About Royally Fit
Wellness Rooted in Food, Education & Community
Royally Fit is a Pittsburgh-based community wellness organization creating accessible pathways to better health through food, nutrition education, herbalism, community care and connection to land.
We believe wellness should not be something people have to navigate alone or something that is only available to those who can afford it.
For more than 6 years, Royally Fit has worked alongside families, women, mothers, older adults, veterans, community organizations, educators and local partners to make health education practical, culturally relevant and connected to everyday life.
Our work sits at the intersection of food access, preventive health, maternal and family wellness, nutrition education, herbalism, agriculture and community connection.
From wellness retreats to food access and community care initiatives, we create restorative spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, their communities and the land. We recognize the unique physical, emotional and systemic challenges faced by military veterans and intentionally design trauma-informed, culturally responsive programs that honor their service while supporting long-term health and reintegration into civilian life.
Our work is grounded in the understanding that health disparities are deeply connected to food insecurity, environmental injustice, systemic inequities and the disconnection many people experience from nature and from their own bodies. Through our programming, we aim to restore these connections, affirming that the land itself is medicine, that their bodies carry wisdom and that healing and wellness flourish in community.
Our Work in Numbers
6 Years
Nutritionally Tailored CSA Programming
We connect community members with fresh, nutritious food while pairing food access with nutrition education, cooking demonstrations and practical tools for preparing healthy meals at home.
5 Years
Pittsburgh Parks & Recreation Programming
Royally Fit has partnered with the City of Pittsburgh Parks & Recreation system to provide nutrition, wellness and healthy living programming for older adults and community members.
150+
Nutrition & Cooking Education Sessions
From cooking demonstrations to hands-on workshops, Royally Fit has delivered more than 130 community-based opportunities for people to learn how to make food, nutrition and wellness part of everyday life.
5
Royal T.E.A. Cohorts Completed
Our Royal T.E.A. program has supported women and mothers through a community-centered wellness experience incorporating nutrition, herbalism, education and connection.
90%+
Grant-Supported Programming
The majority of Royally Fit's programming has been made possible through grants, community partnerships and institutional support, allowing us to provide meaningful programming to communities without placing the full cost on participants.
What We've Built
Royally Fit's work has grown from individual nutrition education into a broader community wellness model.
Our programming has included:
Nutrition & Food Education
Cooking demonstrations, nutrition workshops, food literacy, healthy meal preparation and hands-on learning.
Food Access & Agriculture
Nutritionally Tailored CSA programming, Seed to Table programming, community food distributions, gardening education and connections between food, health and local agriculture.
Maternal & Family Wellness
Nutrition education, lactation-informed support, baby food and postpartum food initiatives, maternal wellness programming and community education for mothers and families.
Herbalism & Traditional Wellness
Community herbal education, botanical self-care, herbal workshops and our professional Herbalism Course, rooted in an Indigenous and Caribbean-informed approach to plant-based wellness.
Community Wellness
Virtual wellness support, retreats, workshops, healthy living programs and spaces where people can learn, connect, rest and care for themselves and one another.
Workforce & Community Education
Training and educational opportunities designed to equip community members, health workers, educators and wellness practitioners with practical knowledge they can carry into their homes, workplaces and communities.
Our Experience
Royally Fit's work is informed by both professional training and lived community experience.
Our Chief Advocating Officer, Aquene Watkins-Wise, brings a multidisciplinary background spanning nutrition, herbalism, lactation support, community health advocacy, education, public policy and wellness programming.
Her professional background includes:
Nutrition and wellness education
Lactation counseling
Herbalism and botanical wellness
Community Health Advocate training
Seven years of experience in education including special education and high school teaching
A Master's degree in Law & Public Policy
Bachelor's degrees in Criminal Justice and English
Community-based program development and facilitation
Wellness retreat leadership
Food access and agriculture programming
This combination of education, wellness practice, community engagement and program development shapes the way Royally Fit approaches its work.
We don't believe health education should live in a classroom, clinic or pamphlet alone.
It should be something people can use in their kitchens, gardens, homes, families and communities.
Our Approach
Food is Health.
What we eat affects how we feel, function, grow, recover and care for ourselves and our families.
We make nutrition practical by bringing learning into real-life settings, community kitchens, gardens, homes, senior centers, workshops and shared tables.
Education Creates Agency.
We don't simply tell people what to do.
We teach people how to understand their food, their bodies, their options and the resources available to them so they can make informed decisions for themselves and their families.
Community Creates Connection.
Health does not happen in isolation.
Our programs create opportunities for people to learn together, share knowledge, build relationships and experience wellness as something that can be cultivated collectively.
Access Makes Wellness Possible.
Knowledge alone is not enough.
People need access to nutritious food, safe spaces, supportive relationships, practical resources and opportunities to participate.
We design our programs with that reality in mind.
From Pittsburgh to What's Next
Royally Fit is rooted in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, where our community programming continues to grow.
At the same time, our vision is expanding.
We are developing a broader maternal and community wellness network that connects food, herbalism, education, preventive health and community care across the places and communities we serve.
This includes the continued development of our Pittsburgh-based wellness infrastructure and the long-term vision for The Healing Village in Puerto Rico, a future living wellness, food, agriculture, education and research campus designed to create space for people to rest, learn, heal and reconnect.
The Healing Village is an extension of what Royally Fit has already been building…
a belief that healthier communities are created when people have access to food, knowledge, land, care and one another.
Our Commitment
We are committed to creating wellness programs that are…
Accessible — designed with real communities and real-life barriers in mind.
Practical — focused on skills and knowledge people can actually use.
Culturally Responsive — respectful of the traditions, experiences and knowledge people bring with them.
Community-Centered — built with people rather than simply delivered to them.
Rooted in Prevention — focused on supporting health and wellbeing before a crisis occurs.
Connected to Place — recognizing the relationship between food, land, environment, culture and health.
Why Royally Fit?
We don't just talk about community wellness.
We've been building it.
For years, Royally Fit has brought nutrition education, food access, herbalism, agriculture, maternal wellness and community connection into the places where people already live, learn, gather and care for their families.
Our work continues to evolve because the communities we serve continue to tell us what they need.
And we're building the partnerships, programs and infrastructure to meet those needs.
This is wellness rooted in community.
This is Royally Fit.