Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Arco, Margot Salgado and Nha Truong.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The three of us met during different walks in our college careers, while we were all pursuing our undergraduate degrees. Although we were successful and motivated, it came at a cost: We neglected our mental health and overall wellbeing. On paper, each of us had straight A’s and perfect resumes, but inside, we were burnt out and unhappy.
Upon graduating, each of us went through different healing journeys, which ultimately changed our perspectives on the relationship between academics and wellness. Denise (otherwise known as “Den Babe” to our followers) received a diagnosis of depression and anxiety and landed herself in therapy, where she spent the next six months learning about balance and starting her spiritual walk with Christ. Margot (a.k.a “M Babe”), during her undergraduate career, would isolate herself for months on end in order to be productive and would only make time for social interactions during school breaks, which was just a couple of weeks during the year. This cost her multiple friendships, as well as her happiness. Nha (“Nha Babe”) saw every achievement as an expected event, which caused her to overlook her accomplishments. This left her feeling apathetic. She even recalls not being excited for graduation, despite having graduated with high honors.
Aside from the shared burnout, one thing we had in common was our love for coffee and exploring new cafes. We always viewed cafes as an exciting way to make studying more enjoyable. This shared hobby has taken us on many adventures all over San Diego and held our friendship together during our busiest seasons.
Around this time last year, we found ourselves embarking on similar journeys once again: We were all pursuing master’s degrees. This time, we were determined to apply all the lessons we’d learned from our healing journeys. We wanted to practice a well-balanced life while pursuing our goals and share the importance of that to other women pursuing education. With this platform, we hope to inspire women in the workforce and pursuing education to live a holistic life. We not only share study and motivation tips, but we also help to educate and advocate for women’s mental health and overall well being.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been an eventful and incredibly fun journey so far, but it definitely has had its rocky stages. When we first started The Babes Who Study, we were all in the crux of our graduate applications and the holiday season, which made it difficult to find time to create content. In addition, we struggle to find a balance between posting about coffee/cafes and studying content. Throughout our first year together, we spent some time trying to figure out how to make time for our account, how to create a schedule and fine-tuning what kind of content we want to post.
When we started the account, we underestimated the amount of time content creation would take and often over-scheduled ourselves as a result. We still struggle with balance from time to time, but we are a team of caring and understanding women who value the importance of mental health and we respect when the other has got a lot going on outside of our shared account and adjust accordingly.
Lastly, we struggle with learning to distinguish which events are for content creation and which are for quality time (which typically entails no phones). It’s hard sometimes because our account’s theme heavily involves coffee (which we have to take photos for), but enjoying coffee and visiting cafes are also our ‘safe haven’ away from our daily stressors. It’s hard when that line gets blurred because now that ‘safe haven’ starts to feel a little bit like work. Sometimes we have to explicitly remind one another that the hangout is because we need an active listener and that it’s not for creative purposes. Overall, we value and respect each others’ opinions and wishes, so that helps a lot when we do feel some burnout.
The Babes Who Study – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Babes Who Study is an online community that is focused on uplifting women in the workforce and women pursuing education. There are a great number of motivational accounts on the internet, but I think what really sets us apart from others is that the three of us are first-generation, women of color, college graduates who place a huge emphasis on the importance of wellness.
We’re redefining what success looks like. Oftentimes, society tells us that we have to grind and work 24/7 to achieve success. But from our shared experience with burnout, we believe that could not be further from the truth. A successful woman is not only one that has a drive and works towards her/their goals but is also one that knows when to practice self-care and when to rest. The message of mental health and wellness is at the core of our mission statement. We’re so excited that we are able to build and foster a small community on this corner of the internet and share that message. It has brought us new opportunities and connected us to some really amazing people.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck typically entails that an opportunity has randomly landed at your feet. We do not necessarily believe in luck as much as we do the calling from our Creator. We believe that the obstacles, trials, and hardships we’ve endured have led us here to a place where we uplift and motivate others to get through those hard times. And we believe this is exactly where God has called us to be. It’s humbling, but we have to give credit where credit is due. This was not all our doing. Our Father upstairs has played a huge role in providing us this space.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.babeswhostudy.com
- Email: dearbabeswhostudy@gmail.com
- Instagram: @thebabeswhostudy
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