Meet Dr. Giavanni Washington | Ancestral Alchemist & Oracle Deck Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Giavanni Washngton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Giavanni, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In some ways, this was less of a thought process and more of a “backing into.” I graduated with a PhD in a field in which there were very few academic jobs in my geographic location. I also had a young baby and wasn’t looking to do piecemeal adjunct professor work that would keep me away from baby for hours each day. My dissertation was about how diasporic populations utilize communal drumming and dancing to mediate the trauma of slavery. Since I wasn;t going to be a professor and I was so deep in that dissertation work, I wanted to bring drum medicine to the world! Several months later, I hired a business coach and embarked on an “MBA in entrepreneurship.” The first iteration of this business, 10 years ago, was called RhythmQuest. There was a lot of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what stuck, but healing, rhythm, and community have always been at the core of what I’m doing. I didn’t use these words back then, but I guess I feel that I am my own sovereign and I need to flexibility to be with and support my family. I was deeply seduced by the possibility of creating a life that would support that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am on an Ancestral mission to make the world safer for Black bodied people.

I am the daughter of Rhonda Cheryl, granddaughter of Emma Louise (we called her Precious), and great-granddaughter of Laura Mae. For at least 4 generations my people were in Alabama and Texas, the Deep South of the United States. Escaping oppression, my grandparents on both sides moved to California in the late 1940s. I am a second generation Californian and guest on the lands of the Tongva, Gabrieleño, and Kizh.

I grew up in Los Angeles, a city that is home to people who speak more than 250 languages and boasts diversity like very few places in the world. I spent the first half of my life actively seeking, exploring other cultures, and learning other languages (I can get down in Spanish and Portuguese, and if there is no other option, I can communicate minimally in French).

I’ve spent the second half of my life trying to learn about my own culture and ancestry.

I have studied African diasporic ancestral percussive healing traditions from countries such as Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Ethiopia, Guinea, Jamaica, Kenya, Senegal, Trinidad, Uganda and the United States. What started with a desire to bring drum medicine to the world has grown into a bonafide spiritual wellness company, Black Goddess Within.

I spent 16 years at university after high school and I have a background in biology, epidemiology and ethnography. This means that my path to entrepreneurship was absolutely not a straight line and honestly, it was riddled with doubt. It’s taken me 10 years to get here, and now I am proud to have an oracle deck that features Black women meeting Goddesses from Africa published by Hay House (the largest distributor of self-help and spiritual books in the world). I am proud of my very circuitous route that instilled in me persistence and some skills to navigate frustration. I know who I am now. And I am ready to hold space for those ready to connect with their ancestral wisdom and activate their belonging.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My absolute most favorite place to eat is in Little Ethiopia at Merkato. It’s not fancy in the least, but nothing beats the warm welcome of the folks who work there or the beautifully and thoroughly spiced communal meal (most of the food is well-seasoned, only a few things are truly spicy), . My favorites are Yebeg Tibbs (pan seared lamb, onions and jalapeños) and Asa Tibbs (a whole fried Trout cut deftly to facilitate eating cleanly, served with a delectable spread of house made veggies and stews). We will eat here at least once, but maybe twice.

I would take my more serene friends to the Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens in West Adams. It is a beautifully appointed “spiritual oasis in the city.” You could very easily drive right by this mansion turned spiritual center, but if you turn in you will find exquisite landscaping flanking the mansion. Someone will welcome you before you walk in and take you to your destination – the tea table, the gardens or the labyrinth. You can spend hours taking in the gardens and sculptures and then go even deeper within yourself by walking the Labyrinth in your own rhythm.

For my more extroverted friends, we will go to Leimert Park on a Sunday and catch a festival or the Art Walk. I played drums in the weekly drum circle for over a decade and Leimert is like a second home to me. Leimert Park has long been a center of Black cultural production in Los Angeles, and in the last several years has experienced a resurgence. It is full of Black-owned businesses, vendors and restaurants punctuated by the rhythms of drum and the ever wafting scents of incense. Perhaps we will also catch one of Daunté Fyalls’s impeccable dance classes on the grass near the fountain!

When it’s time for another meal, we will go to Banadir, an “unfussy mainstay supplying generous portions of Somali staples.” Tucked in a small store front in Inglewood, Banadir serves long roasted and stewed meats with rice and salad. But don’t let the simple description fool you. The meats fall off the bone! This is not a great spot for vegetarians.

I take my frisky friends to the Culver City Stairs to get a little exercise and a spectacular 360 degree view. And if the stairs don’t wear them out, we will walk over to Kenneth Hahn State Park for a little in-city hiking. If they still have energy left, we can head on over to Mother’s Beach and rent a kayak for the afternoon.

In the summer, we would definitely be taking in a concert one of the many concert venues in the city. I really enjoy Grand Performances and Skirball’s outdoor venues, but Hollywood Bowl is my absolute favorite. Nothing beats the acoustics, the vibe, or the variety of acts at the Hollywood Bowl.

And no matter the season, a trip to the beach is requisite. I prefer the beaches in Playa Del Rey but also like the beaches where we can explore the tide pools, like Leo Carillo in Malibu or Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are SO MANY people who have supported me on my entrepreneurial journey and in so many ways. I have gratitude for them all. I want to dedicate this shoutout to an ancestor that I’ve recently met – my Great Great Grandmother Emma Morris Pharris. Her story is still revealing itself to me, but she carries the fires of freedom, liberation and joy into my contemporary life.

Website: https://blackgoddesswithin.com

Instagram: @blackgoddesswithin

Facebook: facebook.com/giavanni.washington

Yelp: https://www.youtube.com/@Blackgoddesswithin

Image Credits
Pics of author: Erica Marks Baker Graphic Design of Cards: Marla Warner of Rebel Howl Studios