Yonerky Santana is a social justice and wellness advocate with over 10 years of experience as a community organizer. She has worked on several political campaigns and spent a short period at one of Boston’s top marketing companies. Despite her professional achievements, Yonerky struggled for many years to reach her full potential due to the lasting impacts of trauma, stress, and instability.

In 1998, Yonerky’s mother, Rosario, passed away from unknown health complications. Three months later, Rosario’s two young daughters were sent to live in the United States in hopes of securing a better future for them. Rosario’s daughters grew up in the United States, undocumented and in an abusive household, feeling the constant need to hide and suppress their emotions.

Yonaira was Yonerky’s best friend, and despite being the younger sister, she was like a mother figure— the first person Yonerky saw stand up to injustice.

In 2017, Yonerky’s younger sister Yonaira was diagnosed with lupus, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she passed away.

The years that followed were marked by uncertainty, darkness, stress, and trauma, but Yonerky has managed to rise above these challenges. As planned by her and her sister before her passing, Yonerky launched Rosario’s Daughters, a holistic wellness organization dedicated to facilitating self-improvement through mindfulness, relaxation therapy, and holistic living.

Since 2017, Yonerky has grown as a wellness advocate, integrating holistic living into every aspect of her life. She has run healthy eating programs for youth, became a certified yoga instructor in 2019, is a plant-based cook, and hosts private wellness and relaxation therapy sessions.

Recognizing the crucial role that living environments play in health, and inspired by her sister’s living conditions, Yonerky initiated a superadobe sustainable housing pilot project in her mother’s hometown of Pedro Sánchez, Dominican Republic, in 2022.

Yonerky’s vision extends beyond immediate wellness initiatives; she is dedicated to creating a lasting impact. Therefore, thirty percent of the proceeds from Rosario’s Daughters will be set aside to build sustainable, eco-friendly wellness retreats.

RODAS is a testament to resilience and the power of transforming personal pain into a mission for collective healing. Through mindfulness, relaxation therapy, and holistic living, we can create spaces where individuals can begin their journey toward balanced, holistic wellness.