Wellness studio becomes a safe haven for Latinx women at a time of high Latinx depression rates
In 2018, Kat Novoa founded Babes of Wellness in South Los Angeles, a safe space that provides women the chance to explore what it means to build physical strength, while simultaneously healing generational emotional trauma, renewing mindsets and connecting spiritually. It’s the first Latina-owned wellness studio in Compton, CA, even though the 96,000-person city is 68 percent Latino. Novoa, 31, a Los Angeles native, hopes to help address the mental health crisis in her community.
Video Transcript
- As the COVID 19 pandemic enters its third year, mental health experts are warning another crisis growing beneath the surface.
- More light is shed on mental health issues ignited during the pandemic.
JOLAWN VICTOR: We've been calling it the silent pandemic. Mental health is at the top of the agenda for pretty much every organization.
- The incidence of major depressive disorder increased by 27%.
- But not everyone is feeling it the same way. A new CDC report found that while suicide rates overall declined in 2020, it's not true for all groups. Young Latinx people in the US reported having suicidal thoughts at a rate four times that of non-Hispanic whites, as well as a higher rate of depression than any other racial or ethnic group.
KAT NOVOA: So I've always been a super positive person, very uplifting, goofy. But during the pandemic I actually lost my father. And since then, it's been incredibly difficult.
- Kat Novoa owns Babes of Wellness, the first ever Latina owned wellness studio in Compton, California, a place where Latinx people make up 68% of the population. And through her work she hopes to help address the mental health crisis in her community.
KAT NOVOA: I can say 9 out of 10 people that fill out that form always state that they're depressed. They've gained weight. Their mental health has declined. They've lost a loved one.
Pairing strength training with the world of spirituality is very different. It's unheard of. And my thought behind it was, why can't we have both, a time where you feel strong, where you're not afraid of lifting heavy weights. You feel empowered as a woman. You feel safe within yourself.
There is nothing out there like this. I think with my own struggle and wanting that community, I just saw there was such a need. And so I said, why not now? If not me, then who else?
- After Kat's father passed, she struggled under the burden of the pain and attempted to take her own life. It was Christmas Day and I just wanted to connect with him, like no one else mattered to me. I had always been Daddy's girl, and I just, I never thought I'd lose him so young.
And that day I just like I had a couple of ways that I wanted to try. And I'm actually a really bad swimmer. I don't know how to swim. So the first thing that came to mind was going to the beach because no one would notice me. Like I would just float away.
A lifeguard saw me. He approached me and he was actually very kind and he just stayed with me. And I shared with him what happened. I just lost it and I started crying. And it's interesting that he was a lifeguard because he literally guarded my life in that moment.
- And she's not alone.
NORMA MENDOZA: I had my baby 14 months ago. Postpartum depression hit me really hard. It's the pandemic. Like I can't go out anywhere. If I go to a park, do I really want to take my baby out? I mean, I want to be safe.
But how do I know-- I'm doing my part. But how do I know that other people are doing their part? It was truly the, everything would be better if I wasn't here. I just want to disappear. I just don't want to exist. And a lot of those thoughts I kept to myself.
- Among Latinx women ages 25 to 34 saw an increase in suicide rates by 40% last year, a troubling finding for 29-year-old Andrea Gallipoli, who also struggled with suicidal thoughts.
ANDREA GALLIPOLI: I'm somebody that likes to stay very busy. Because that's how I keep my mind like going. So I was kind of worried when everything started because I thought, OK, well like now I'm going to have time to like sit here with my thoughts. And you never know what that could trigger or where that could take you.
Around like five years ago, I remember not leaving my room for like three weeks. And I didn't understand what was happening just because I had never seen someone. And I remember thinking like, I just don't want to wake up and like live this again. To me it was very much like my life was over.
NORMA MENDOZA: There's the language barrier, because out of the mental health providers, how many speak a language that you feel comfortable speaking? Not many mental health providers speak Spanish and having that acculturation and that similarity and familiarity with somebody.
- A gap health experts have noticed. Just 5% of US psychologists are Hispanic, despite the fact that Latinos make up more than 18% of the population. Access to care can be very expensive, even more so than physical health cost. An hour long traditional therapy session can range from $65 to $250.
KAT NOVOA: I'm paying out of pocket and it's really expensive and there's times where I'm not seeing my therapists on a regular basis. i know it's an investment in my health, but then I'm like I have to eat.
- That's why creating the safe haven for Kat's community was vital, providing resources and a place to hold space for one another.
KAT NOVOA: This is a place where they are encouraged to seek help. They are encouraged to seek therapy, to hang out with friends to share amongst each other. We hold space for each other.
- To ultimately save lives.
