WINGHAM – Melissa Sklad believes that girls should be who and what they want to be. This is the inspiration behind Wingham’s newest small business, The Sisterhood Studio.

Sklad, a newcomer to Wingham, feels she and her family have landed in the perfect spot to live out her dream of providing a safe and positive space for young ladies to explore their authentic selves. A place to empower themselves to be the best that they can be without pressure.

“The Sisterhood Studio was created with the sole purpose of providing a safe and supportive environment for girls to connect and build healthy relationships,” Sklad wrote. “A space that is filled with love and positive energy. An opportunity where they can accept, encourage and inspire one another, along with exploring who they are and learning to fully love themselves exactly as they are.”

Sklad, her husband Mike, and their four children moved to Wingham last year to a beautiful home on Diagonal Road. The house came with an in-law suite that she has transformed into a unique studio space where girls from grades 1 – 6 are welcomed to join the many different workshops offered.

“Through our workshops and special events, they will be able to get creative with their thoughts, dreams and emotions, with the goal of achieving genuine happiness.”

Warm and inviting, complete with the comforting warmth of a fireplace, the young ladies gather to explore fun activities like movement, meditation, and mindfulness, working on projects together through arts and crafts, holding circle discussions, and completing interesting worksheets.

These help to empower themselves, be expressive and have a voice. In addition, the uplifting topics help them discover their own purpose, embrace their uniqueness, and set goals with their dreams and intentions.

“We hope they become aware of their true self, all while having lots of fun and belly laughs, through art, discussion, movement and mindful activities,” said Sklad.

She wants to help to inspire them to be their best selves, and have a sense of community by sharing experiences, and create life-long memories.

“It’s self empowerment,” Sklad said in an interview with the Advance Times. “Basically, it’s self-love. I started my self-love journey so late in life. I feel like I was in my late 30s when I really started to take care of myself. I started to go to yoga, and learn what meditation was, just anything to calm my mind. I don’t want my girls to have to wait until they’re in their 30s to love themselves.”

The Sklads have four children – three girls and a son – which causes some anxiety around the responsibility to ensure their physical and mental health are cared for in the best possible way.

She feels that some of past generations’ ideals have shifted in these modern times, and people need to shift with it.

“It gets carried over from generation to generation, right? Even watching my mom, she never took care of herself – her kids, us, were her priority. She put herself last all the time. So that’s kind of how I followed, and I want to kind of flip it like, ‘No, you need to make time for yourself to keep your sanity, so you can be a better mom, so you can be a better wife.’ If I put that time in for myself, I’m going to feel better, and I can be better for them,” said Sklad.

Sklad said she is receiving positive feedback from parents and the girls themselves. She hopes to expand to other age groups and boys eventually. She hopes to work with the local school boards, service clubs, and places like the dance studio to get the word out to all the girls in town so they can join in this new and exciting journey.

Through the programs, Sklad hopes the girls will manifest, reflect, possibly heal and believe in these three life-changing words, “I am enough.”

“I believe my sole purpose is to give young girls the opportunity to learn to love who they are and more importantly as they are. To discover why they are here and what message they want to share with the world. To be a bright light for all to see, as we need all kinds to shine.”

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For more information about The Sisterhood Studio, visit facebook.com/thesisterhoodstudiowingham or email thesisterhoodstudio2022@yahoo.com.

Cory Bilyea, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wingham Advance Times