‘A Love Story to My Community’: Rebuilding Health for the Black Community
Jodine Williams, Founder of Rebuild Health dropped by to share the great results of the messaging framework that she received through CIC’s Impact Awards, and talk more about the impact the organisation is having across multiple boroughs.
Jodine Williams, Founder of Rebuild Health
At the heart of Rebuild Health is a powerful mission driven by the personal experiences of its founder, Jodine Williams. A sports and exercise psychologist by trade, Jodine set out to create a healthier, more empowered future for the Black community in the UK. “Rebuild Health is my love story to my community,” Jodine says with a smile. It’s a sentiment that fuels her work every day, as she seeks to provide education, support, and accessible ways to improve health and well-being.
“I WANT US TO STOP WAITING FOR SOMETHING BAD TO HAPPEN. HEALTH SHOULD BE PART OF DAILY LIFE, THE SAME WAY WE BRUSH OUR TEETH EVERY MORNING.”
Founded in 2021, Rebuild Health started as a 12-week project focused on exercise and wellness but quickly grew into something more significant. By 2022, the initiative officially became a CIC (Community Interest Company) with a broader purpose: to address the alarming health disparities in the Black community. Through educational workshops, one-on-one support, and exercise sessions, Rebuild Health has since become a trusted resource for many.
Jodine’s decision to start Rebuild Health was deeply personal, rooted in her own family’s struggles. “If I look across my family, we have type 2 diabetes, many of us are overweight or obese, and my mum had a brain aneurysm at 50 due to stress,” she shares. This firsthand experience, coupled with the broader health challenges faced by the Black community, gave her the drive to make a change. "I understand the barriers—financial commitments, time constraints, family obligations—but health has to come first."
She emphasises the gravity of the situation by pointing to statistics: Black communities are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable conditions from a younger age. Jodine explains that many people in her community only begin to focus on their health when it's too late—when someone close to them has a heart attack or is diagnosed with a serious illness. “I want us to stop waiting for something bad to happen,” she says. “Health should be a part of daily life, the same way we brush our teeth every morning.”
Through Rebuild Health, Jodine’s goal is to change this reactive approach to health by making physical activity and wellness more accessible, relevant, and enjoyable for Black people of all ages. The core of the organisation’s work lies in its education and exercise workshops, which merge expert advice with practical activities. “We want people to experience the benefits of exercise, not just learn about them,” she says. From dance classes to mobility sessions, these workshops offer something for everyone.
One of the most compelling aspects of Rebuild Health is its focus on culturally relevant health issues, which often go overlooked. For example, Jodine is planning a workshop that will address hair care—an essential consideration for Black women when it comes to exercising. “It may sound trivial to some, but it’s a real barrier,” she explains. “The sweat from exercise can undo certain hairstyles, and that deters many women from being active. We want to help women find solutions so that they can prioritise their health without sacrificing their hair.”
Jodine is deeply committed to making exercise not just accessible, but enjoyable and sustainable. “There’s no one way to be active,” she says. “It’s about finding what you love.” For those who need more personalised guidance, Rebuild Health also offers a revamped 12-week programme, providing deeper one-on-one and group support. The programme helps participants set goals, address barriers, and develop long-term coping strategies to maintain their progress.
Since its inception, Rebuild Health has had countless moments of impact. Jodine shares one memorable story of a woman who travelled all the way from Sweden to attend one of their events. “She said there weren’t many Black-led health initiatives in Sweden, so she planned her monthly trips to the UK around our events,” Jodine recalls. Another attendee, a woman in her 30s, exercised for the first time in her life at one of their workshops and left feeling empowered. “She told me, ‘I loved it, and I want to volunteer.’ It’s moments like these that remind me why I started Rebuild Health.”
The sense of community that Rebuild Health fosters is at the heart of its success. In Newham, where Jodine runs weekly sessions, women who initially came alone are now forming their own groups, going to the gym and on walks together outside of class. “Exercise doesn’t have to be lonely,” she says. “We’re activating spaces in our community where people can come together, support each other, and have those important conversations about health.”
But while the success stories are numerous, the challenges are also real. Changing deeply ingrained behaviours and mindsets around health takes time. “What we’re doing isn’t glamorous,” Jodine admits. “It’s about sweating and pushing through discomfort, which can be hard to sell.” Communicating the value of these efforts has also been a learning curve. “It’s been important for us to refine our messaging and meet people where they are, both in terms of language and their health journey.”
Jodine credits Creative Impact Club (CIC) with helping Rebuild Health refine its message. After receiving CIC’s Impact Award, she was teamed with Communications Strategist and CIC Volunteer Chloe George to develop a clear, compelling narrative for the organisation. “Working with Chloe was invaluable,” she says. “She helped me simplify our messaging, which has made it easier to connect with people. We’ve already seen tangible results, like hitting 1,000 followers on Instagram, which was a huge milestone for us.”
For Jodine, the future of Rebuild Health lies in continuing to build relationships and create spaces where health is seen as a communal journey. “It’s about understanding people’s roots and fitting health into their lives in a way that’s meaningful,” she says. “I want to show my community that we can live long, healthy, fulfilling lives—and that we don’t have to wait for a health scare to start.”
Rebuild Health may have started as a 12-week project, but it’s become a movement—one that’s changing lives, one step at a time.
Pecan is a community development charity based in Peckham. They work with the local community to help people find a way through seemingly impossible barriers to a better future. Over the last 35 years, they’ve seen thousands of clients flourish through their programmes, including: ex-offenders and their families, refugees and asylum seekers, young people and the long-term unemployed. They advocate for those they work with, challenging inequality and injustice at a local and national level to provide hope and belief in a better future for their community.
Website: www.pecan.org.uk