Rooted and Rising: The GOC Way of Healing, Storytelling, and Leadership

Authors

  • Desireé Robertson Founder & Chief Visionary Officer, The GOC Collective Inc. & Founder & CEO, Sol to Root Wellness LLC

Keywords:

Women and Girls of Color, Healing-Centered Leadership, storytelling, Cultural Sovereignty, Healing Ecosystems

Abstract

Rooted and Rising: Healing, Storytelling, and Leadership in The GOC Collective Inc.’s Global Ecosystem for Women and Girls of Color offers a visionary roadmap for regenerative leadership grounded in ancestral knowledge, cultural sovereignty, and collective care. Authored by Desireé Robertson, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of The GOC Collective Inc. and Sol to Root Wellness LLC, the article traces a personal and political journey of transforming trauma into healing ecosystems, especially in the U.S. South and Global South.

Drawing on intergenerational wisdom, oral storytelling, and ritual, the GOC model moves beyond traditional programming to offer a healing-centered ecosystem rooted in its evolving SCHEMES and CIRCLE frameworks. Through mentorship circles, global retreats, narrative justice, and coalition-building, the Collective reclaims leadership as a communal, cultural act. In the face of systemic underfunding and erasure, this piece serves as both a testimony and a call to action. It is a generational invitation to co-create new cultural infrastructure and invest in the leadership of women and girls as architects of liberated futures.

Author Biography

Desireé Robertson, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer, The GOC Collective Inc. & Founder & CEO, Sol to Root Wellness LLC

Desireé Robertson, M.A. is a visionary sociologist, wellness entrepreneur, and doctoral
candidate in Applied Learning Sciences at the University of Miami. As the Founder of Sol to
Root Wellness LLC and The GOC Collective Inc., she creates immersive retreats and
transformative healing spaces rooted in the power of story, ancestral wisdom, and cultural care.
A national trainer in youth mentoring and certified herbalist, Desireé weaves trauma-informed
practice with ritual and resilience. Her forthcoming memoir boldly reclaims Black girlhood as
sacred terrain for personal healing and collective liberation.

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Published

2025-07-30

How to Cite

Robertson, D. (2025). Rooted and Rising: The GOC Way of Healing, Storytelling, and Leadership. Social Innovations Journal, 31. Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/10642

Issue

Vol. 31 (2025): Unseen Powerhouses: The Rise of Indigenous Enterprise

Section

Healing, Justice & Cultural Revival

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Desireé Robertson (Author)

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