The Story Behind Neoma Wellness and Evoke - by Kelsey Fitch

People often ask me where the idea for Neoma Wellness came from, and the truth is, there wasn't a single moment where I woke up and decided to start a wellness organization. Neoma was born from years of experiences that slowly shaped me into the person I am today. It came from grief, resilience, heartbreak, growth, and ultimately from learning that wellness isn't something we can afford to put at the bottom of our priority list.

For much of my life, I was someone who put other people first. Looking back, I think that pattern started when I was very young. My parents divorced when I was ten years old, and although both of them loved my brother and me deeply, it changed the trajectory of my life in ways I wouldn't understand until much later. I became very good at reading the room, anticipating other people's emotions, and making myself smaller so others could be more comfortable. I learned how to be adaptable, supportive, and resilient. What I didn't learn was how to process my own feelings.

My Relationship With My Dad

My relationship with my dad was one of the most influential relationships of my life. Like many father-daughter relationships, it was layered and complicated. There were seasons where we were incredibly close and seasons where we struggled to understand one another. There were hurts that took years to work through and conversations I wish we could have had. Despite all of that, I loved him fiercely.

Some of my favourite childhood memories involve my dad and our family cabin. On clear summer nights, he would take me outside and we'd look up at the moon together. At the time, it felt like such a simple thing. Just a father and daughter standing beneath a Saskatchewan sky, talking and taking in the quiet beauty above us. As I've gotten older, I've realized those moments became some of the most meaningful memories of my childhood.

The moon has always stayed with me. Even now, whenever I see it, I think of him.

Pursuing Success While Quietly Struggling

As I grew older, I pursued a career in music and spent years chasing what I thought success was supposed to look like. While there were incredible experiences and opportunities along the way, I was also constantly battling anxiety, perfectionism, and a deep desire to prove myself. I was so focused on achieving, performing, and meeting expectations that I rarely stopped to ask myself what I actually needed.

At the same time, life was presenting challenges that would forever change my perspective.

A Family Changed Forever

In January of 2009, my husband Jory's younger brother Brandon was involved in a devastating snowmobile accident. Brandon was only sixteen years old when he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Overnight, an entire family found themselves facing a reality none of us could have imagined. Brandon survived the accident, but the young man who walked into that day was forever changed.

Brandon lived for another eleven years following his accident before passing away in 2020.

The years that followed taught our family a great deal about grief. Not the grief that comes after death, but the grief that comes from losing the future you thought someone would have. Jory and his family navigated heartbreak, hope, setbacks, and uncertainty while continuing to show up for Brandon every single day.

His story profoundly impacted the way Jory and I view life. It taught us how quickly everything can change. It taught us to appreciate ordinary moments. It taught us that tomorrow is never guaranteed. It also showed me how strong people can be when they are forced to carry unimaginable burdens.

More Loss, More Weight to Carry

As difficult as that chapter was, more challenges followed.

I lost my stepmother after her battle with cancer. I watched my father navigate profound grief. I spent years trying to support the people I loved while continuing to ignore my own emotional well-being. By that point, I had become so accustomed to taking care of everyone else that I didn't even realize how depleted I had become.

Then, in 2018, my father unexpectedly passed away.

People often assume that was the beginning of my mental health struggles, but it wasn't. The truth is that my anxiety and depression had been building quietly for years. I had spent decades pushing aside difficult emotions, avoiding my own needs, and convincing myself that if I could just hold everything together a little longer, eventually things would get easier.

My dad's death was simply the moment when everything I had been carrying became too heavy.

Hitting My Breaking Point

The relationship I had fought for my entire life was suddenly gone. There would be no more conversations, no more opportunities to repair old wounds, and no more chances to create new memories. The grief itself was devastating, but it was also accompanied by family conflict, stress, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility to continue being strong for everyone around me.

Eventually, my mind and body simply couldn't do it anymore.

I reached a point where I barely recognized myself. I was exhausted in a way that sleep couldn't fix. I wasn't living; I was surviving. I remember looking in the mirror and feeling completely disconnected from the person staring back at me. I remember crying constantly. I remember asking my husband to drive me to the hospital because I genuinely didn't know what else to do.

That season remains one of the lowest points of my life.

The Beginning of Healing

Ironically, it also became the beginning of my healing.

For the first time, I stopped waiting for someone else to tell me how to get better and started taking ownership of my own wellness. I immersed myself in counselling, education, personal development, and learning everything I could about mental health. I discovered the six dimensions of wellness and began understanding how emotional, social, physical, spiritual, intellectual, and occupational health are all interconnected.

Most importantly, I learned that healing doesn't happen in isolation.

Healing happens through connection. It happens through vulnerability. It happens when we stop pretending we're fine and allow ourselves to be seen.

The Birth of Neoma Wellness

As I began rebuilding my life, I knew I wanted to create something that would help other people before they reached the point I had reached. I wanted to create a community that encouraged people to prioritize their wellness, learn practical tools, and feel supported through life's inevitable challenges.

When it came time to name the organization, I kept coming back to the moon.

Neoma means "new moon" in Greek.

The symbolism felt perfect.

The moon connected me to one of the most meaningful relationships of my life and to the childhood memories I still cherish with my dad. But beyond that, a new moon represents a new beginning. It marks the start of a new cycle and serves as a reminder that darkness is never permanent.

That was exactly what my wellness journey had become.

A new beginning. A chance to rebuild. A chance to create something meaningful from some of the hardest experiences of my life.

COVID, Connection, and a Deeper Realization

Then COVID arrived and changed everything.

Like many people, my friends and I went from rarely talking about mental health to suddenly being forced to face it in a very real way. Isolation stripped away distraction. It made it impossible to ignore how much we had all been carrying quietly for so long. It also made something very clear to me, which was how essential connection truly is in the healing process.

I don’t believe everything happens for a reason, but I do believe that even the most difficult seasons can reveal something important. And what COVID revealed, more than anything, was how deeply human we are. How much we rely on connection. And how healing simply does not happen in isolation.

I still remember the first time my girlfriends and I were able to safely see each other again. We cried. Not quietly, but deeply. It was as if months of holding everything together finally released at once. In that moment, it became painfully obvious that all of us had been struggling in ways we hadn’t fully admitted, even to ourselves.

Those conversations stayed with me long after life began to return to “normal.” Many of my friends began talking about their mental health seriously for the very first time. They wanted to build resilience, but didn’t know where to start. And I realized I wasn’t alone in that feeling. I was hearing the same thing echoed in my community, in conversations, and through my social media as I began sharing more openly about my own journey.

COVID didn’t create my healing work, but it clarified its purpose. It showed me that connection is not just supportive in healing… it is foundational.

How Evoke Was Born

After COVID, as I continued on my own healing journey, I kept thinking about what I was seeing around me, especially among women. Women who were holding everything together, showing up for everyone else, and quietly running on empty. Women who were searching for tools, support, and permission to finally prioritize themselves.

And that is where the idea for Evoke began to take shape.

I wanted to create the kind of experience I wished had existed when I was in the early stages of my own healing. Something accessible, safe, and welcoming. A space where women could step away from everyday demands, connect with one another, and explore different wellness practices without pressure or judgment.

Evoke became that space.

A beginner’s wellness retreat where women could sample different healing modalities, build practical tools for resilience, and reconnect with themselves in a meaningful way. But more than anything, it became a space for connection, because I had learned firsthand that healing does not happen alone.

Evoke is about getting back in touch with yourself, reclaiming your power, and rebuilding self-trust. It is about understanding that investing in your own well-being is not selfish—it is essential.

Transformation and Meaning

And as Evoke grew, so did its symbol.

The butterfly became its representation because it reflects transformation in its most honest form. Much like the phases of the moon, a butterfly moves through discomfort, struggle, and change before it becomes what it is meant to be.

Growth is messy. Healing is nonlinear. But it is also where our most meaningful change happens.

Why Neoma and Evoke Exist

Neoma and Evoke exist because of all of it.

They exist because of a little girl standing under the moon with her dad.

They exist because of a family forever changed by a snowmobile accident.

They exist because of grief, loss, healing, and hope.

Most of all, they exist because I believe every person deserves the opportunity to find their own new beginning, no matter how difficult the chapter they’re currently living through may be.

Kelsey Fitch (she/her)

Founder of Neoma Wellness and The Evoke Conference

IG: @littletasteofbeige

Facebook: Little Taste of Beige

www.neomawellness.com