‘It’s in me to become this cycle breaker,’ she says
When Chantel White steps onto her yoga mat, she says that all her anxiety disappears. She’s exactly where she needs to be: creating space where people of all backgrounds can feel safe, seen, and restored.
White is the local business owner behind Cute & Cut, the downtown wellness studio she opened in 2023. She also runs Balance, a line of CBD pain-relief products that are formulated from hemp grown locally in Kansas. By offering an array of holistic and affordable services, she’s able to meet her clients where they are.
“I come from trauma in my own life, and I’ve been able to heal myself,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to go help people like me, so I tapped into my strengths and abilities and made a business out of it.”
As a first-generation college graduate from Kansas State University, White started her career in child welfare. But when she took her first yoga class at a Genesis gym in her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, she felt a spark. It was the savasana pose — the moment of stillness and relaxation at the end of the class — that stayed with her. That moment of calm became a calling.
After moving to Lawrence nearly eight years ago, White explored more studios, and she became a certified yoga teacher in 2022. In every space she entered, she noticed she was often the only person of color.
“There’s nobody that looks like me in these studios,” she says. “My people on the Black and Indigenous sides need to know the benefits of yoga, too. We need resources to heal and to become better versions of ourselves. We are not the ones that America is worried about, so I want to be that voice for my community, to show them how magical and strong it is to heal. I feel like I just had to step up.”
When White decided to launch her business, she wanted to add something else to yoga. She expanded her horizons by becoming a licensed massage therapist.
“I always ask people to leave reviews, and every time I read one, it touches my heart,” White says. “It lights me up because I’m watching my dreams come true. I’m making the impact on individuals that I want to make. I’m helping people feel safe and relaxed. It’s beautiful.”
As a Seminole-Creek and Black woman, White grounds her wellness work in the trauma and resilience of her communities.
“All my ancestors weren’t given this opportunity,” she says. “After all their sufferings and trials and tribulations, I’m here now. I feel like I’m the chosen one. It’s in me to become this cycle breaker.”
One way she’s doing that is by making her pricing more accessible to everyone.
White is especially passionate about bringing healing into her BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) clients’ lives. Her low-cost services are a way to reach the people who might need their benefits the most. Black and Indigenous communities experience a racial wealth gap that also represents historical inequalities and traumas. According to the Bush Foundation, Black households typically hold 13 cents of wealth for every dollar held by white households, while Native American households hold even less, with data indicating 8 cents per dollar.
White’s “Rooted in Rest” sliding scale program allows clients to choose from three pricing tiers for a 60-minute massage or yoga session. The Supported Rate ($60) helps those with limited income or financial hardship, such as single parents, students, and BIPOC clients. The Community Rate ($70) helps those with moderate income who still need support, such as small business owners, part-time workers and caregivers. The Standard Rate ($80) is for those with stable income who can pay full-rate or who want to help make this care accessible for others.
“I don’t require proof of income because I want to provide care without shame,” White says. “This isn’t just a discount. It’s a declaration that your rest matters. Your body deserves relief.”
As White pursues her master’s degree in social work at Washburn University, she plans to expand Cute & Cut with talk therapy — integrating mind, body and spirit.
White has learned so much from her own healing and wellness, but also from the process of building her own businesses. Now, she’s sharing that wisdom with other entrepreneurs. White recently became a board member for Douglas County CORE, where she helps shape programs and support systems for historically underrepresented business owners.
“As a board member of CORE, Chantel helps guide our strategic direction to ensure it fosters an inclusive and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem,” says Moniquè Mercurio, CORE’s director of operations. “She draws on her personal and entrepreneurial experiences to support efforts that expand access to community, training, mentoring, and capital.”
Through CORE’s biweekly meetings, White has found resources, connections with other business owners, and a sense of community alongside people on the same path.
“It’s empowering,” she says. “We’re working together and seeing what we can do to support each other. It feels like I’m not so alone anymore.”
In every aspect of her work — as a parent, wellness practitioner, business owner and community builder — White is keeping her eyes on the future and making even more progress on her journey. She’s making room for everything she wants to do, and she hopes her story inspires others to do the same.
“People call me a healer, but I’m not out here trying to heal people,” she says. “I’m out here offering tools to help people heal themselves.”
Learn more about the business, located at 920 Massachusetts St. in downtown Lawrence, at cuteandcut.org.
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Jordan Winter (she/her), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since August 2021, is a 2019 KU grad with degrees in journalism and political science.
Check out her work at jrdnwntr.com. See more of her work for the Times here.
