For Kat Novoa there is nothing more essential than being mentally healthy, but physical health goes hand in hand with that goal, says the 32-year-old.
For that reason, Novoa, who identifies as a lesbian, has made it her mission to serve the community with these two components in a very creative way, and through the 25 to 30 classes she teaches a week.
Of immigrant parents from Michoacán, Mexico, Novoa grew up in the South Los Angeles area, in the cities of Gardena, Lynwood, Bell and South Gate, regions where access to luxurious places with comprehensive physical and mental health services were non-existent, and where parks were also scarce or sometimes dangerous.
His bus trips with his mother were the screen to other cities with parks and healthy grocery stores, but that was not seen in the neighborhoods where he had lived.
On the other hand, their neighborhood parks had some problems.
“Going to the parks where I grew up was going in fear of gangs, criminal activity and fear of shootings,” he said.
However, as a child Novoa participated in the American Youth Soccer Association, from 6 to 17 years old, and in middle and high school, the young woman was involved in various sports such as soccer and softball, among others.
That’s when she realized that part of her love for the sport stemmed from being mentally and physically busy.
“My parents had divorced when I was 10 years old. Since then he had lived with depression and anxiety, but when you are a child you cannot express how you feel and on many occasions you do not even know why you feel bad, “said Novoa. “Through the years, sport had been my passion and outlet.”
Novoa graduated from Lynwood High School and then attended Los Angeles Trade Tech, where she earned an associate’s degree in fashion and merchandise design.
“I worked in this area for just over seven years and I really liked it,” he said.
However, the young woman was a witness to those close relatives who were sick with diabetes and obesity throughout her childhood, adolescence and youth. The young woman’s own father would also be diabetic.
These problems encouraged her to open a blog and talk about personal emotional situations and the love of sports to let off steam, and at the same time meet many people. Among them, a person who asked her to work with women victims of domestic violence.
In early 2017, Novoa then began volunteering at shelters in Los Angeles and Orange County, giving lectures and providing free fitness classes to women.
“I incorporated mindfulness techniques into each session, such as breath work, journaling, and meditation to help provide a more holistic approach to wellness,” she said.
Then Babes of Wellness was born, a project that has become a full-time job for the young woman.
“I quickly realized that there was a need for all women to be able to have a stronger, healthier experience that went beyond just fitness,” she said.
Novoa then decided to obtain a certificate from the National Academy of Sports and Medicine as a personal trainer and nutritionist in November 2018 to give her services an official form.
Novoa’s goal of expanding her services to all women, men, and of course the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary community began as a mobile trainer going from the park to homes and private gyms training women of color throughout Los Angeles.
“At the beginning of 2019, on a rare day it rained and I couldn’t exercise with a client, she told me to go to the garage of my home and I listened to her,” he said.
Soon after, the garage at his home was transformed into a sanctuary for his growing clientele.
By 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic came as a slap in the face for the young woman’s work, and then it became her nightmare when her father died in 2020 from COVID.
Novoa had to move from in-person services to virtual and digital services through zoom and other platforms to host mediations, sound baths, and self-love challenges.
The community grew so much and so fast, but sadly, at the end of 2020, the young woman lost her dad to COVID and wanted to give it all up.
“Once again I had another reason to be depressed, my father died and he was part of the most affected Latino community in poorer and underserved neighborhoods. I understood that the goal was to get ahead instead of falling apart,” he said.
The death of her father prompted her to open Babes of Wellness in August 2021 in the city of Compton, an area where Latinos make up 68% of the population and where serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease affect more than 40% of the population.
“Health begins with oneself, for all those people who must take care of themselves first to be able to take care of their father, uncle, grandfather and children regardless of sexual orientation or belief,” Novoa said.
Since opening in 2021, Babes of Wellness has become a safe haven with up to 30 classes per week for residents who come from Compton, East Los Angeles, and surrounding places like Gardena, Torrence, Paramount, Downey and West Hollywood. , among other.
“Participants from 15 to 58 years old arrive, and who are looking for a space to express themselves, be free and feel safe while participating in weight training, pilates, yoga and dance classes,” he said.
Novoa does not want his studio to be a “fashionable” place, but rather an area that empowers his community. The people who come to his study to participate see it as a refuge.
Carson resident Esther Marquez has been in the program for a year, calling it a second home.
“I got depression due to the pandemic, during that time my grandfather passed away in 2020 from other conditions. As a Latina I was focused on work and family, but I wasn’t taking care of myself mentally or physically,” she said.
“I went to Babes of Wellness out of curiosity, but I saw some interesting programming that integrated mental and physical health, something you don’t see in our low-income neighborhoods,” she said.
Marquez assures that his days of anxiety and depression have disappeared.
“I didn’t feel better from one day to the next, it’s a whole process, but I feel more in control of my life, and I feel at peace,” he said.
Elizabeth Fernández, from the LGBTQ community, said that in Novoa’s studio she found a comfortable place, which accepted her with open arms.
“I can be myself, nobody judges me and I have made friends. I feel that coming here is a reward as opposed to going to any gym”, said the resident of the city of Los Angeles.
Novoa wants the community to remember that “there is only one life, and without mental or physical health there is no quality of life.”
“We cannot be businessmen, mothers, students… we cannot achieve our goals if there is no health,” she said.
Babes of Wellness has its opening party on August 13, where Novoa will be holding raffles with memberships as prizes.