Times article documenting concerns that Starbucks might shift its corporate center of gravity from Seattle to Nashville.
As state leaders debate the value of Washington's tax climate, Mathews offered an objective, pragmatic perspective.
"As a business owner, you got to do what you got to do," Mathews said regarding corporate decisions driven by high costs. However, she quickly pivoted to a silver lining for local commerce, pointing out that corporate departures create breathing room for independent, grassroots coffee shops to step in and capture the market with superior products.
Next, Mathews enthusiastically lauded the Seattle Storm's new year-round youth literacy initiative, "Power Forward Readers.” Drawing from her own professional experience inside the school system, Mathews spoke passionately about the urgency of addressing childhood reading deficits. She warned that systemic institutions explicitly project future prison capacities based on the third-grade reading scores of Black children, urging families to actively enroll their kids in foundational educational programs provided by trusted corporate neighbors.
Mathews also highlighted the work of the Therapy Fund Foundation's fourth annual Reclaiming Wellness conference. Expressing deep admiration for founder Ashley McGirt-Adair, Mathews praised the foundation for removing the heavy financial barriers to mental healthcare by offering free, culturally responsive therapy to break the generational traumas that communities of color frequently carry in silence.
The Philosophy of Queen Care: Indulge, Engage, Uplift
Mathews' natural body care brand, QueenCare Products, operates a flagship retail storefront at the intersection of 23rd and Jackson in Seattle. She explained that the enterprise is built explicitly upon a tri-fold premise:
Indulge: Encouraging individuals to prioritize daily self-care routines that promote optimal physical and mental health.
Engage: Bringing people together across structural and social differences to build highly collaborative communities.
Uplift: Channeling business resources directly into supporting the region's most vulnerable populations through the work of her companion nonprofit, the Life Enrichment Group.
For Mathews, self-care is not an occasional luxury, but rather a baseline of self-respect.
"Self-care is a function of self-love," she said. "The more you love yourself, the more you're going to take the time to do the things that's going to make sure that your mentals are right... and your physical [condition] is good.” She argued that true community safety begins internally: individuals who harbor self-love are far less likely to inflict harm or "step on the toes" of others in the outer world.
Accessible Wellness Strategies That Cost Zero Dollars
Demonstrating the practical execution of her brand's philosophy, the episode featured a special behind-the-scenes segment filmed in the green room at Colman Commons. Mathews treated the Commons’ creative director Ashleigh McCurdy to a custom wellness consultation, demonstrating that life-altering wellness practices do not require an expensive price tag.
Mathews outlined four accessible self-care strategies that cost exactly zero dollars:
The Power of "No": Mathews listed setting strict, unapologetic boundaries as her number one tip. She noted that individuals drastically reduce baseline anxiety simply by declining obligations that overextend their energy or fail to serve their souls.
The Release Journal: Gifting McCurdy a notebook, Mathews described journaling as an essential evening routine to process and offload the day’s emotional baggage safely without projecting unresolved feelings onto others.
The Hot Towel Method: A simple, grounding technique involving dousing a towel in hot water and pressing it to the face, hands, or neck to immediately soothe the nervous system and melt muscle tension.
Intentional Aromatherapy: Utilizing curated, natural plant essences to trigger neurological relaxation responses. Mathews highlighted scents like lavender and sandalwood for grounding, cucumber lime for a spa-like escape, and rose petals for a classic, luxurious touch. The segment concluded with Mathews guiding McCurdy through rhythmic deep-breathing exercises to reset her physical aura.
Dismantling the "Superwoman" Schema
Mathews addressed the unique socio-cultural weights carried by Black women, speaking candidly about the pain of witnessing institutional and societal harm targeted at them. She explained that her private facility, The Spa House by QueenCare, was created specifically to serve as a literal sanctuary where Black women can put down their burdens, process trauma, and counter the isolation of suffering in silence.
Mathews strongly advocated for the complete rejection of the exhausting "Superwoman" trope. She pointed out that the internalized pressure to silently work through emotional and physical pain directly correlates with alarming rates of stress-induced illnesses, such as fibroids and cancer, among Black women.
When asked by The Big O to define her ultimate internal driving force, Mathews pointed straight to family and divine assignment. She noted that her daily labor is entirely dedicated to her son, ensuring the next generation steps into a more loving, highly supportive society.
"I do it for myself because I know that this is my purpose," Mathews said. "I know why I'm on this earth. And so when things get rough and tough... I still keep going in this lane because I'm sure about why God put me here.”
Learn more about QueenCare Products at queencareproducts.com
Learn more about the Life Enrichment Group at lifeenrichmentgroup.org
Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 7 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.
Looking to book a space for your upcoming event? Check out Colman Commons for all your event space needs at colmancommons.com
