Kaleigh Mancha has served as a full-spectrum birth worker and licensed marriage and family therapist for more than 15 years, specializing in perinatal mental health conditions, reproductive experiences, loss, trauma and complex PTSD. She has been a certified trauma-informed yoga teacher for more than 10 years, with an emphasis on body-positive and accessible yoga practices. Kaleigh oversees all yoga programming, training, and mentorship at Yoga Haven, a local non-profit bringing free yoga into Title I schools & non-profits.
Additionally, Kaleigh co-founded Heart & Sol Collective in 2020, a queer and BIPOC-founded and led nonprofit that provides culturally responsive, mutual aid-based services to address reproductive health disparities in the Las Vegas community. She is a published author on the topics of child maltreatment and gender-based violence, and has contributed to published research highlighting Latina mothers’ barriers to accessing maternal health services, advancing equity in maternal-child health, and the impact of community care programs in addressing food insecurity in Las Vegas.
In 2025, Kaleigh Mancha quietly powered an extraordinary range of community care — from distributing essential reproductive health resources and offering hundreds of free yoga classes to advancing maternal health policy and research. She mentored emerging public health professionals, built wellness programs in local schools, and shared her expertise through media, workshops, and community coalitions. Kaleigh’s steady, holistic service continues to uplift families citywide, making her an essential voice in community care.
Learn more about Kaleigh and her work.
Q&A WITH KALEIGH MANCHA
If you could order one meal from any Las Vegas restaurant as your last meal on Earth, what would it be and why?
One meal?! If I'm having my LAST meal on earth, we're definitely eating a multi-course meal of all my favorites!
Appetizer: Fried squash blossoms from Crossroads at Resorts World. They are daydream worthy. I'm salivating right now thinking about them!
Main courses: The Caesar's Envy Wrap from Garden Grill (or honestly anything they serve because it's all delicious) and a veggie platter from Lucy's Ethiopian
Dessert: Tiramisu from Tarantino's Vegan
I love to support local businesses, especially women and/or minority-owned, who cook with their heart. Food is medicine for the body and the soul.
What’s a local issue you wish more people paid attention to and why?
For being such a large city, we don't have as many resources for medical or mental health as other large cities do. From chronic healthcare provider shortages to high rates of poverty and food insecurity, Vegas has a mental health crisis. We rank 51st in the nation for mental health. When people are unable to access support, they struggle to work, learn, raise children, care for themselves or their community. We need a radical reinvestment in trauma-informed services and support for helping people meet their basic needs consistently. Wellness is not a luxury, it's a necessity.
If you were the ruler of Las Vegas for a day, what would be the first improvement you would make for locals?
If New Mexico can do it, so can we. I'd launch a universal free child care program that allows Clark County families to access child care without income restrictions. One-third of our city's residents are under 18 years old and I know as a working solo parent, child care is such a financial burden that it can be a determining factor of whether a family lives in poverty or not.
Where in Las Vegas do you go when you need to recharge?
I love nature so when I get the chance I try to go to Red Rock or forage for plants near Lone Mountain, but one of my favorite places to recharge is the Springs Preserve. All the diverse plant species and the quiet spaces they offer make it a great place to reflect and rest. My heart always feels full after grabbing a chai tea latte and chocolate chip cookie from the Springs Cafe and walking around appreciating the beauty and resilience that lives in the desert.
Why do you continue to live in Las Vegas?
No matter where I go in the world, I always return to Vegas. This is home. The east side raised me and I feel so much pride in all the ways living here has shaped me and my commitment to community. So much culture, creativity and solidarity exists in the Vegas I know. I also feel a deep connection to the land and believe we have some of the most gorgeous sunsets. The desert is a truly magical place. My family has roots here, my people are here. Home is where the heart is.
