2020 was a hard year for everyone, but so many small business owners went through it. Brick-and-mortar buildings were closing and so many people had to pivot to save their business or else risk losing it all. The added stress of your livelihood being in danger, while also being a person and dealing with the effects of the pandemic, AND having family members fall ill is incredibly hard. Going through such a tough time all on your own can feel incredibly isolating. That’s why this week we’re talking to Kat Novoa, someone who has been through the lowest lows, pushed through it all, and gotten into some of the highest points in her life. 

Kat Novoa is an influential wellness expert and the visionary Founder + CEO of Babes of Wellness. As a Nike signed Trainer, she has left a global imprint, being among the first pioneering 50+ trainers launching Nike’s Well Collective. With diverse qualifications, including Trauma-Informed Coach, NASM Certified PT & Nutrition Coach, PPSC Coach, USAW Olympic weightlifting coach, and Mindfulness coach, Kat is a beacon of expertise. Notably, she established Los Angeles’ first all-women’s queer gym and Compton’s premier boutique studio, fostering inclusivity and accessibility in the wellness space. Kat’s zest for matcha, mindfulness, & movement epitomizes her unwavering commitment to empowering others through holistic wellbeing.

In this week’s episode, Kat tells us how she was able to save her gym during a pandemic, make smart business decisions, and reach the best point of her career so far. She went from potentially losing all her clients to having a gym filled with loyal customers and landing brand deals with some of the biggest names in fitness, including Nike! Kat also talks about creating a safe community for other queer people, and how she grieved her father‘s death due to COVID. 

TW: This episode includes mentions of loss and a death in the family  

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Connect with Kat:

IG: @‌supernovoa 

IG: @‌babesofwellness
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@babesofwellness

Website: http://www.babesofwellness.com

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Website:
www.theerikacruz.com

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

How to work with Erika:
Join the waitlist for Courage Driven Latina here.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Episode Transcript

Erika: Hello, and welcome to this week’s episode of Ch*ngona Revolution podcast. As much as I love spending time with all of you one-on-one, I’ve got to say, I think it’s my favorite when I bring on incredible guests because I am very particular about who I bring on the podcast. I typically bring people on who I have a relationship with, whom I’ve been either witnessing their journey or a part of their journey in some way.

And this guest is no different. I mean, we met in 2019 at We All Grow Latina Summit and then had some collaborations when we were both still figuring out exactly what we were doing. And it’s just so amazing to see how far she has come. And this person is none other than the Badass Cat, who is the founder of Babes of Wellness.

I’ve been wanting to bring you on for so, so long. Please introduce yourself and tell the people who may not know you, who I think most people who follow me follow you too, but for those people who don’t know you, please 

Kat: introduce yourself. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me on. I’ve also said, like, I should I should be on a podcast with Erica because like, I think a lot of people don’t know our history and how far back we go.

but yeah, my name is Kat Novo. I’m the founder and owner of Babes of Wellness. Babes of Wellness is an all-women’s queer gym in Compton, the first in all of LA. And so we’re just like really proud of the work that we do surrounding fitness, mindfulness, wellness for BIPOC, people of color. So. Yeah, thank you for having me.

Erika: Amazing, and I just think you’ve created something so magical because when we first met, obviously we started following each other after we all grow, and I think I attended when I was in I was visiting my brother in L. A. and you were teaching at that gym in Long Beach, and I attended one of the classes in Long Beach, and it was like a weight training class, but at the end you pulled these like affirmation cards for us, and I think I might even have the deck somewhere, but you pulled these affirmation cards, and it was the first time that I had an experience at the gym that felt Like, it’s, it’s okay to be strong, but it’s okay to be feminine and it’s okay to be in touch with like your physical body and your spirit all at the same time.

And this is before I was even into spirituality. So I guess just like talk us through where did this idea come from? Like how long have you been a trainer? Cause I don’t even think I know this, right? Like how did you get into fitness? And then from there, how did the focus for women and queer

individuals come about?

Kat: Oh man. All right. Let’s peel back the layers, the onion. So I started actually, being an advocate for survivors of violence, volunteering my time at different shelters. And, they asked me like, what do you do? And I said, well, I’m going I do fitness. I’m someone that works out. And at the time it was like CrossFit and boot camp style classes that I was taking and I’m also a practitioner of mindfulness.

And, so I can, I can do host both workshops. So I started volunteering my time. They were so receptive to it. based off of the feedback that I got from the different organizations, they said that they felt, that the, the survivors there were really, really starting to change and starting to feel safe in their bodies.

And to me, that was like a light bulb moment. Like, aha, most women, when they go to gyms, they don’t feel safe and they don’t feel safe in their bodies to begin with just because of all the conditioning that. We grow up with and everything that we see in the media. And so I said, like, what if I can create a space where it’s when people think of mindfulness, they don’t only think of yogis and like a yoga studio.

But what if women can be mindful as they move heavyweights? What if? Women who move heavy weights can also join in and be a little bit softer and tap into their feminine side with a practice of breathwork and mindfulness. And so that’s really how it started. It was pretty much for survivors, but I realized like all women kind of need this right?

And then from all women from that experience, I started renting out studios like in Long Beach, the ones that you attended and then the pandemic hit. I moved everything into my home garage where I actually had Erica come be a yoga instructor. Do you remember that, for one session in the evening? And that was, that was incredible, you know, being able to partner with different Latinas in the wellness space, trying to just find our way, and join forces together to do something better for the collective.

So from there, You know, business did really well. Unfortunately for me, my business really grew during the pandemic because everyone was kind of seeking like health was everything. Health was everyone’s top priority. as well as like mindfulness and finding some type of ease during like the hecticness.

Of it all. And then after that, I, I said, like, I should really open up a space, but I didn’t know how, didn’t have a blueprint, didn’t have a plan. And I just started asking questions. I just started going out there. I started talking to different people, and one door led to the next. I got a lot of no’s.

And finally I said, yes. And then I found myself signing a paper to a lease, like, oh my God, this is actually happening. 70 pages of my life of my signature. here. Like, I am committed to this. And I think part of that journey was the fact that I was like in the nitty gritty of my grief. So I was, I was really risk adverse and I had a high risk.

I had a really high risk tolerance at that time because I said, if not now, then when now is a perfect time to do it. Like, I can’t wait and sit around and for another pandemic to happen and have my community be effective. so that’s kind of what led me to today. 

Erika: Wow. So you mentioned a few things.

You mentioned not having a blueprint, but you just went out to ask. And I think so many people, obviously I coach women on starting the thing that scares them, whether it’s a business, a podcast, you know, anything like that. So the number one, I guess, like dream killer is. Oh, I don’t know how. And the truth is, like, we’re not going to know how if we’ve never done it before.

So tell us a little bit about what were some of the obstacles that you had to overcome, and then how did you solve them? So I know you talked about going out and just asking around, but give us an insight into what was going on in Kat’s brain at this time. Oh, my 

Kat: God. I, you know, it’s really hard for me to think back on that.

Because again, I was like, my dad had just passed 2 months prior to this. And I think I was like, I just need to do something because I’m losing my mind. and so I said, at first, actually, I was looking to actually buy a home because the mortgage rates, the interest rates are so high. So low, but I said if I move, gyms are actually closed and they were phase six of the reopening, so I’m gonna have to move my clientele somewhere.

But if most gyms are closing, where would I move them to? And not being able to control the atmosphere of the space, like if I were to go to a big box gym was really scary to me because then. I would pretty much not be able, I would just become another personal trainer. I wouldn’t be actually doing and, and servicing the way that I service my clients and offering them the services that I do.

So I said, what if I just look for a space? So I started. Literally, I asked one of my, some of my friends that are in business that have brick and mortar shops, like screen printing or, you know, other types of businesses. And I said, how do I look for a space? Literally ask them. I asked Google like it.

Google can really take you down a rabbit hole. How do I do this? What are the licenses that I need talking to the city, going to the city of Compton? What is it that you guys need from me? and just going from there, talking to different landlords, just visiting spaces, getting myself out there and seeing like, can I visualize this?

Can I see this? When I walk into a space, does it feel good to me? And if it doesn’t, I’m going to fight for it. And I’m going to advocate for my vision, for my dream. Putting together obviously a business plan. Like it was just all those things, like one thing led to the next. And the more I asked questions, I was not afraid to ask questions and to sound dumb.

Like I was not afraid of that. And I think that’s, that’s really what stops a lot of people from taking the next step in their life and their business and their relationships is being willing to be vulnerable. And part of that vulnerability is asking questions, saying like raising your hand and saying, I don’t understand this.

Can you explain this to me? Again, even if it’s the 10th time to make sure that you really, really understand it. And what I found is that when you really want something and you surrender to the attachment of making it happen, like the universe just kind of guides you and opens the doors that you need.

Because I had to. receive 20 no’s in order to find the space that I have now. And it’s like in the perfect location. I’m sure not everything is perfect, but it really worked out. And as soon as I walked into the doors, I was like, Oh my God, I saw everything exactly how I wanted the space to be. so yeah, that’s, I, I, I hope I answered your question.

I don’t even 

Erika: remember my question, but your answer was so good. Oh, yeah, it was about, you know, people get so stuck on the how, but when you said like, you just have to get out there and ask and go to the city and ask. Sometimes it could be as simple as a Google search. Sometimes it’s as simple as going places.

And we, we create these stories in our head of how complicated it is and create all these barriers when we don’t even know. And like, you’re not supposed to know what you don’t know. That’s fine, right? Be okay with asking the quote-unquote stupid questions. Be that person. Yeah, I absolutely love that. I want to go back to, to your dad because you and I spoke about this, at We All Grow, but before I go there, Oh, at the second We All Grow that we saw at the We All Grow event that we saw each other at most recently.

so, but before we go there, you talked about like all the no’s that you had to get in order to get your yes and like the universe conspiring to help you create 

Kat: this. Tell 

Erika: us a little bit about How trusting in the universe and taking, obviously you’re not just like sitting at home, closing your eyes and like trusting the universe, right?

You are also out there asking the questions. You’re also out there doing the work. Your manifestation isn’t just hoping and praying like that’s only part of it, right? So tell us a little bit about the power of, of surrendering in this journey and in this experience for you. 

Kat: Oh, I’m still working through that.

That is still something that’s super challenging for me. but surrendering, like knowing that you have a goal, but surrendering to how it has to happen is really key because we have, we set, we manifest, we sit there, we meditate, we do all the things, we dream it up, we write it out in our journal, we Speak it out into existence.

And so then our minds instantly go to work and say, this is, these are the steps of how it’s going to happen, but there’s no wrong or right way for it to happen, but we tell ourselves that we convince ourselves, Oh man, there’s, there’s an obstacle in front of me. So now I must be off course, or this must be a sign from the universe not to do it.

And sometimes we need to surrender so that we don’t resist. Cause it’s our own resistance. Sometimes that causes those obstacles. So for me, it was saying like. You know what, Kat? When I first opened it, when I first opened the studio, I wanted a juice bar, and I wanted to expand and build, build out showers, because that’s obviously super important, and build out more restrooms, because right now I have one.

But I started asking the SBA for a loan and they wanted my life for 20 years. And I really fought for it. We were in negotiations for six months and I said, I just need to make sure that my business is generating profit before I go into more debt to try to make this happen. So yes, I have the space. Yes.

Maybe I’m in, it may not be as pretty as I want it, but I need to make money. If not, my dream is going to just remain a dream until I stepped up to just open it up receptive to it. Like I s showers that I want and t part of the surrendering. convincing yourself, hey, because it didn’t turn ou that you wanted it and ju That 

Erika: is a huge business lesson for all business owners.

If your business is not making money, it’s just going to continue to be a dream and not actually be reality. And I think really scaling back on like, there’s so many things I want to do in my business as well. Like even this podcast, I didn’t start it until a year and a half after starting my business because I was like, no, I need to focus on what’s working right now.

And I met somebody at an event when I was in LA. just last month and they live in Silver Lake and they drive all the way to your gym there and back. Oh, yeah. Which, like, that is, I mean, I’m not from LA, but the times that I’ve spent there, I’m like, oh, that is a drive. And she was like, but it’s so worth it, right?

So like nobody’s worried about the showers. Like people are so much more worried about just like getting there and like being in community and experiencing the gym, which I haven’t been to, but I will soon whenever I get to LA full-time. so let’s talk about your, like, obviously this, this moment in your life during the pandemic of losing your father, this completely shifted the way that you were living your life.

And, and I mean, we talked about this when we were at the, amigas and wealth event. Over the summer in LA. So whatever you feel comfortable sharing, but like, how has that, I mean, obviously you talked about. Being able to take risks and it just gave you it feels like a lot more perspective But how did that pivotal moment completely change who you are and how 

Kat: you live your life?

Yeah, I think I mean i’m someone that always says if you’re not vulnerable with your community You can’t ask your community to be vulnerable with you and therefore you’re probably not going to be the greatest leader for them. and so for me, I, I, I allowed my anger to overtake me naturally for a really long time, but it was also my anger that caused action.

You know, that was what catapulted me into action because I was so angry and not just like my dad, but my dad just being another number for so many people. And saying like another death, another death in LA, another death in South LA, another Latino man that, passed due to COVID. And so it was, it was enraging.

And I think, you know, for a lot of people, sometimes our anger can immobilize us and keep us from just kind of distract us from the bigger vision. And although it has been an incredibly painful thing to process and to. To go through, you know, a death in the family during COVID when you have to be alone.

Like I had to sit with myself. It forced me to look myself in the eye, to look at my shadows, to look at the things that I needed to work through in order to not overcome it, but in order to evolve from it. And so. You know, my dad passing. I said, like, life is too short. Like, if I don’t go after the things that I want, and if I don’t really step into my power and into my authentic self, like, I’m going to miss out because he was only 59 years old.

I’m going to. I can die tomorrow. and I don’t want to feel as though like I’m on my deathbed and there was so much more work that I left on the table because of fear because of conditioning because of what other people think about me. Like, I just want to be myself. And part of that was it was coming out.

It was saying like, hey. I’m queer. This is who I am. Like, F what everybody else thinks. and I just want to own that. And my community was so open. Like, a lot of my friends already knew, but it was more so just owning it and taking up space and saying, like, I am a proud queer Latina. And this is who I am.

And as soon as I said that, so many of my community members were like, Thank you for saying that because it not that it gave them permission, but it made them feel so seen that then I had like this ripple effect of all these people coming out to me and like, what do we do from here? I’m like, just be yourself now that you’ve owned it.

Now that you’re embracing it, just fucking be yourself and, and do what you’ve been called to do and take up space wherever you’re at, because your story. And your voice is so important. And so for me, that’s, that’s been part of the, the biggest changes that I’ve seen in my life. And also, as you mentioned, like taking risk and saying, like, if, if I don’t do this now, I know it’s, it’s kind of morbid to think that way at times, but it’s also.

Helped me take massive, massive action and to be not fearless, but almost relentless in the pursuit of the things that I want. 

Erika: Yeah, definitely. I mean, obviously I’m sorry your dad passed, but I feel like you’ve also managed to, it gave you so much perspective, right? With like, Who am I trying to be when like this is my, my life and it can be over tomorrow.

And yeah, it does sound morbid to like ask these questions about like, what would you regret if you died tomorrow? But the truth is we’re all going to transition and we’re all going to pass. Right. And it’s like, sometimes we find ourselves in this fear of just like waiting and it’s like, well, what are we waiting for when like, this is the one life that we, that we have.

And I mean, I just remember. Like see following you obviously it was like so hard to just like watch so many people lose loved ones And I mean, I think you hermited a little bit Obviously, I’m not just like staring at your page the whole time, but I feels like you kind of went in to focus on On you and as you were mentioning, like looking at your shadows, but then you come out and it’s like partnership with Nike, physical location, and like so many amazing things.

Like, I think I saw you on like the Fierce by Me Too page, like for a grant and like you just like left and right so many beautiful things like started happening for you. And I don’t think that that’s an accident. That it’s like when you fully stepped into your authenticity and when you really began to your point, going after your dreams ruthlessly.

So can you tell us a little bit about your Nike partnership and how did this 

Kat: come about? Yeah. So obviously I was never, I was never anything else. Like if, if you’re from LA, like. Nike is a staple like Nike is a staple in our closets at some point in our lives, or at least it’s like what we aspire to have in our closets.

and. You know, I, I always did these, like, manifestation photo shoots where I, you know, would model, I guess, like, wearing the brand, and believing, like, this is going to happen, but it’s going to happen at its own time. I’m not going to go necessarily knocking at its own doors, because again, when you open up a brick and mortar.

Like there’s so much work behind it. Like you are busy. You’re going to be busy for a long, long time. that I, I just really didn’t have time to like seek out different partnerships. And, I was introduced by a few friends and actually I did a partnership with word, with Zoila, from word agency. I think it was 20, it was like in December or something and I, I got sick.

That was the first time we did something with Nike at the studio and I couldn’t be there cause I caught COVID and I, and I tested positive at like 4 AM. I was so mad at myself. I was angry. I was like, Oh my God, I missed my opportunity. The amount of minutes that I spent like wailing in the morning while also like the coughing of my lungs was just ridiculous.

So I just thought, okay, this is it. I missed my opportunity. It wasn’t meant to be, but I said, if it’s, if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. I didn’t even have to be there. The event went well. and then I get a call and they’re like, you know, from someone at Nike and they’re like, Hey, do you have like 5 minutes?

To talk, we have like 30 executives from our North America team. We’ve had babes of wellness and you on our radar for the last like three years. And we want to come meet you and your space and your team. Can you guys put together a presentation on Monday? This was like Friday, like 8 PM at night. And they said, Holy shit.

Okay. So we do that. I prepped the team. They all come. Obviously, it’s a bunch of a bunch of white people rolling up to Compton. And you know, the team was great. And it was like 95 percent women. We just kind of shared our stories, what we do, who we are, and it just, they loved us. And, they brought me on, not just To have a partnership with base, but to also be part of their new initiative with Nike.

Well, collective, because they’re moving more into the holistic fitness space. So that was really awesome to, to be a part of and to be signed as an actual Nike LA trainer. They flew me to Portland,We were able to be part of the lunch and get kind of the history toward the campus, like do all the things it’s, it’s just been like such a dream.

It’s all happened. So, so fast, but the people on the team that I get to work with, and the support that I also get for the studio and being able to say, like, hey, we, we get to do these events with Nike and it’s. And it’s not just me. It’s not just like, Hey, cool. This is Kat. She’s repping Nike, but it’s also something for the community.

Like the community of Compton has never seen anything like this. so I’m proud to be one of the, one of three partner studios here in LA, and all of California, actually. So it feels really special and I, and I don’t take it lightly. It’s such a huge. responsibility, but it’s also awesome to be able to take up space as a queer Latina.

Erika: How amazing. Okay. As you were telling us that story about from Friday to Monday, I got chills like all over my body. I can’t even imagine what that was like, but this is what I call in like my business. This is what I call being magnetic where you show up authentically. and in alignment with your values and with who you are, and take the actions that are in alignment with that, you are going to attract the opportunities that are meant for you.

Right? Like, notice that you didn’t go out chasing, you weren’t, like, pitching yourself, you weren’t emailing them nonstop, you were just standing in your power authentically, and then they came to you. 

Kat: Yeah, that’s incredible. And I think it’s important to know. I think so many people want, you know, these partnerships and they want all these accolades that they forget.

There’s so much work you have to do and by you doing the work, at least for me, service to my community also requires me to do a lot of inner work, a lot of shadow work and as you keep, you can keep your head down and like, Work and those opportunities will absolutely come to you. Yeah, you don’t, you really don’t have to chase.

You really don’t have to like be aggressive in your approach, but when you’re in complete alignment and realize that, hey, I can be both masculine and feminine and, and there can be a beautiful duality to that. I really don’t have to subscribe to this like hustle. mentality and culture and feel like until I get this partnership with Nike, then I’ll be successful.

Like I already felt successful. I already knew I was going to be successful. And so these things are just a bonus. It doesn’t add to any of my value. And also if I lose it, it doesn’t take away from any of my value or the offerings that I provide because the magic is me. It’s my light. It’s my essence.

It’s what I do for people. It’s who I am. 

Erika: That is so good because even, like, let’s say if you were to put that there as like, Oh, once I have a partnership with Nike, then I’m successful. Well, like then there’s always Like if you’re making success a destination, there’s always somewhere new to go, right? Oh, a bigger partnership or now I want to partner with this other brand and yeah, you’re, you’re totally right.

We’re like, you are the magic. Like it’s already you and by feeling successful, like that is how you attract these types of opportunities. It’s not the other way around. Like people think once I have those opportunities and I’m going to feel successful and then they get it and then they feel good for a little bit and then they don’t feel successful anymore and it’s like, they wonder why it’s because you need to feel that and embody that From 

Kat: the beginning.

Kat: Yes. Exactly. So, you talked earlier about, 

Erika: domestic violence and being a survivor. I am wondering, if somebody’s listening, and maybe they are, like, In a situation where they are questioning whether it’s like safe or not safe, maybe they are being gaslit. What advice would you have for somebody who thinks that they may be in a situation of domestic violence?

Like if you could go back and talk to yourself when you were in that situation, what advice 

Kat: would you give? Yeah, so just to, just to clarify, there, there are a few things when people think of, no, you’re good. Did I, am I 

Erika: back? Okay, did you hear the question? I think 

Kat: I froze for a second. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay.

So, just to, just to clarify for a lot of people, when, You say domestic violence. It’s not just physical violence. I think a lot of people have this misconception that physical abuse or verbal abuse is the only form of abuse, but there’s also, spiritual abuse, which we see a lot of that now, especially.

With everything happening in the world. There’s a lot of spiritual bypassing and gaslighting It can be emotional. It can be financial There’s so many ways that abuse can manifest in relationship and it’s not always in romantic Partnerships, so I do have to say that the number one thing to recognize is do I feel safe and if I don’t Do I feel safe enough to tell someone else that I trust that’s not gonna judge me?

To have to create a plan of action, because if you’re afraid to leave that to kind of cut ties and leave that relationship, then most likely 10, you are in an abusive situation and, you need to proceed obviously with caution what we know the facts, the statistics state that, it takes someone So, Seven attempts to leave an abusive relationship before actually being successful at leaving.

and unfortunately, 50 percent of the time it’s it’s women and 50 percent of the time they’re, they’re either really hurt. they end up in hospitals or it. leads to death, unfortunately. and so my advice would be find a friend or find some type of way for you to reach out to someone that you truly trust.

I think there’s also the flip side of that when reaching out, Us as Latinos, we’ve kind of been told, or at least I have heard, like, oh, well, she made her bed. Now she kind of has to lie in it. Like, just kind of do deal with that. But we’re actually pushing them closer to the perpetrator and isolating them, which is what the perpetrator actually wants to do is to isolate them from all their resources, including like financial, emotional, support.

and so just make sure you have a good network. If you don’t, there’s also like hotlines, there’s websites that you can search that also have like a clear site. So, if you go on it and let’s say you’re afraid, that, you know, someone’s going to find out that the person’s going to find out that you’ve been looking for support, they, most of them, or all of them actually have like this, this button that you click and it won’t show up in your search history as well.

so those are just, those are just some tips people can also like reach out to me and I can give them more resources as well. That’s 

Erika: amazing. If, maybe once we finish, if you can tell me what some of those are, and then we can include them down below in the show notes, that would be fantastic.

Obviously, we’ll include all of your info as well. And thank you for clarifying that, this can also happen in, it doesn’t have to be like a romantic relationship and that it could be emotional, spiritual, physical, like so many, because I think people, Especially in our culture. It’s like, oh, if there’s no physical violence, like you’re fine, you know, what are you worried about?

But yet there can be all this like emotional turmoil and gaslighting. So thank you for mentioning that the other question I have for you is also like what advice do you have? What do you what advice do you have for somebody who like wants to get started on their fitness journey? but they are intimidated, right?

They’re like, Oh my gosh, I don’t want to be judged at the gym. Obviously, if people are local to LA or like nearby Compton, go to Babes of Wellness. But for people who maybe don’t live close, close enough, what advice do you have for 

Kat: them? Yeah. So I would say the best thing is honestly, like Go on YouTube.

Most gyms, if you’re going to a big box gym, look at how to use the machines because most people are intimidated or women are intimidated by like, how do I use this? Like a quick search can really help you feel a little bit more confident in the gym. There’s also a lot of programs like that you can follow or that you can purchase online with your phone.

you can download there’s. tons of like free apps, that you can also use. And it’s always, we always struggle or we feel insecure because we don’t have a plan. Not having a plan will always make you feel insecure. So if you go in with a plan and at least say, okay, I’m going to just get there. Let me just park my car.

Boom. Next step next week. Let me just walk in. And see boom next week. I’m gonna prepare my playlist ahead of time. I’m going to prepare this podcast that I’m going to listen to, or whatever, just always having a plan and, and congratulating yourself for taking like those little baby steps can really get you in the door and keep you on the door.

And if you don’t like it. That’s okay. Maybe you’re more of the group class girly. Maybe you’re someone who actually needs a personal trainer. Maybe you’re someone who needs to download an app. Like there’s no right or wrong way to do it. And just, just create a plan for yourself and you’ll make it a lot easier.

You’ll feel a lot more confident. And at the end of the day. if you don’t feel like going to the gym, go outdoors. Like there’s so much that you can do. Just connect to nature, move your body, put on a song, put on a good playlist and just Just fucking shake your ass for like an hour and you’ll get in a good workout.

so there’s no right or wrong way of doing it. Just have a plan. But if you are, if you do have specific goals, I would highly suggest hiring a personal trainer, at least trying out some group classes in your area. 

Erika: Great advice. What is Kat’s favorite workout? 

Kat: What’s yours? so I would say my favorite exercise is definitely the hip thrust because it’s the one that I can lift the heaviest.

I’m currently at 375 for my hip thrust. So that is a lot. That feels pretty, that feels pretty sexy to me. Yeah, I love strength training. But you know, I also really love running. I’ve had several injuries. Currently, I have like three fractured toes. So it’s not fun, but I still do it. I still push myself whether it’s walking.

If some days I feel good, like no matter what you can do, don’t limit yourself just because you have an injury or you’ve had surgery. Like there’s always something you can do. So focus on what you can do. Not what you’re not able to do. Love that advice. Is there anything 

Erika: that I haven’t asked you about that you want to share, like either a story, a piece of advice, anything that comes to mind?

Kat: Yeah, I would say 

we actually take up space and we can change the narrative of the future and so I just you know, this is like a call to all my queers like let’s start fucking taking up space and take over the industry because If you’re queer, it just, it makes it better.

Just saying. 

Erika: I couldn’t agree more. And now tell us for the individual that does live near Compton that has maybe been wanting to check out your gym, tell us a little bit, a little bit more about what kind of classes are offered and how people can begin to attend the gym and, where 

Kat: you’re located as well.

Yeah, so we’re right by Cal State Dominguez Hills. If you guys know where that’s at. it’s off the 91 freeway off of like Victoria and Wilmington. So that’s that’s where we’re at. We have everything from yoga pilates. We do a lot of workshops. We do strength training and conditioning, Olympic weightlifting classes.

We do cardio classes. We also do private 1 on 1 sessions. We host workshops surrounding grief, mental health. women’s wellness, queer, private, just queer workshops, fitness classes. We also have a Senora’s Babes program, which is catered to women, 50 and over to also get their fitness on. And that community is so special.

Honestly, I’m in my Senora era. So like, I love them. I love being able to give back and create a community for the Senoras in our lives. To, to feel stronger, to feel sexy, to feel like themselves again, to give to themselves again. And that’s something that hasn’t been done. So we’re really proud of that. So it can be a space for you, your family, your friends.

And, yeah, how beautiful 

Erika: you can go and bring your mom. I love that so much. I love it. And, do you ever wake up and just. Think, holy shit, this is my life now. I mean, as I heard you like read all these things out or say them out, I was like, wow, I’ve obviously haven’t been, been to the gym yet, but I had no idea that you had all of these things going on.

So yeah. Do you ever have moments when you wake up and you’re like, damn, just like a couple of years ago, like we were in my garage and now we’re like in this location offering all of these amazing 

Kat: things all the time, all the time. Sometimes I’m like, how are we doing this? I, I don’t even know, like, but it was, it’s, it’s hard to pinpoint because it took, it was a lot of million little steps.

It wasn’t just a big leap. It was the million little steps that people aren’t willing to take or people just give up. Honestly, if you want to be successful, I always say it’s, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. So just tough it out and keep going one foot in front of the other. Yeah, 

Erika: and people want to know like how they’re gonna get from A to Z when like all they need to know is like A To B and then B to C and then C to D, right?

All you need is the next step because you don’t even know like where Z is like you don’t even know where you’re gonna end up so Love it. You dropped so many so many gems today Is there anything else that you’d like to share? Oh, wait, where can people follow you? That was my last question. Yeah. Give us the socials.

Like we talked about the gym, but where can people connect with you and follow the gym and stay up to date with everything going 

Kat: on? Yeah. So babes of wellness, the website is babes of wellness. com. we’re babes of wellness everywhere on TikToK and IG and threads for me. It’s super Novoa. there’s an O, so it’s like Nova, like supernova, just add an extra O in between the V and the A, on all social platforms.

Perfect. And we 

Erika: will link all of that down below the website, your socials, as well as the links that 

Kat: we talked about earlier. Yeah. 

Erika: Amazing. This has been such an insightful conversation. Like you dropped so many nuggets of wisdom that I really encourage people to go back and listen to this again because there were so many amazing

pieces. If you took anything away from this episode, be sure to take a screenshot and tag both Kat and myself and even Babes of Wellness so that we know what resonated with you and that way we can also repost it as well. Kat, thank you so much. It has been an honor to have you on the show. 

Kat: Thank you so much, Erica.

This was lovely. Always enjoy talking to you and connecting with you.