On March 30, 2022, the community of San Luis Obispo was shaken when two once local business owners were accused of sexual misconduct for more than 30 women.
When the news first broke, stubborn fit founder Robby McLaughlin said he was horrified. As a business owner and local figurehead, McLaughlin felt a great responsibility to his community and didn’t hesitate to offer the Headstrong Fit gym as a safe space for healing. This is how “We Talk” was born.
“We Talk” is a free biweekly event organized through Headstrong that seeks to provide a space for anyone who cares about growing their mental and emotional health as much as their physical health.
According to Headstrong Instagram On the page, the event’s female-focused group, Red Tent Sisterhood, will take place on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, while the male group, Dude Tribe, will take place on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. .
“I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time, but recent events in our community really gave us the motivation to get this project off the ground,” said McLaughlin. “The purpose is to seek growth, progress and direction in all aspects of life.”
Red Tent Sisterhood, aptly named for the historic Red Tent Movementaims to foster the long-standing and sacred practice of women coming together for safety, sisterhood, and empowerment.
Led by health and wellness coaches Lindsey Graff and Louellen Ferreira, these meetings will be structured as a holistic experience that incorporates elements of light physical movement, breath work, and open conversation.
“Having personally experienced domestic violence and abuse and having worked with women for years, this was an opportunity to support our community that I couldn’t pass up,” Graff said. “…and then when all those brave women came forward to tell their truths about how they had been mistreated by business owners in our county, it was a no-brainer.”
“By nature, what I do is support, guide and encourage people on their personal journey to wellness,” added Ferreira. “This event is a big part of that because it really influences our mental health and well-being.”
In addition to mental health and wellness, the Headstrong team highlights the importance of safety and hopes to flip the script on where safety comes from through the female community setting of the event.
“Being a woman involves being aware of our surroundings and our safety in a way that most men will never experience,” Graff said. “The more a woman feels connected to herself and her community, the less she feels the weight of security.”
Along with the Red Tent Sisterhood, Headstrong also offers a gathering specifically curated for men called the Dude Tribe.
Led by founder Robby McLaughlin and wellness coach Zeke Graff, husband of Lindsey Graff, Dude Tribe aims to help its participants break through the stereotypes and stigmas placed on men when it comes to the subject of mental health and traditional masculinity.
By incorporating some traditional weightlifting elements, Dude Tribe will further encourage men to talk and open up about their own struggles.
“We all feel that supporting women means supporting men as well,” Lindsey Graff said. “By including men in this and giving them their own separate, personalized experience, we’re also giving them outlets and support.”
According to the National Library of Medicine, mental health among men is often left untreated because they are much less likely than women to seek mental health treatment. The worrying stigma surrounding seeking treatment, coupled with society’s standards of masculinity, make men more likely to engage in unhealthy and dangerous behaviors.
“With men, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes,” McLaughlin said. “We are taught to be strong and tough, but we can also be vulnerable…embracing that vulnerability will only help us grow and become better men for ourselves and the women in our lives.”
A strength and conditioning gym might seem like an unlikely environment to host such in-depth events, but the team at Headstrong encourages everyone to give “We Talk” a try.
“Headstrong is one of the most attractive and friendly communities you can find,” said Graff. “It’s also an ever-evolving model of how we can best support communities, both inside and outside the gym.”
For more information on this week’s upcoming “We Talk” meetings, visit the Headstrong Fit Gym website or your Instagram page.
