WHO

We are Kahlea & Mary, and we are K&M Cafe. We aren’t an actual cafe (yet), but due to the pandemic, we are really missing cafes as community gathering spaces. So, we decided to create a virtual cafe- where we can congregate online to share support, resources, and information in order to promote individual and collective wellbeing. 

WHY

Kahlea’s background is in social work and community health, and Mary is a Registered Dietitian. We both have experience in the clinical setting, but were discouraged by the limitations of providing care in the current clinical model. As health professionals, we are constantly exploring how to promote population health, so we are using K&M Cafe as a tool to network and collaborate with other folks in our community to explore how we can improve community health outcomes in our community while promoting personal health & wellness.

The conversation in the mainstream wellness industry is also pretty narrow. What do you think of when you hear “Wellness”? Probably juices, smoothies, expensive gyms, pilates machines, and yoga pants. We know health is impacted by so much more than diet and fitness, and we want to expand the conversation on wellness. Because what’s out there right now, is only helping a very specific group of people. We want to make Health & Wellness accessible, inclusive, and relevant to all people, so that anyone can feel like they have the tools and resources necessary to optimize their wellbeing, whatever their circumstances.

HOW

• We hope to educate and inspire others about how to best manage their own health & wellbeing, while also expanding the conversation on wellness to include other topics related to the Social Determinants of Health. We want to shed light on the issues in our community that are impacting health outcomes- from housing, to education, to healthcare access, etc, and explore ways to raise capital for individuals and organizations.

• Though, we recognize that we can’t help others if we don’t care for ourselves first, so we will also focus on individual wellness, sharing nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and social health tips through our writing, podcast, and social media.

• We also plan to feature a diverse set of community perspectives and voices, from farmers, artisans, activists, medical professionals, educators, and so on- to provide a community-level perspective on health and wellbeing. Through our networking, we will highlight resources from other individuals and organizations so our listeners can either utilize available tools for themselves, or share the information with others.