Transforming Relationship Wellness Through Healing Touch – Interview with Versandra Kennebrew
- Brainz Magazine
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Versandra Kennebrew is a healing artist, speaker, and grassroots wellness entrepreneur who turns lived experience into practical pathways for connection. Raised by a grandmother who taught resilience and service, she blends myomassology, energy work, yoga, and mindfulness into immersive programs that restore intimacy, reduce loneliness, and strengthen communities.
A neurodivergent, non-traditional student and educator, her mission is simple and ambitious. Touch one million lives by training Touch Artists and creating accessible relationship-wellness experiences worldwide.
Versandra J. Kennebrew, Speaker, Author & Healing Artist
Please tell us more about you.
I’ve been a seeker of truth for as long as I can remember. My grandmother, Nina Belle, born in 1903 with only a third‑grade education, was my first teacher. She taught me that it’s never too late to learn and that loving your neighbor is next to loving God. Those early lessons shaped my devotion to service, lifelong learning, and the belief that healing is both personal and communal.
I was born in a mental institution in Detroit in the early 1960s, and my childhood in the projects exposed me to both hardship and possibility. I always sensed that I was meant to rise above the pain, poverty, and despair around me. When my grandmother passed, I became the surrogate mother to my two younger brothers, carrying forward her legacy of compassion, courage, and faith. These lived experiences, combined with my INFJ‑A personality and high DI leadership style, have shaped me into an altruistic leader committed to making the world a better place to live and love.
What is your motto?
“Let there be light.”
This simple phrase guides me through uncertainty, disappointment, and transition. When I speak it, I’m reminding myself that clarity is always available and that the Creator’s guidance is ever-present. It helps me shift from fear to faith and from confusion to illumination.
Is there a core value that you are most passionate about?
Collaboration is the core value I’m most passionate about. Education and innovation are essential, but collaboration is where transformation happens. When like-minded people come together, we tap into collective intelligence and create solutions that are more powerful than anything we could build alone. Collaboration is the heartbeat of my work.
What is your business name, and how do you help your clients?
My company is called Optimal Living Retreats LP, and we help individuals, couples, and organizations elevate their wellbeing through immersive wellness experiences, relationship‑building practices, and embodied learning. Using healing touch, yoga, meditation, and mindful communication, we guide people toward deeper connection, emotional clarity, and holistic balance. Whether we’re working with a conference audience, a bridal ecosystem, or a couple seeking intimacy, our goal is always the same, to help people feel seen, supported, and connected.
What kind of audience do you target your business toward?
I primarily work with conference planners, wellness retreat coordinators, student engagement leaders, and wedding ecosystem professionals who want to offer memorable, embodied experiences to their audiences. Some hire me for book signings or live demonstrations, while others bring me in as a unique activation for sponsors who want to stand out, especially brands aligned with intimacy, wellness, or holistic living.
What services or products does your company offer?
Optimal Living Retreats LP offers:
Keynote speaking and immersive retreats, and wellness experiences
Self‑help books, journals, and digital resources
Certification programs for Touch Artists
A global relationship wellness membership community
Each offering is designed to help people reconnect with themselves and each other through practical, heart‑centered tools.
How do your services address the needs of your target audience?
Event planners want presenters who are relatable, engaging, and able to deliver value long after the event ends. My presentations are experience‑focused and grounded in lived leadership, which means attendees don’t just listen, they participate, feel, and transform. I break down complex concepts using everyday language, making wellness accessible to people from all backgrounds. Everything we provide is designed to be immediately applicable and deeply meaningful.
Is there a common challenge your customers face?
Conference and retreat organizers often struggle with logistics, budget constraints, and maintaining a genuine wellness focus throughout their events. They also encounter speakers who require more technical support than the event can provide, which can disrupt the flow and energy of the experience.
How are you helping them face this challenge?
My team and I deliver turnkey, high‑impact presentations that require minimal technical support and maximize engagement. We collaborate closely with organizers to ensure the content aligns with their goals and that attendees leave with practical tools they can use immediately. Our embodied approach helps events stand out and creates lasting value for participants.
What sets Optimal Living Retreats LP apart from other services in the industry?
What sets us apart is our grassroots foundation. While many retreat companies focus on luxury destinations, my work began in community health fairs, schools, senior centers, and veteran communities. That foundation keeps our programs accessible, culturally relevant, and deeply human.
As we expand globally, we remain committed to collaborating with nonprofits, educational institutions, government agencies, and spiritual communities. Our Relationship Wellness Group serves as a global incubator where connection and relationship wellness are elevated as essential life skills, not optional add‑ons.
What are your current goals for your business?
As we prepare to expand into West Africa, one of our primary goals is to grow our Relationship Wellness Group to 500 active online members by the end of 2026. This community will serve as the foundation for our global movement to normalize intimacy skills and strengthen human connection. We are also preparing to host our first retreat in Liberia in 2027, where we plan to collaborate with organizations committed to healing the emotional wounds left by years of conflict. Our intention is to support families and communities in rebuilding trust, connection, and hope.
Could you share some success stories from your clients?
One of my most memorable clients was Raymundo, a middle‑aged man living with schizophrenia who struggled with relationships, especially with women. He had experienced sexual trauma as a teen and felt disconnected from his daughters. Through our work together, he learned to differentiate healthy touch from unhealthy touch and began expressing himself more openly. His dream was to have a girlfriend who trusted him and wasn’t afraid of him. Today, he proudly shares that he found his match, and they hug and kiss often, something he once believed was impossible.
Another powerful story comes from a couple’s retreat I facilitated for a marriage ministry in Virginia Beach. One couple was on the brink of divorce and arrived unable to make eye contact, standing with their backs turned to each other. After a two‑hour interactive session, something shifted. They left holding hands with a sparkle in their eyes. Their pastor later told me they not only canceled their divorce plans, but they also renewed their vows.
I also recall an event at an art gallery in Detroit where a man named Mark attended alone. He wanted to understand why his wife resisted gentle touch during intimacy. As we discussed common barriers to intimacy, including past trauma, he suddenly connected the dots to a story she had shared before their marriage. He left feeling empowered, compassionate, and ready to communicate with his wife in a way that honored both her needs and his own.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I would change the misconception that the wellness and wellness tourism industries are only for the affluent. Even some of my own coaches have encouraged me to focus solely on clients who can afford high‑ticket programs, but that has never aligned with my values. Healing is not a luxury, it is a human right.
The truth is that people from all walks of life seek peace, healing, and connection. Many save for months to attend a retreat or invest in a wellness experience that could change their lives. Ignoring these individuals in marketing and programming is not only unethical but also a missed opportunity to serve humanity. I believe wellness should be accessible, inclusive, and representative of the diverse communities that need it most.
Read more from Versandra J. Kennebrew
