Crystal Garcia’s Vision for Palm Coast
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Crystal Garcia, a spiritual leader and wellness advocate, is planning to bring community wellness events to the European Village in Palm Coast. With a background in ministry and a Ph.D., Garcia has significant international experience, including speaking at the United Nations on women’s injustices, which led to her humanitarian work in Ghana, Africa.
“I had the honor of speaking at the United Nations on women injustices, which took me on a mission trip to Ghana, Africa,” Garcia explains. This experience opened her eyes to authentic humanitarian work beyond what she describes as “photo ops” that some mission teams focus on.
Garcia believes that technology and social media have fundamentally disrupted human connection. “Social media is definitely a good tool when utilized properly, but it was not designed for human benefit,” she states. “Our mind was not designed or developed to constantly get that constant dopamine hit every few minutes.”
She observes this digital dependency in her own children and within the broader community, noting how people have “taken on abnormal behavior” that blocks authentic human touch and communication.
A significant part of Garcia’s personal journey involves her struggle with depression. “I used to suffer from depression, believe it or not, very bad. And I found that dancing became my superpower,” she shares, describing how this discovery transformed her life.
Depression manifested differently in Garcia’s life than some might expect. She explains that depression can take various forms: “Some people’s form of depression is they don’t want to get out of bed. Some people’s form of depression is they don’t want to clean their room”. Garcia goes on to explain she believes depression is ultimately clutter of the mind and environment.
For Garcia, depression was linked to unresolved childhood experiences. “Whatever you conceal, you can’t heal,” she reflects, noting that in her cultural background, therapy was often stigmatized. “In my culture, therapy is not the thing… it’s almost looked frowned upon.”
Garcia’s turning point came when she began decluttering both her physical space and her mental landscape. “I started decluttering my closet. I started decluttering my shoes, which eventually started decluttering my mind and I started becoming clear.”
The breakthrough happened when she discovered dance as therapy. She began dancing on a treadmill at her gym, which triggered a positive chain reaction: “I started dancing on the treadmill and other people who were watching me started feeling good because I felt good.” This experience eventually led to her teaching dance classes at a YMCA where participation grew from 40 to 80 to 189 people.
SoulCare Sundays (11 am -1 pm): “Celebration of Life” – A family event with music that brings people of all backgrounds together. Plans include face painting for children, an eventual mascot for photos, and a red carpet where people can affirm their confidence.
Garcia’s approach is deeply rooted in spirituality. Formerly a Christian pastor for 10 years, she has been on television networks like the Word Network, reaching audiences of millions. While her current work is less explicitly religious, her spiritual foundation remains evident in her approach to community wellness.
As she puts it: “I feel like I was sent into Palm Coast to, love is already here, but to add to it, joy is already here, but just to stir it up some more.”
Garcia’s approach is deeply rooted in spirituality. Formerly a Christian pastor for 10 years, she has been on television networks like the Word Network, reaching audiences of millions. While her current work is less explicitly religious, her spiritual foundation remains evident in her approach to community wellness.
As she puts it: “I feel like I was sent into Palm Coast to stir up it’s joy.”