The Power of Connection: Karina’s GPS Journey
“GPS creates a space where no one feels alone, where your story is honored, your voice matters, and healing happens through connection.”
— Karina Bales, GPS Facilitator and Trainer
There are moments in life that change everything. Moments when pain becomes purpose, and what once felt like breaking becomes a quiet kind of transformation.
Some journeys begin quietly, with a single step toward healing or a moment when someone finally feels seen. For Karina Bales, that moment came in 2019, when she attended an in-person GPS Facilitator Training in Spanish at the Mexican Consulate.
At the time, Karina was healing from postpartum depression. She was slowly learning how to find her way back to herself. What she discovered in that GPS circle was more than support. It was a sense of belonging.
“That journey inspired me to create spaces where other moms don’t have to feel alone in what they’re going through. Through GPS, I can walk alongside mothers, offering connection, compassion, and hope.”
A Journey of Healing and Purpose
Over the past six years, Karina has carried that same spirit of connection into every space she holds. A bilingual social work graduate student and GPS facilitator, she has walked alongside mothers and newborns in the NICU, supported caregivers of children impacted by incarceration, and leads GPS support groups in both English and Spanish.
Her work bridges communities —Hispanic and immigrant families, parents, students, and those navigating perinatal mental health— all connected through shared experiences and the courage to heal together.
For Karina, GPS is both personal and professional transformation intertwined.
“GPS has had a huge impact on my life both personally and professionally. Personally, it gave me the support and tools I needed, and it showed me the power of healing in community. Professionally, it has opened the door for me to facilitate and train others, having a flexible schedule, and it gives me the privilege of uplifting voices to create safe spaces for connection and growth.”
Every group Karina leads becomes a reflection of that truth: Healing happens not in isolation, but in community.
A Space for Belonging
At the heart of all Karina’s work is a belief in compassion, resilience, and the power of shared stories to bring people together. Whether she’s running a support group, training new facilitators, or coaching other facilitators in Spanish and English, her focus remains the same: creating spaces where love and belonging lead the way.
Karina has seen firsthand how a single moment of connection can shift an entire room—how empathy can spark courage, and how shared truth can become shared strength.
“GPS creates a space where no one feels alone, where your story is honored, your voice matters, and healing happens through connection.”
Those words are more than her philosophy—they are her promise.
And with every group she leads, every mother she meets, and every story she holds, Karina carries forward the same light that once helped her find her way home to herself.
If you’d like to learn more about GPS training and how it can help you hold space for others while nurturing your own growth, visit our calendar to explore upcoming trainings and resources.
