Kay & Me
Who is Kay?
She/ Her/ They/ Them
Hola, my name is Kaleigh Mancha, but you can call me Kay. I identify as a queer Latina w/ indigenous & Sicilian roots. I serve the Las Vegas, NV community which is on the land of the NuWu- Southern Paiute People .
I come from a multi- generational military family & am proud to say I am a first generation college graduate. I completed a Bachelor's at UNLV in Psychology with an emphasis on ethnic studies & fine arts in 2007. I took a year off between my BA & MS to work in my community & settle into my role as a new mom. I went on to complete a Master's at Cal Poly SLO in 2011, focusing on families, trauma & culturally responsive programming.
Professional Life
I started my journey in 2007 as a counselor overseeing court supervised visitations & working with foster youth. I began practicing therapy in 2010 in San Luis Obispo, CA & Santa Barbara County.
I went on to provide family & individual therapy to folks who had experienced trauma, while also offering support to court mandated teens in recovery from substance misuse. I transitioned a few years later into serving young adults & non traditional students attending UNLV, where I was also able to create culturally responsive programming to meet first gen students' needs. I moved to Los Angeles in 2016 to serve as a therapist, College Readiness Counselor & Wellness Coordinator at a high school in South Central.
In 2017 I opened K.a.y. & M.e.!
It allowed me to combine my work as a therapist with all my other passions. I had been a practicing full spectrum doula since 2010 & trauma informed yoga teacher since 2013. I worked as the Executive Director & Lead Teacher for Yoga Haven to create programs & bring meditation & yoga into Title I schools & anti violence orgs in Las Vegas from 2017-2022. I'm currently their Program Director overseeing a grant sponsored by the State of Nevada's Maternal Child Health Department.
Since 2019, I co- founded a BIPOC led collective, co-wrote the 1st nationally grant funded doula program for survivors of violence & created the 1st comprehensive Beginner & Advanced Doula Certificate programs housed at a university.
I am currently co-authoring two books on the topics of child maltreatment & systemic violence across the gender spectrum.
Personal Life
In an effort to decolonize my therapy practice, I find that means that my personal life is not separate from my professional life. I am in constant relation to my community. An Indigenous birth keeper I met at a womb healing gathering I was attending spoke into the space & said "We work at the pace of our children" & it changed the way I thought about my work life balance.
I became a single mother at 21 with my daughter. She accompanied me through grad school, world travels & many transformations! When I entered my 30's I experienced an early 2nd trimester loss of twins after a debilitating experience & complications from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which resulted in postpartum depression. This inspired me to seek out mentorship opportunities to explore Indigenous womb healing practices. I became certified to offer sobadas & rebozo manteadas.
In 2021, after another challenging HG pregnancy, I gave birth to my rainbow baby & heart warrior.
Beyond motherhood, I am deeply spiritual & acknowledge the power of holistic medicines & slow living. I am passionate about urban foraging & herbal remedies, as well as the healing power of movement.
I am a mami, wife, sister, daughter, comadre, tía & community builder.