Kim Baumann’s journey began in 2011 when she turned a personal passion into the One Love Movement, a nonprofit that practices social justice concepts in community healing settings.
“I founded One Love Movement upon realizing my purpose in life, to make change for people who don’t have a voice,” Baumann says. Her mission is deeply personal, rooted in her experience as a Korean orphan adopted by an American family, and inspired by a volunteer trip she took to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
One Love Movement founder Kim Baumann
“I was struggling with the heartbreak of being no different than all of the orphans I had met, yet, somehow, I was picked for a better life,” Baumann recalls thinking. She felt inspired to create a nonprofit, which she decided would be rooted in compassion and offer healing experiences to underserved communities. That was One Love Movement, and she launched it formally in 2011.
Today, One Love Movement brings people together through yoga, sound baths, and other events and retreats to support causes that promote social justice with a bent on advocacy, youth welfare, dignity, and wellness. For Baumann, the work is about helping others realize their strength and compassion to create positive change.
A standout moment for Baumann was meeting Michelle Obama via Zoom, which she says was a surreal experience that confirmed her belief in dreaming big. “I freaked out,” she laughs, recalling her disbelief when she got the call. “I kept asking the guy if this was a scam!” When she finally logged onto the Zoom call and saw the former First Lady, it was a full-circle moment that reinforced her belief that anything is possible. “I knew that I didn’t have to know how I would get there, I just had to know that I would,” she says.
Baumann’s journey building One Love Movement hasn’t always been smooth despite some marquee moments. For nine years, Baumann organized the largest charity yoga event in the country, a fundraiser that drew thousands. While the event was successful, it left her emotionally drained, with a yearly cycle of anxiety and depression that culminated after each event.
“I kept thinking this great, big event was the answer!” Baumann says, realizing she had tied her self-worth to the event’s success. The pandemic in 2020 forced her to pause, and that’s when she had a breakthrough. “I realized that I was looking outside of myself for all of the answers,” she says. It was a pivotal moment that led her to focus on internal fulfillment rather than external validation.
Baumann continues to build the One Love Movement, offering donation-based yoga classes, sound bath meditations, and organizing volunteer retreats to Peru and Kenya. “The best way to support our work is through donations, coming to our yoga classes, retreats, and events, or sharing our work with your friends and family,” she says.
As One Love Movement evolves, Baumann’s mission remains clear: to create spaces where compassion leads to action, making the world a better place for all.
