Hilinski’s Hope’s fourth week of collective action is a continuation of the organization’s service to the mental wellbeing of students across all levels and sports

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Hilinski’s Hope Foundation (H3H), founded by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the legacy of their son Tyler, today announced that over 150 schools and organizations around the country will be participating in Student Athlete Mental Health Week, the organization’s fourth annual week of collective action dedicated to addressing the mental wellbeing of student athletes, from September 30th to October 7th.

Hilinski’s Hope’s fourth week of collective action is a continuation of the organization’s service to the mental wellbeing of students across all levels and sports

“We miss Tyler every day, but we know that he would be so proud of the difference we are working to make in the lives of student athletes,” said Kym Hilinski, co-founder of Hilinski’s Hope. “In the last four years, Mark and I have traveled all over the country, speaking with students, sharing Tyler’s story, and encouraging these tough but crucial conversations. We’re incredibly honored to be joined by over 150 schools this year to fight stigma and increase mental health resources on campuses.”

During Student Athlete Mental Health Week, student athletes and athletic departments across the country will participate in breaking down stigma, offering quality resources, and letting student athletes know they are supported.

“I want to make talking about mental health normal. Hilinski’s Hope has turned a devastating life event into a force for good by taking action and creating Student Athlete Mental Health Week,” said Caleb Williams, University of Southern California quarterback, founder of the Caleb Cares Foundation and 2022 Heisman Trophy recipient. “Hilinski’s Hope is making talking about mental health normal. This is so important because we all have the power to help someone by simply reaching out and checking in. You never know what someone is going through and how you can impact them and maybe save a life.”

Participating schools have committed to at least one of the following during the week: encouraging students, parents, alumni, and fans to participate in showing solidarity, eliminating stigma around mental health by holding three fingers to the sky during the first play of the third quarter; playing a Hilinski’s Hope PSA at the SAMHW games; wearing one of the many “3” ribbon products sent by H3H to their campus, participating in social media campaigns during the week, engaging in an internal assessment to evaluate how their campus is following best practices in terms of mental health programs, and include talks and trainings on campus for players, coaches, and staff.

“On or off the field, the wellbeing of our players has always been one of our top priorities at the University of Oklahoma ” said Patty Gasso, Head Coach of University of Oklahoma Softball. “In their adoption of Student Athlete Mental Health Week, we are proud to stand with Hilinski’s Hope as they continue to advocate for the mental health and safety of student athletes of every sport and level.”

H3H has created evidence-based mental health resources, including the Game Plan and Online Mental Health Course, which work to educate and reduce the stigma of seeking help for mental health concerns, along with providing a new way of thinking and addressing mental health.

“Education and awareness are critical in connecting student-athletes to mental health resources and no organization is doing more to promote athlete mental health than Hilinski’s Hope,” said Dr. Dylan Firsick, Assistant Athletic Director, Director of Mental Health and Performance at the University of Georgia. “The University of Georgia is proud to partner with Hilinski’s Hope and encourage all athletic departments to do the same for the 2023 Student Athlete Mental Health Week.”

Student Athlete Mental Health Week coincides with Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 1-7, culminating on World Mental Health Day on October 10.

Hilinski’s Hope would like to say a special thank you to our lead sponsors College Hill Threads, Lombardi Wines, Carelon, Uncork for Hope and Sack The Stigma for helping make Student Athlete Mental Health Week possible.

To learn more and/or get involved with Hilinski’s Hope Foundation please visit https://www.hilinskishope.org/samhw.

To date schools from around the country participating include:

Abilene Christian University
Arizona State University
Auburn University
Auburn University at Montgomery
Aurora University
Austin Peay State University
Baylor University
Bemidji State University
Benedict College
Benedictine University
Berry College
Boise State University
Boston College
Bowling Green State University
Brigham Young University
California Baptist University
California State University, Long Beach
Carroll College
Central College
Central Michigan University
Central Washington University
Claremont Mudd Scripps Colleges
Clemson University
Concordia University Chicago
Cornell University
Davidson College
Delta State University
Drake University
Drexel University
Duquesne University
East Mississippi Community College
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Washington University
Edward Waters University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida State University
Fordham University
Gardner-Webb University
George Fox University
George Mason University
Georgetown University
Georgia Southern University
Grand Canyon University
Henderson State University
Idaho State University
Illinois State University
Indiana University
James Madison University
Juniata College
Kansas State University
Keene State College
King’s College
Lamar University
Lees-McRae College
Lehigh University
Liberty University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana Tech University
Marist College
Marshall University
Mercyhurst University
Mid Michigan College
Middlebury College
Mississippi College
Mississippi State University
Missouri State University
Mt San Antonio College
North Carolina State University
North Dakota State University
North Greenville University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Michigan University
Northwestern University
Northwood University
Oklahoma State University
Oregon State University
Pacific Lutheran University
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
Rollins College
Sacramento State University
Saint Vincent College
Saint Xavier University
San Diego State University
Santa Barbara City College
Seattle University
Siena College
South Carolina State University
Southern Methodist University
Southern University and A&M College
Southern Utah University
St. Bonaventure University
Stanford University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stetson University
Stevenson University
Stony Brook University
Tarleton State University
Texas A&M University
Texas Tech University
The Catholic University of America
Thiel College
Tufts University
University at Buffalo
University of Akron
University of Alabama
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Arizona
University of Arkansas
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Central Florida
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Dayton
University of Delaware
University of Detroit, Mercy
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii
University of Iowa
University of Kansas
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Miami
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri
University of Montana Western
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Reno
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
University of North Texas
University of Oklahoma
University of Redlands
University of Richmond
University of San Diego
University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina, Beaufort
University of South Dakota
University of South Florida
University of Southern California
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of Texas, Arlington
University of Tulsa
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin, Stout
University of Wyoming
Utah State University
Utah Tech University
Utah Valley University
Vanderbilt University
Viterbo University
Washington State University
West Virginia University
Western Carolina University
Whitworth University
William Penn University
Winston-Salem State University

About Hilinski’s Hope:
H3H helps colleges and universities save lives, eliminate stigma, and scale mental wellness programs for student athletes. H3H does this by sharing Tyler’s story, connecting students with mental health resources, and assisting universities to institutionalize best practices. To learn more about H3H please visit www.hilinskishope.org 

SOURCE Hilinski’s Hope Foundation

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Lydia Stevens, the U.S. acquisitions editor for Urano Publishing, at her office in Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

GARDINER — Lydia Stevens spends her days in front of twin computer monitors at her small office, editing, emailing and doing the dozens of tasks required of an acquisition editor at an international publishing company.

Behind her, sitting face out on one of the many bookshelves that line the small room, are the first fruits of the labors of Stevens and her colleagues as they launch the U.S. branch of the Spain-based Urano World Publishing this week.

Four books — “How to be a Grown Up,” by Daisy Buchanan; “This Working Life: How to Navigate Your Career in Uncertain Times,” by Lisa Leong and Monique Ross; “Grief and Renewal: Finding Beauty and Balance in Loss,” by Hector Miguel Ruiz and Barbara Emrys; and “She Who Wins: Ditch Your Inner ‘Good Girl,’ Overcome Uncertainty and Win at Your Life,” by Renee Bauer  —  are the debut titles for U.S. branch of the company and represent the result of some of the work Stevens has done since she was hired nearly two years ago.

“She Who Wins,” is to be released Tuesday, and “Grief and Renewal” on Sept. 25.

And that marks the official start of Stevens’ dream career.

“It’s taken 10 years to get here,” Stevens said recently.

It has actually been longer than that, if you count back to the days of Stevens’ childhood, when she wrote in journals and snuck out of bed to sit at the top of the stairs to read by the light from the hallway. And when her parents caught her at it and sent her back to bed, she would retreat to the back of the closet with a flashlight.

“I used to think nobody knew it about it, but, yeah, they knew I did it,” she said. “My mom was like: Why do you think I give you an hour before I tell you to go to bed?”

After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University, the Gardiner native worked as a ghostwriter before switching to developmental editing, helping writers with issues like structure, form and plot.

She also served an internship for Paige Wheeler, founder of Creative Media Agency, and for Anthem Press in London. Among her other experiences, she returned to Creative Media Agency as a freelance editor.

When the position at Urano World Publishing was announced, Stevens applied. With her hiring, the U.S. branch and seventh branch of the publishing company outside of Spain would be launched. And with her location in Gardiner, it would join about a dozen other publishers based in Maine.

The plan is to release two titles a month for the first year as the business progresses.

And it appears there is room in the marketplace for more titles, because demand for books remains resilient, despite fears about the economy, COVID-19 and changes in consumer demand, according to Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform.

Book publishing in the United States has topped $25 billion in revenue, which includes the growing digital audiobook sector.

Stevens spends her days reviewing nonfiction, self-help and inspirational proposals and manuscripts that come by an author query or through a literary agency. Manuscripts that pass that screening will be reviewed by the editorial board, which considers the merits and marketability of the proposals. If a deal can be struck, that begins the editing process, which can include making sure the manuscript is in good shape, and the author’s claims are appropriately supported.

Even as Stevens works on the words of other authors, she has written some of her own. She is a self-published author of four books and has a manuscript with a literary agent. On top of all of that, she is now enrolled in a doctoral program for humanities and culture, with a specialty in women and gender studies and creative writing at Union Institute & University in Ohio. Her creative dissertation is titled “Beautiful Souls,” to encourage women to pursue their creative mediums and look at how that contributes to the arts and humanity and helps women with their mental and emotional well-being.

“What could women do for society if we said to ourselves that we don’t have to put these creative ideas on the back burner because we’re busy with a career or a family or a spouse?” Stevens said.

The completion of the manuscript is still months away. In the meantime, Stevens said she will continue working with authors on their manuscripts and on public relations and marketing, working with cover designers and copy editors and setting up distribution and production — essentially, building the infrastructure that will support the pipeline of ideas that are waiting to see the light of day.

Stevens does not rely solely on queries. She often gets into discussions about books, especially if she is at the Gardiner Public Library. When she is wearing one of her Union Institute T-shirts, a conversation might start with a question about what she is studying and slide right into a book idea.

Stevens also works on outreach and making contacts more formally by attending conferences, including the Writer’s Digest conference in New York she attended in her first year working for Urano.

“I was pitched in the bathroom through a stall door. Please,” she said, “just email me.”

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Theresa Joubert, 59, sits in her living room, surrounded by fans, “The Price is Right” on the TV. Normally, she likes to go for walks around the neighborhood with her caretaker, Shirley McPherson, or sit underneath the trees in her yard.

But this summer, the heat has kept Joubert stuck at home. “I go outside, I’m dizzy,” Joubert said. “It’s that bad out there.”

For seniors like Joubert, the long-lasting heat this summer has been especially taxing. But across demographics, the exposure to — or efforts to avoid — the abnormally high temperatures of recent months have had adverse effects on people’s overall health.

“On an individual basis, it’s difficult to know if there’s a compounding effect,” said Aaron Webb, a physician assistant at the medical director’s office at Acadian Ambulance. The data, however, paints a picture of an accumulating impact.

The ambulance company saw increases in heat-related problems among the patients it transported in Louisiana in June and July compared to last year, of 26% and 20%, respectively. Then, in August, normally a time when those numbers start to wane, they saw more than double the amount of heat-related health issues as they did the previous year.

“This is abnormal,” Webb said. “You certainly have to pay more attention,” he added. “Everything just has to be more cautious.”

The heat can exacerbate symptoms of existing health issues, such as heart problems, respiratory issues or multiple sclerosis, according to physicians. Some medications used to treat those conditions, especially cardiovascular issues, can make those who take them more susceptible to heat-related illness.

Kenneth Mueller, an assistant clinical professor at the Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University in Atlanta, said patients on heart or blood pressure medication are advised to be careful when visiting a sauna, for example. When outside temperatures resemble a sauna, as they have for most of this summer, daily tasks bear greater risk for those patients.

“It’s definitely cause for concern,” Mueller said. Even very common medications, such as ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can lead to severe reactions when paired with prolonged heat exposure, kidney injuries being the most common concern.

Staying on top of their medications has been more of a challenge for her patients as a result of the heat as well, said Traci Bourgeois, a general physician at Ochsner Lafayette General Community Health Center. At her clinic, Bourgeois said, providers are “seeing compliance issues as patients are having transportation challenges and unable to walk to the pharmacy or not scheduling appointments for routine care.”

Then there are the mental health implications of being cooped up for months as high temperatures turn every trip outside into a battle against the elements.

“It’s almost like heat-COVID,” said Michele Veillon, CEO and co-owner of Senior Helpers, an agency offering at-home care for seniors.

Caretaker Shirley McPherson plates a meal of eggs, bacon and grits on the kitchen counter of Theresa Joubert’s home in North Lafayette.

Staff photo by Alena Maschke

Even caretakers struggle with tasks they usually do for their clients, such as running errands or doing yard work. Adjusting to it is hard, said McPherson, Joubert’s caretaker. “The heat gets to me,” she admitted.

Chris Roy, executive director of 232-HELP, which provides crisis support and resource referrals, has noticed the same among both his clients and staff.

“It’s like an existential dread,” Roy said of the mood callers and — at times — staff members are in, as the relentless heat has dragged on. “There’s a real fatigue,” he added, noting that he’s seen more of his staff members call in sick or ask to work from home in the wake of unusually high temperatures.

“We typically think about physical health, coming in with a [heat] stroke and heat exhaustion or burns,” said Dr. Tina Stefanski, medical director for the Office of Public Health in the Acadiana region. Stefanski pointed to a 2022 study of emergency visits led by the University of Albany, NY, that showed increased visits for severe mental health symptoms during hot days.

“Clearly, there’s an effect on our mental health, when we’re exposed to this heat,” Stefanski said.

Whether it’s physical or mental health symptoms, periods of lingering, extremely high temperature pose a threat to public health and caution is advisable, Stefanski said. “People need to not assume that they’re immune and take precautions,” she noted.

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Psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll of Iowa City interacts with a horse during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. The retreat allowed participants to interact with horses to help ground themselves and work on personal issues like setting boundaries or focusing on your inner self. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — When the pandemic hit in 2020, psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll started working with a lot of overwhelmed people — clients who were exhausted and scared in ways more widespread than before.

After 14 years of practice, she was overwhelmed alongside virtually everyone else. So she started to look for an outlet for herself — one that could build her up her own emotional capacity in her responsibility to hold space for clients.

After growing up with horses, she decided to reconnect to her childhood. In her pursuit of finding peace, she attended a new type of training in California: an equine-based learning model.

Freyja Stoltz of Iowa City, left, and Anna Evans of Iowa City pet one of the mares as it grazes in a pasture during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Now, using what she’s learned and how she’s been able to apply it to her own life, others in the area can take advantage of equine therapy for mental health, and other services focused on holistic wellness, through her new organization, The Well Lived Life.

“I was hearing people talk about how important self-care was, but I also wanted to move toward the collective practice and create spaces for people to really get in touch with what restoration looks like,” said Benway-Correll, of Iowa City.

If you go

What: The Well Lived Life and Beyond Barriers presents Lessons from the Herd, an equine guided course with licensed psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll. The retreat, designed for women, helps participants connect to an expanded sense of self and reclamation of personal power, to support a grounded sense of self and renewed trust in one’s intuition.

When: 5 to 7 p.m. Sundays: Oct. 8, 15 and 29.

Where: Wyndtree Farm, 1662 Amana Rd., Swisher

Details: Cost is $350 for all three workshops. Open to women 18 and over. No horse experience is necessary, and no horse riding will take place.

Sessions are designed to develop skills to support nervous system balancing, emotional regulation, embodied presence and reclaiming self authenticity.

Registration: Limited to eight participants; welllivedlife.org/new-page

How it works

The equine model is the first of its kind offered in Iowa City for mental health. Through programming called somatic exercises, no horse experience is necessary to take advantage of the mental health benefits with the techniques.

No riding happens. Instead, all interactions take place from the ground. Those who might have a fear of horses can especially benefit from the structure, too.

“The idea is we have a lot we can learn about right relationships and moving beyond the limitations of the mind, from the horses,” Benway-Correll said. “They’re present in the moment. Because they’re prey animals, they have 360-degree awareness of their environment at all times.”

By getting quiet and looking to the cycles of nature as a teacher, clients can learn how to restore themselves parallel to the order of nature. In the wild, horses show there can be a place for everyone — and that everyone in the herd shares a responsibility to each other.

Psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll of Iowa City goes through an exercise about picking up energy, during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

After a grounding exercise done in a circle, participants move into the field where they can stand and sit with horses. There, participants learn how to set clear boundaries with animals many times their size.

For this course, which is focused on empowering women in particular, the herd’s lead mare can be a particularly poignant example. The therapist leading the course says it’s helped her and other women find their own personal power by stepping outside the limitations imposed by their own minds and exploring the embodied feeling of claiming space.

“It’s really powerful when you’re clearly able to claim your space and your right to space, which is something that a lot of us — women in particular — have a hard time doing,” Benway-Correll said. “When you have a herd of 1,500-pound animals respect that, it’s really powerful.”

Like one feeling the exercise is meant to create, she said horses are embodied creatures that use all of their senses to keep themselves safe.

“Humans, we often live most of our lives from the neck up,” Benway-Correll explained. “The exercises are essentially emulating herd dynamics, in turn teaching you what interdependent relationships look like.”

Psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll of Iowa City watches the interaction as Rachel Smith of Coralville observes two mares grazing during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Why it matters

While elevated concerns about a new virus have faded over the three years since the pandemic started, the aftermath impacting mental health is as strong as ever. Therapists like Benway-Correll believe the effects will linger for years to come.

The name of this new retreat and wellness-oriented arm of her work was prompted by those combing through the existential questions posed by COVID-19.

Models like the new equine one are meant to create spaces for clients to discover the components of what it means to live their lives to the fullest. Her programming recognizes four primary pillars to explore: ease, pleasure, creativity and empowerment.

Working with horses is one way to allow the mind’s dust to settle to see more clearly how to achieve those ideals. Now, she said some of those who have experienced turbulence in recent years are starting to explore a new stage after the stages of grief: making meaning in their lives.

Kara Krapfl of Iowa City observes a horse feeding in a pasture during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. The retreat is horse-oriented and allows participants to improve their mental health by learning from the behaviors of horses. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

“It’s not just at the retreat that you experience the meaning-making and the learning,” she said. “You take it into your life.”

Comments: (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com

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GRANDVIEW, Ohio — Katy Gamertsfelder and Bridget Readey will never forget 2021.

The two friends were teammates of a lively, fun-loving, outdoorsy man named Alex Wilhelm, 30, who took his own life on March 8th. 

What You Need To Know

• Six million men are affected by depression in the U.S. every single year according to the National Institutes of Health 
• The NIH reports depression and suicide are leading causes of death among men
• Men die by suicide at a rate nearly 4 times that of women
• Through a volleyball tournament, central Ohio residents are doing everything they can to help spike the stigma

“It was one of the most traumatic, I mean, I think we both can, we can remember the day like it was yesterday, unfortunately,” said Readey, a friend of Willhelm’s.

Alex Willhelm.

Volleyball brought the group together in 2019 as they played in a recreational league together at Woodland’s Backyard every Wednesday. But their friendship extended beyond the sand courts. They all became great friends and went camping, hiking and celebrated birthdays together.

Willhelm’s death came as a shock to the friends as they said it seemed like he had everything going for him. They described him as the life of the party and said he came from a great family and had a stable job.

“He was always buying rounds, buying rounds of drinks for people, he was the coach on our team, you know, he’d always given pointers and bring his dog and go on hikes,” said Katy Gamertsfelder, a friend of Willhelm’s. “You wouldn’t think that someone that’s this active, and that’s in a huge, huge, huge friend and support group, has a beautiful family, that would, that would feel that way, that he had no escape, and it just was an awakening for us.”

Katy Gamertsfelder and Bridget Readey, co-founders of the Spike the Stigma, MENd the Mind volleyball tournament. (Spectrum News 1/ Taylor Bruck)

Gamertsfelder and Readey felt compelled to bring light to men’s mental health and the stigmas surrounding it. In honor of their late friend, they started a volleyball tournament the year he died called “Spike the Stigma, MENd the Mind.” Three years later, the annual tournament continues to bring awareness to men’s mental health and provides resources and support to those who need it. 

“It affects more people than we are aware of,” Gamertsfelder said. “So I think that kind of got across last year. And that’s why the turnout was so big. We had, we had guys, women, you know, people coming up to saying, you know, I had my cousin, my brother, my daughter, my son, you know, it’s terrible. And the point is to talk about it.” 

Nearly 400 players are expected to take part in this year’s all-day tournament with hundreds more coming to watch. Gamertsfelder and Readey raised $17,000 in year one, $30,000 in year two and are hoping to raise $50,000 this year. All proceeds go to organizations in central Ohio working in suicide prevention and awareness, such as The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and Cornerstone of Hope.

“Everyone has things, whether it’s your, your family, or your friends or your job, and just like stress, and like maybe it’s multiple little things that build over time, but like everyone has, everyone has those things and just like not being, like not assuming that your problems aren’t relatable,” Readey said. 

Every year, the tournament has gotten bigger as they gain more support from the community. This year’s tournament will be the biggest yet. Gamertsfelder and Readey have planned food vendors, a silent auction for gift baskets and local art, 50/50 raffle baskets, a Jeep stacking event, a live Dj and mental health resources.

Spike the Stigma, MENd the Mind 2022 tournament, Submitted Photo

Gamertsfelder and Readey want to break the stigma surrounding mental health among everyone, but especially men. Although all genders are affected by mental illness, it is often overlooked in males. Mental health among men often goes untreated because they are far less likely to seek mental health treatment than women.

The rate of suicide is highest in middle-aged white men, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. They accounted for nearly 70% of suicide deaths in 2021, at a rate nearly 4 times that of women. 

“There’s so many things nowadays, whether it comes down to like men, like, you know, men can’t wear pink or like men can’t cry or you know, and it’s just like, it’s so sickening to hear because especially as two women, right? Like we, you know, we have the right to talk about our emotions or we’re crazy because we cry but like there are men that honestly would rather like end their own life than talk about the way they feel and I just like I’m not having it,” Readey said.

Gamertsfelder and Readey want all men to know it’s ok to speak up, it’s ok to cry, it’s ok to be human. Their friend lost his life to suicide, but they hope his story inspires others to live out theirs. 

“We miss him every day. And we hope that he’s, you know, I know, I feel like in my heart he’s saved other lives because of everything that he inspired,” Gamertsfelder said. 

The volleyball tournament is at Woodlands Backyard in Grandview and goes all day until about 11 p.m., or when the last game has ended.  

If you or anyone you know is struggling, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is free and available 24/7. Just call or text 988.

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Eyelashes, spa treatments and even henna tattoos — when it comes to helping women feel beautiful, Tiffany Longs does it all. Now she finally has her own salon where she can help clients discover their inner beauty, too.

Royal Lash Beauty Bar and Boutique opened in May inside Anointed Hands hair salon at 879 U.S. Highway 70 West in Garner, and Longs has huge plans for the small space. Her biggest mission is to build confidence in women from the inside out.

A self-trained eyelash artist and licensed esthetician, Long has built her lash and skincare business from the ground up. She also makes clothing, handmade soap, body products and jewelry.

“I’ve always had a love for beauty and fashion … from a little girl I’ve always known I wanted to be in the beauty industry,” she said.

As a child, Longs learned about beauty and the importance of self care from her mother. As she got older, she discovered her love for helping people feel their best.

She began building her brand in high school, when she designed outfits and sewed prom dresses for her friends. As a teenager, she would do makeup for friends and family before special events.

Years later, when her husband joined the military, Longs and her oldest daughter would travel with him and do makeup at military balls. Her dream of owning her own boutique took off in 2017 when she started selling clothing, makeup, eyelashes and skincare products out of her car — but then life threw a devastating curve ball.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Longs’ husband left her. For awhile, she was homeless.

“I actually gave up on Royal Lash for about six months … I felt hopeless,” Longs said.

Longs was living out of her car and working at a soup kitchen in 2021 when she decided to finally fulfill her lifelong dream and go to cosmetology school to become a licensed esthetician and makeup artist. She rebuilt her brand, and with loyal clients, small business grants and the support of friends and family, Royal Lash blossomed into something even larger than before.

Helping women find beauty from the inside out

When Longs secured a brick-and-mortar space for Royal Lash Beauty Bar and Boutique, she knew it would cater to much more than outer beauty.

Longs saw women were struggling constantly, with their careers, relationships and confidence. In 2021, she started getting small groups of women together, hosting retreats where strangers and friends can connect.

Longs called one of her first retreats “Queen of the Night.” The women pitched in to share a hotel room, and Longs provided food, music, entertainment and gifts.

“We started to talk about life, things that were heavy for different women to accept about themselves,” Longs said. “There was lots of tears and lots of laughter. Everyone slept like a baby.”

Next, Longs is planning a glamping trip in Asheville and a social event at Pullen Park for women struggling with toxic relationships. Since most women are on a budget, she strives to make every event low-to-no-cost.

“Sometimes they need a safe space just to share, and Royal Lash provides that,” Longs said. “Women can come in very small groups and they are able to share their experiences.”

Longs wants to get to know the clients on her table, and her network has grown to include dozens of women looking to support each other — whether they need babysitters, help promoting their business or a ladies’ night.

“I’ve never met a stranger,” Longs said. “I believe that God gives you a family outside of the one you were born in.”

While running her own business, Longs is currently taking online classes to get a degree in psychology and working to become a licensed therapist. Her dream is to one day offer her beauty clients who are starting over or need direction access to financial advisors, mediators and counselors.

Royal Lash gets a space in Garner

In addition to eyelashes, Royal Lash Beauty Bar and Boutique will offer spa and body treatments, facials and makeup lessons. Royal Lash has partnered with a makeup artist, Brooklynne Kay Beauty, to offer beauty services for bridal parties, prom, or for any special occasion.

Longs also offers fun services like henna tattoos and tooth gem application. Since Royal Lash shares a space with a full-service hair salon, Longs hopes it will be a one-stop beauty destination for women.

Longs has long offered pay-what-you-can beauty services to help women who need a confidence boost but don’t have a large income. Her goal at Royal Lash is to offer luxury services for affordable prices.

Her most popular service is eyelash extensions, which can take between two to four hours to apply. Longs calls eyelash application a ” silent service” or “lash nap” where women can rest.

“When they’re getting their lashes they’re getting their rest that they’re not going to get [elsewhere] because they baby is crying, or they have work, or they have to feed their family,” she said.

Longs specializes in custom lashes — she can coach new clients through the process, whether they want a bold or natural look.

Book an appointment online or text 984-225-9892.

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Moths flutter around as the sun streams through the windows of an old basketball court with wooden bleachers and tiled walls. Six women in orange or green jumpsuits lay out yoga mats, blocks and bolster pillows and set their shoes aside. They come to the class three times a week, where a correctional officer looks on as Phoenix Savage leads them in a stretch as the first of frequent announcements blares over an intercom.

Savage serves on the board of the Santa Fe Community Yoga Center, a nonprofit that has partnered with the New Mexico Corrections Department to offer a course in yoga, meditation and mindfulness at the women’s facility in Springer. The class aims to help keep participants out of prison once they’re released, but is also helping them cope with stresses behind the walls in the meantime.

After stretching, Savage teaches her first of two classes of the day a new breathing exercise. She instructs them to breathe in for a count of four and breathe out while pursing their lips for six. It’s part of a mindfulness practice intended to focus awareness on the present.

“It’s helping you to transition from what would be a flight or fight type of response to a challenge to a more controlled, composed response,” she tells her yoga students.

Kayla Solomon has been taking the class since it started in April. She’d never done yoga before and said she signed up to get active and relieve muscle tension.

“So, I didn’t think [to] that extent that you’ve got to breathe all the dang time,” she said, “It’s about the stretching, but it’s also about the breathing.”

She said of all the yoga class’s activities she’s actually gotten the most from the breathing techniques.

“Because out there I wouldn’t breath; I’d go from zero to one hundred,” she said. “And now, without even knowing it, I’m using those breathing techniques to calm myself down.”

The rate of people returning to incarceration within three years of release has been dropping in New Mexico — down to 35% from 55% in 2020, according to a recent report by the Legislative Finance Committee. Savage said she hopes her class can help lower that rate even more for its participants. Solomon said she thinks that’s possible.

“If I would have had some coping skills, or healthy coping skills instead of the negative ones that got me here, I feel like I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said.

She said she felt like people didn’t really care about her on the outside.

“Now I’ve had this time to sit down and learn things like this and have the people take time out of their day to come in and try to teach us something that might help us farther along the way,” she said. “And I feel like it probably would — because I’ve learned healthier ways of dealing with things.”

Savage said she hopes to measure whether the class lowers participants’ risk of getting locked up again through data tracking and focus groups since current research on the impact of yoga, mindfulness and meditation on recidivism is limited. However, several studies have shown the practices can help.

Phoenix Savage sits in front of the labyrinth outside the Santa Fe Community Yoga Center, where she serves on the board. Savage spearheaded the center’s recent partnership with NMCD and commutes four hours three times per week to lead the classes.

The reasons behind reincarceration are complex — from having been in the system before to lacking a support system outside or facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or employment. Savage said she can’t address all of them.

“I am connecting you to this process within yourself that is going to hopefully allow you to look at your options and figure out which options you should be taking,” she said about what she can offer a participant in her Springer yoga class. “And that’s where mindfulness comes in. And maybe to the average person [it seems like], ‘Hey, that’s just common thought.’ But here’s the reality: We don’t all get an equal chance at common thought.”

Trauma can disrupt decision making and numerous studies have shown that women entering U.S. prisons experience it at high rates. A 2013 report from the New Mexico Sentencing Commission showed nearly 90% of women surveyed had been physically assaulted in their lifetimes and 67% had been sexually assaulted.

Savage said she works to make the class trauma-informed by selecting poses that would be most comfortable for survivors of assault. So, participants don’t put their legs in the air while on their backs and avoid poses like downward dog, which she said can be triggering because they aren’t aware of their surroundings.

When asked what’s different about teaching yoga in a prison context, she said people in general aren’t always connected with their bodies, “but when you’re incarcerated I think you have more of a disconnect. Because your body no longer belongs to you. Your body is a product of the government at that point.”

Just being in prison itself can be traumatic. Multiple lawsuits related to alleged sexual assault, harassment and retaliation have been filed against Springer and its staff in recent years, and The Albuquerque Journal reports former Springer correctional officer Joseph Martinez was charged in 2021 with criminal sexual penetration of a woman incarcerated at the facility. He denies the rape allegations.

Warden Marianna Vigil says bringing the yoga class in had nothing to do with the allegations, adding that it’s one of many recreational opportunities at the minimum security facility, including softball, volleyball and Zumba.

“They all reside here obviously, so they all learn how to work together,” Vigil said. “And I think it also boosts their self-esteem.”

Springer also has educational offerings meant to boost life and coping skills, like substance use treatment, heavy equipment operation training and an associate’s degree program.

The Corrections Department has contracted with the Santa Fe Community Yoga Center through the end next month, but it’s open to renewing the agreement. The department set aside up to $10,866 for this first round of classes to pay for equipment and training, as well as instructors and their travel time.

Phoenix Savage of the Santa Fe Community Yoga Center leads participants from the Springer Correctional Center in a guided meditation.

Savage said she plans to take a break in July after these first 8-week classes wrap up and start back up in August. She has identified a prison staff member who’s willing to go through yoga certification training to improve the sustainability of the class by saving Savage the four-hour round-trip commute from Santa Fe, allowing her to focus on coordinating the program.

But for the next month, Savage will continue to take her yoga students who can’t otherwise leave the prison’s walls to an imaginary forest through guided meditation. After climbing a tall tree, they find a beautiful green cloud that drops down a ladder.

“You step inside the green cloud,” she tells them. “You’re so happy. You are safe, you are breathing.”

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When Country musician Frank Ray took the stage at Red Rocks Saturday afternoon, it came after a day of speaking to Denver police and other first responders about mental health. 

Ray is a former police officer and bilingual recording artist “opening doors for a modern Latino County movement,” according to his website. 

Ray grew up surrounded by both his own Mexican culture, living near the border in New Mexico, and by country music in Texas and his music harmonizes the two, according to his Spotify profile. 

Frank Ray with Denver Fire Captain JD Chism by Riley Mau

Riley Mau

Ray has been touring with country band Old Dominion since January, playing stages in cities where he also promotes his campaign, First Responders Mental Clarity (FRAY).

Before Ray picked up his guitar and took on the music industry, he spent 10 years as a police officer with the Las Cruces Police Department in New Mexico, he said.

Now that he’s gained some notice on the country music scene, Ray wants to use his voice to raise awareness of mental health challenges for first responders and give them resources to deal with the trauma they often face on duty, he said. 

“First responders are notorious for compartmentalizing (trauma) because we’re trained to kind of suck it up and deal with it,” Ray said. “When you serve the community first, you often put yourself last.” 

Ray hopes FRAY removes the negative stigma often associated with mental health for first responders and break down barriers for accessing help, he said. 

“FRAY focuses its efforts on not only raising awareness, but also directing first responders to organizations that can help,” Ray said. “I’ll use my platform to garner some national attention but also make these visits because I think (first responders) are more receptive to someone who’s walked a mile in their shoes.”

Since the beginning of the tour, Ray has visited an estimated 40 police stations and other first responder bases, he said. 

Ray’s music is a healthy outlet of expression for him, he said. 

“Dealing with law enforcement and trauma, I know the things that keep me up at night and I often find myself turning to writing a song,” Ray said.

Songwriting is Ray’s “light at the end of the tunnel,” something he hopes everyone dealing with mental health struggles and trauma can find for themselves, he said. 

“I haven’t necessarily written a song specific to trauma, but I find that (songwriting) has healing properties,” Ray said. “And if I can help someone else kind of escape the dark side of the world for a little bit and enjoy a song or enjoy a county music concert, if I can spread joy, I’m effecting some sort of change.”

Ray’s songwriting process varies, sometimes beginning as a melody and other times beginning with a title idea, he said. 

He has a list in his phone of titles he’s come up with through conversations with people and thoughts that pop into his head. 

“Sometimes it starts with a groove or melody and then I try to find a title that fits that music, so if it sounds happy, I’m more likely to write a happy title,” Ray said. “Of course, if it sounds sad, I’m probably going to write a whiskey drinking song.”

Ray has been interested in music since he was a kid and decided to take the leap and pursue music full-time in 2017. He found a manager, moved to Nashville and formed a self-titled band, he said.

“We kind of just hit the ground running,” Ray said. “I decided to take a leap of faith and I put down the badge and picked up the guitar.”

His transition into the music industry was scary, Ray said, but he was fortunate to have a community of people who offered him support. 

“I understood that once I left and jumped into this really competitive market, I had no other option than to work really, really hard and that’s exactly what I did,” Ray said. “I’m glad I did it at the time that I did.”

Touring while promoting FRAY not only helps Ray spread awareness for mental health, but also helps him maintain a bond with the first responder community.

“Even though I left law enforcement, I still try to remain really close to that family,” Ray said. “It was more than just a job for me, it was a family that I became a part of.”

First responders interested in learning more about FRAY can visit the campaign’s website at www.frayoc.org. 

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