Anxiety is her ‘superpower’: El Pasoan turns stress into business

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Ashlee Candelaria has lived her life with extreme anxiety. For years, it was so bad she was likely to have a panic attack from nearly any noise or disturbance. As a mom, and a wife, she knew she couldn't live that way forever.

So, she took a drastic step. She decided to put all of her nervous energy toward a goal -- her life long dream of owning her own business. Thus, Weisenheimer's Tavern was born.

Avery Martinez, ABC-7's mental health correspondent, brings us the story of one woman's secret superpower -- which she found in her mental health journey.

Avery Martinez covers mental health in the Borderland as part of ABC-7’s Be Mindful initiative. He is also a Report for America corps member. RFA places talented, emerging journalists in newsrooms like ABC-7’s to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.