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A Compassionate Pathway to Presence and Belonging.
About The Belonging Arc:
The Belonging Arc is a sacred homecoming—a space for rest, healing, and return. Rooted in Christian faith, expressed through African wisdom and culture, and grounded in the body, we remember what the world has made us forget: rest is not earned, it is given.
Here, the Spirit bears witness.
The body softens.
The soul belongs.
Guided by the living principles of Ubuntu, Àlàfíà, Sawubona, Sikhona, Àṣà, Ìṣọkan, and Àṣẹ, we practice healing that is both personal and shared—a way home to God, to self, and to one another.
An Invitation to Rest
Our community carries deep meaning for those living with the intergenerational weight of colonization and enslavement, and the intersectional burdens of overlapping systems of oppression.
Here, you are invited into a gentler way—
to breathe, to soften, to remember rest.
This is a space of deep healing for those long unseen,
and a place of welcome for all who long for a more grounded, embodied way of being.
Our Founder:
Olutola Afolayan, (She/Her) is the founder of The Belonging Arc, a faith-rooted wellness initiative expressed through the African culture God created her into. She seeds and nurtures clarity, culture, and community into sacred practices of belonging.
Olutola brings her whole self to this work—as an interdisciplinary artist, transformational leader, wellness practitioner, and storyteller of belonging—bringing together movement, story, faith, and cultural practice into spaces that honor spirit, soul, and body. She accompanies individuals and communities in remembering their sacred worth and creating spaces of restoration.
- Àlàfíà – peace, health, and wholeness
- Àṣà – culture as story, ancestral wisdom, and belonging
- Ubuntu – I am because we are
- Sikhona – I am here
- Sawubona – I see you
- Ìṣọkan – unity, harmony, collective oneness
- Àṣẹ – life force, divine energy, creative potential
With over a decade of wellness and C-suite leadership experience, an MBA, executive education from Harvard Business School, and a B.A. in Theology, Olutola’s journey reflects both discipline and devotion.
A theater and movement artist at heart, every chapter of her professional and lived experience has led her to this sacred surrender—what she recognizes as her life’s work and calling.
She guides Self-Witnessing journeys, healing circles, and organizational practices that center well-being, inclusion, and authentic leadership—inviting individuals and communities into rest, restoration, and belonging.
Founder’s Reflection
I am Olutola. My work is rooted in Christian faith and expressed through African community practice principles. I am shaped not only by the resilience of my mother, Monilola, and my maternal ancestors before her, but also by the absence of spaces that honored softness. They carried much but were never given the chance to lay down their burdens.
The Belonging Arc is my love letter to them and to that inheritance. It is a living invitation to create what was missing for them — spaces where rest is remembered, where the body can soften, where the soul is witnessed, and where healing becomes possible. In offering this, I honor their lives and invite others into a gentler way of being — one rooted in belonging, restoration, and the freedom to rest.