The Return | Sacred Spaces for Melanated Healing
The Return
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The Return *
THE WHY …
I’ve always felt called to pour into young women—especially those who come from communities like mine, where poverty, trauma, and limited access to resources can shape our sense of what's possible. My personal growth journey has stretched me in every direction—mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially—and it’s pushed me to reflect on where I come from and where I’m headed. The path hasn’t been easy, but it’s shaped me into who I am.
After losing my husband and navigating deep grief, I took a 12-week mental health and wellness leave that changed my life. By giving myself permission to slow down, feel, and listen, I reconnected with my voice, my purpose, and the gifts I’ve always carried. That healing sparked a deeper calling: to create spaces for other women—especially melanated women—to heal, be seen, and explore their spirituality in ways that actually feel like them.
The truth is, there’s a real gap when it comes to spiritual spaces that reflect us. So often, non-religious spirituality feels like it comes with a costume—like you have to change how you talk, dress, or show up in order to access it. I used to wonder if I had to morph into some version of a “medicine woman” to belong in those spaces. But I’ve learned that our ancestral connection, our healing, and our divinity live in us, as we are. You don’t have to perform to return to yourself.
The Return is my sacred offering. It’s more than a business—it’s a living, breathing reflection of my story and an invitation for others to come home to themselves. Through plant medicine, meditation, yoga, sound, energy work, ritual, and real-time storytelling, I’m creating the kind of healing spaces I wish existed sooner—spaces that feel honest, accessible, and grounded in ancestral wisdom.
I’m not claiming to have it all figured out. I’m walking this path in real time, with integrity, openness, and soul. And I want to lead by example—not by being perfect, but by being present. By documenting the process out loud, I hope to show that transformation doesn’t require perfection, it just requires willingness.
Through retreats, sacred ceremonies, solo travel, and story-sharing, I’m carving out space where melanated women can heal safely, deeply, and on their own terms.
Yes, I want this work to be sustainable—but more than that, I want it to spark hope, build community, and remind us that healing is not just for some of us. It’s for us too.
Whether it’s a healing circle, a solo moment in nature, or a quiet reflection posted online, I’m building a legacy rooted in presence, purpose, and ancestral remembrance.
This is my return—and I’m creating space for yours, too.
The Return is a sanctuary for spiritual healing and ancestral remembrance—created by and for melanated women. Founded by Surayyah Tatum Bey.
The Return is more than a retreat brand—it’s a sacred movement. We create spaces that feel like home. Through healing journeys, plant medicine, ritual, storytelling, and spiritual travel. The Return invites you to come back to your center, reclaim your roots, and remember your power. This is sacred, soft, and soul-led—just like you.
Offerings
Sacred Ceremonial Gatherings
Multi-day and one-day experiences led by trained BIPOC facilitators.
These sacred healing gatherings offer space for deep soul work through:
Plant medicines
Grief rituals, somatic healing, sound baths
Movement, reiki, tarot, ancestral channeling
Seasonal Ceremonies & Micro-Retreats
Ritual-based circles aligned with the moon phases, equinoxes and sacred feminine transitions.
Hosted virtually and in-person, these are accessible gateways into your spiritual return.
Digital Community & Ritual Tools
A sacred sisterhood for those who can’t join in person but still want support.
Includes monthly virtual circles, guided rituals, journaling prompts, and community Q&As. Healing doesn’t have to be lonely or aesthetic. It just has to be yours.
A Memoir … Coming Soon.
A soul offering in book form—a raw, intimate telling of grief, rebirth, motherhood, and ancestral healing. Born in NYC, raised in a one-bedroom apartment with my mother, grandmother, and two younger sisters — I grew up navigating the stretch between privilege and poverty—private school education by day, food stamps and skipped meals by night.
This memoir traces my journey through childhood, wounds, abandonment, survival, widowhood, and the deep unraveling that came with motherhood and loss.
It’s not just a story—it’s a return. This is a love letter to every woman who’s had to carry more than her share, love from an empty cup, or find her identity in the ruins. It’s a sacred testimony to resilience, grief, and the reclamation of self. Written in parallel with the healing work I now offer through retreats, rituals, sacred ceremonies, and sacred storytelling - this book invites you to walk beside me and back to yourself.
About the founder | Surayyah Tatum Bey
Founder of The Return | Speaker | Spiritual Wellness Leader | Culture-Driven Storyteller
With over 15 years of leadership shaping global culture, DEI, and employee experience strategy across tech and media, I’ve stepped fully into my calling: founding The Return—a spiritual wellness platform for melanated women reclaiming rest, ritual, and remembrance.
After my husband passed, I took a mental health leave and followed a spiritual call. Through grief, I found something deeper: clarity, ancestral connection, and the truth that most healing spaces weren’t built for us. The Return was born as a sacred remedy—not rooted in performance or spiritual aesthetics, but in what’s real, ancestral, and emotionally honest.
My work now lives at the intersection of soul and strategy. I bring a deep background in designing transformative workplace experiences, leading mental health and wellness initiatives, and curating rituals and gatherings that create space for softness, restoration, and truth.
Whether through retreats, sacred ceremonies, virtual community, or brand partnerships, I build experiences that nourish the spirit, center cultural connection, and reflect the emotional and spiritual needs of melanated women navigating grief, transition, and the exhaustion of being strong for everyone else.
If you’ve been craving a space that’s sacred but grounded, ancestral but accessible—welcome home.
Follow my personal journey of healing through sacred solo travel.
Through vlogs, storytelling, and curated guides, I show you how to be alone with your spirit and still feel deeply held.
Let’s connect on social
✨ Work With Me
🌿 Content & Brand Collaborations
For brands, destinations, and sacred spaces offering real transformation—let’s build something beautiful and aligned. I offer:
Spiritual travel & healing-centered storytelling
Sacred experience reviews and retreat reflections
Digital content centered on ritual, rest, and melanated wellness
🎤 Speaking, Workshops & Guest Facilitation
I’m available for panels, podcasts, curated events, and sacred gatherings. Topics I speak on include:
Healing through grief, spiritual loss, and life transitions
The sacred return of the melanated woman
Everyday ritual as resistance and restoration
Motherhood, softness, and ancestral strength
🤝 Let’s Collaborate
I’m passionate about partnering on:
🌿 Healing-centered collaborations
🕯️ Grief & spiritual ceremony facilitation
🌙 Culturally rooted retreats and gatherings
🎤 Speaking engagements, panels, and workshops
📣 Wellness, ritual, and melanated womanhood-driven brand content
If you’re creating something sacred, soulful, and real—I’d love to talk.
Let’s build something that feels like a return.
