Lucia Bawot - Author & Photographer

In this episode, Luke interviews Lucia Bawot, a Colombian photographer and the author of We Belong: An Anthology of Colombian Women Coffee Farmers. Bawot shares the journey that led her into the world of coffee, which began unexpectedly with a volunteer photography role at a coffee event in El Salvador. Inspired by a photographer, she pursued coffee photography to give a voice to the people in coffee.

Bawot shares the inspiration behind her book, We Belong, which stemmed from her realization that women's contributions to the coffee industry are largely unacknowledged and disregarded. In our conversation, we explore her thoughtful process of selecting the stories she included in her book and the ones that continue to resonate with her.

She also shares how this book has led her to seek ways to use photography as a therapeutic tool to support the mental health of coffee farmers. Inspired by her own experiences and the emotional impact of the stories she documented, she created the Beans to Minds project to provide mental health support to women in coffee.

Finally, Lucia shares the challenges and rewards of this work and emphasizes the importance of creating space to process emotions.