Leading With Heart: A Frontline View on Mental Health and Hope in Immigrant Communities

When community members walk into Mixteca’s legal clinic, they are met with more than legal help. They are welcomed into a space that centers care. Lavender sachets, stress balls, and sensory tools help ease the anxiety that so many immigrants carry. In this reflection, Lorena Kourousias, Executive Director of Mixteca, shares what it means to lead an immigrant support organization through uncertainty and trauma. She opens up about the emotional toll her team faces, the importance of mental health, and the ancestral practices that keep her grounded. It is a story of resilience, community, and the quiet power of healing spaces.