Now finding success in the health and wellness industry, Yolanda M. Covington enjoyed a diverse decades-spanning career in law enforcement. From 1996 until her retirement in 2016, she excelled as a corrections officer at the Rikers Island Correctional Facility, New York City’s largest jail. After enjoying several years of full retirement, in 2020, she founded and became the co-owner of Asili’s Ancient Healing LLC, doing business as Asili’s Boutique. Located in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, Asili’s Boutique sells skin care products and soaps that contain sustainable oils, butters, and herbs. In contrast to other companies and brands that use chemicals, Ms. Covington’s focus is on using natural ingredients. She is thankful for the opportunity to share her wellness journey, develop bonds and relationships with customers through her business, and spread the values of self-love, healing, and transformation.
Possessing an innate commitment and drive to assist others, Ms. Covington initially aspired to a career in nursing. After taking various civil service examinations, including for law enforcement positions, she began receiving job offers and ultimately decided to work as a corrections officer. After more than two decades, she launched Asili’s Boutique without any prior background in the health and wellness industry, motivated by her own journey with health issues and her experience with alternative treatments. Ms. Covington was inspired by established and world-renowned naturopaths and herbalists whose approaches often center around natural remedies derived from plants and other natural sources. She was also moved to create a skincare brand of entirely natural products that she is proud to offer her customers.
Ms. Covington aims to advance her education in her chosen field and, in turn, educate others on healthy and natural self-care. Fostering an entrepreneurial spirit, she has planned to expand her business by opening more stores. She then hopes to spread into national and global markets, as she believes strongly in the importance of sharing one’s gifts. Observing that many individuals choose not to use their unique talents, she always emphasizes the importance of finding the courage to follow one’s passions. With aspirations beyond her primary professional endeavors, one of Ms. Covington’s goals is to write a book detailing her previous career as a woman in the male-dominated environment of law enforcement. She also seeks to have an impact on young people by hosting classes about working creatively and developing products, as she is very hands-on at Asili’s Boutique and creates everything herself.
Before launching her career, Ms. Covington graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York. Given her initial enthusiasm for nursing, she attended Hunter College, part of the City University of New York System, where she completed related coursework. She considers her greatest professional highlight to be the opening of her physical store, located inside a mall. At Asili’s Boutique, Ms. Covington most relishes connecting with her customers, as she endeavors to treat each client like family, establish bonds, and provide high-quality natural products.
Ms. Covington is grateful for the career accolades and accomplishments she has enjoyed as a correctional officer and an entrepreneur. In 2023, she was recognized for her achievements with a feature in CanvasRebel Magazine titled “Meet Yolanda Covington.” Above all, she hopes to be remembered as a giving person. As the mother of two adult daughters and the adoptive mother of a young boy, she tries to instill in her children the importance of sharing with others without the expectation of reward. In her leisure time, Ms. Covington enjoys traveling.
