First and Foremost ... Allow Us to Introduce Ourselves

Toned by BaggedEm is more than a black women owned yoga mat company! 

BaggedEm is owned by two sisters from NYC, that believe in working hard, loving hard and changing the world through representation.  Though we are sisters we are very different.  Though our foundations and goals are similar our courses have been different, some may even say opposite.  But those differences have never changed our bond.  We fell that it is important for us to share and relate our experiences with others and bring out the core of what we believe in. Our different perspectives help us create fitness products that reflect our worlds.   Our experiences in life as black women business owners have proven that we are resilient, intelligent and innovative.  We know there are lot of women out there that can relate to our struggles and pivets! So we’re here to show up and REPRESENT!

 Cornelia’s Point-of-View

The brain is the most powerful organ in the human body. It processes what we see, think, hear, feel… then goes on to build pathways that create our reality. When what we see, think, hear and feel align, those pathways are clearer and From my experience, that’s when I’m able to achieve peace. Now what are you seeing, thinking and feeling on a regular basis?

My goal, as a mother to a little girl in 2021, is to help create a world where she sees, hears, thinks and feels that she is magic from young. When I decided I wanted to pursue entrepreneurship, it wasn't enough for me to find anything to sell. I wanted to create something the world needed. Something that would sell itself with its sheer inherent value to a person's life.

Toned by BaggedEm is a labor of love. It is a depiction of the child I once was, the woman I am, and the elder I will one day be. It took me years to appreciate the color of my skin, the curves of my body and shapes of my features.

Black girls are magic! Unfortunately, many of us don't step into that magic until late in life, if at all. Many women still won’t walk into certain rooms because of the fear that they don’t belong. The fitness arena was a room we feared walking into. We are outnumbered, out-financed and out-powered. However, we know that we can’t be afraid to knock down walls as our ancestors have done time and time again in the past.

Ultimately, I want the people in my community to know peace. Peace is what allows your most powerful organ, the brain, to function at peak capacity. Our mats help create a space for peace…for self love… and for growth… that doesn’t require you be anything more than a better version of who you already are.

Julia’s Point-of-View

I started selling handbags, as a side hustle. The truth is … single moms aren’t treated the best in the workforce! And as a single mom, at the time, I needed to have more time to raise my daughter and less time worrying about how we would survive.  Learning about business  is not easy.  But I always found the failures to be lessons and grew from them.  I wasn’t that successful selling handbags but I learned a lot about what it takes to start a business.

No journey has ever felt complete without the support of my family, especially my mother and sister.    And entrepreneurship was no different.  They were right there spreading the word and believing in me.  My dream of entrepreneurial freedom got a little closer to reality when Cornelia joined me in BaggedEm and we started bedazzling shoes, wineglasses, essentially anything! (Our uncle always called us BLINGEDEM! Lol)

Partnering with my sister made entrepreneurship a little easier and a lot more fun!  It also gave us a clearer picture on what we really wanted to do. And like many other dreams and ideas, Toned by BaggedEm was born when we decided we needed a product that reflected our true selves!  A product that provided representation for others and helped us tell our stories at the same time.  A platform that helps me tell MY story of motherhood, surviving domestic violence, dealing with being overweight, insecurities and so much more!