Exciting things are happening at The Cookie Jar! Sharry has been invited to speak a wellness retreat put on by Pua Mohala Healing and Advocacy Services! The group’s mission is to help teenagers become culturally conscious adults through workshops and retreats on mental health and holistic wellness.

The theme of this retreat is Mahina + Me: Decolonizing Your Menstrual Cycle, which is centered around reclaiming indigenous practices to celebrate moon (menstrual) cycles. The goal of this specific retreat is to bring awareness to menstrual cycles and to draw on indigenous knowledge and practices. Through this connection to a shared history and knowledge of tradition, Pua Mohala wants to strengthen a community of menstruators, as they like to call them.

Pua Mohala is an advocacy group based in Hawaii, founded by Priscilla and Momi. Each with over 15 years of experience working with kids, they wanted to found an organization that focused on the gaps they saw when it came to services for kids. Therefore, Pua Mohala (which means blossoming flower) creates “holistic and culturally relevant opportunities” for Black and Indigenous children of color, and help to guide and support them in “navigating their own path to adulthood.” They are currently raising money to subsidize tickets and scholarships to kids who wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise. You can donate here.

Sharry and Pua Mohala share a common goal: to eradicate the stigma of menstruation. In many indigenous cultures, menstruating was a sacred time, a time meant to rest for menstruators, as they call them in the video. Colonizers attached the stigma of uncleanliness surrounding menstruation, a stigma Pua Mohala and Sharry alike are actively working to combat.

Sharry will be speaking on the history of yoni steaming, and the importance of steaming regularly. She said she's most looking forward to other care practices, as "the practice of yoni steaming is one of indigenous roots. I am eager to learn more about how they practice yoni care. Of course visiting Hawai'i is on my bucket list, and without realizing it, began manifesting this over a year ago, now it is a reality! Not only will this trip be pleasurable, but it will also be about business. Who knows where The Cookie Jar Spa & Boutique will premier next....."