Passion and Partnership Collide: Hilton Team Member Promotes Wellness in Celebration of Black History Month

Partner with Purpose

In honor of Black History Month, Hilton’s Black Team Member Resource Group (BTMRG) brought this year’s theme “Partner with Purpose” to life. The BTMRG hosted local community activations to drive engagement and collaborated with fellow TMRGs (Team Member Resource Groups) to host inclusive, educational, and intersectional events throughout the month. Among these included a fireside chat with Questlove and  Goodr, called ‘Fighting Food Waste,’ to discuss the causes, effects, and solutions around the impact of food deserts and scarcity within the Black and other communities. For one BTMRG Team Member, Christina Link, Senior Manager, Internal Audit, passion, and partnership collide. Christina led the charge in organizing the BTMRG’s Black History Month wellness activities, raising awareness for Heart Health Month, and incorporating  Hilton’s industry-first partnership with Peloton. By creating the hashtag #HiltonBTMRG, she encouraged Team Members around the globe to ride together as one on the Peloton app. Below, Christina shares how her passion as a spin instructor led her to host a free in-person spin class that celebrated Black voices through music.
How did these activations come to life as part of Black History Month and what are you hoping others take away from them?
I am extremely passionate about wellness - mental, emotional, and physical. I believe that we cannot do our best when we do not feel our best. As part of Black History Month, I wanted to provide wellness activities for the members to participate in. From the events that are being activated (the movement challenge, the live indoor cycling ride in McLean, and the hashtag on the Peloton app), I hope that our Team Members feel more connected to each other as well as remember the importance of physical movement as a form of self-care and holistic health.
The live indoor cycling ride in McLean happened earlier this month — can you share your experience hosting the event?
The event went great! We got to ride as a team, dancing on bikes with music by black artists. I felt connected to the group as we overcame challenges together and tapped into our power to achieve our goals. We walked out feeling more confident, capable, and strong. My goal in class is to remind riders how strong they are, and that the things they can do in that dark room translates to the amazing things they can achieve outside of the studio. There is no judgement, and they are encouraged to try new things and feel good about the commitment they make to themselves for those 45 minutes. Class challenges their mind and body, and everyone did great!
How did you find your passion as a spin instructor?
I have been a cycling instructor for 4.5 years and I have loved every moment of my journey. In my career as an Auditor as well as in fitness, I love to be able to coach and guide people to a better version of themselves. In such a busy world, when there are a million priorities, my passion is to be able to dim the lights in the cycle studio, help riders come back to the present moment, and bring back the awareness of their inner power, their inherent worth and their capabilities.
At Hilton, we talk a lot about Thrive, our benefits framework that empowers Team Members personally and professionally. What does Thrive mean to you and how does Hilton help support this?
I love Hilton so much and I am so proud of the Thrive initiative. To me, Thrive is being able to have the balance in your life to do magnificent work in your career as well as getting to put your energy in other priorities and passions that are important to you. It is having a work culture where you are encouraged to be your authentic self and team members are supported personally and professionally.

Follow  @HiltonCareers on Instagram to see all the exciting ways our BTMRG and Team Members are activating this Black History Month.