We need to talk about who’s going to be in the room this October.

Wellness Week(end) 2026 has the kind of speaker lineup that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because we spent over a year finding the people who actually understand what it means to be a Black woman living with MS, lupus, or NMOSD, and we didn’t settle until every seat on that stage was filled by someone who gets it. Our keynote is Montel Williams (@montel_williams), who has been living with MS publicly for over two decades and has spent that time making sure nobody else has to do it quietly, and he’s bringing that energy to our stage. Alongside him: Dr. Mia Cowan (@drmiacowanmd). Goody Howard (@askgoody). Dr. Deliqua Isom (@dr.deliqua_isom). Rachel Swire (@Rachel_Olivia_Hair). Dr. Charisma Atkins (@simplycharisma). Dr. Evelyn Hunter (@luvevlyn). Charmaine Turner (@the_well_woman_ceo). Tiana Sherrod (@thehealingcornerpllc). Nwandi Williams (@imani_says). Sheree Love (@theshereelove @theshadesofms). And your host, Aisha Howard (@aishahoward). The sessions go where your regular appointments never do. Lupus and skincare. Intimacy and pleasure. Nervous system regulation. Adaptive fitness that meets your body where it actually is. The grief and identity shift that come with a diagnosis. Finding strength and purpose in your MS journey. Laughing through lupus because sometimes that’s the only option. A Dear Patients session where doctors say what they wish they could in a fifteen minute visit, and a panel where you talk back. Support groups for care partners and loved ones, because the people who love you need a room too. And breakout sessions where it’s just you and other women living with chronic illness, no expert at the front of the room, just honesty. Every session was built from the ground up for Black women navigating MS, lupus, and NMOSD. October 30 through November 1, JW Marriott Buckhead in Atlanta. General admission is $200, VIP is $375. Hotel rate is $189/night and closes October 13. Comment TICKET and we’ll send you the link. You don’t want to hear about this one after the fact. #WeAreILLMatic #WellnessWeekend #BlackWomenWithMS #LupusAwareness #ChronicIllnessCommunity