Why I joined Headstrong:

Living and working in Colorado Springs, a city with a large military community, I made many friends that were active duty or veterans. Over the years, I saw firsthand how difficult it was for the people I loved to get around the stigma of mental health (in their communities) and find quality care. Many struggled and those that did eventually find care went on to own businesses and find success in their civilian careers. As long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for the health and happiness of others which has translated into working and volunteering for non-profits and eventually founding a yoga therapy business. When the opportunity arrived to get back to my fundraising roots and be of service to the veteran community and their families, I jumped at the possibility. Additionally, the Headstrong Project team is unlike any I’ve ever met. Each person on the team brings a level of passion and commitment to the mission and others’ health and happiness that feels familiar. Joining the Headstrong team feels like coming home.

What’s my role:

As the development coordinator, I support the development team’s day-to-day operations including tracking our grant proposals and reporting deadlines, planning and executing our stewardship efforts, grant writing, and donor prospecting. I also serve as the liaison to the marketing team. What I love most about my role is the ability to utilize my creativity across duties. There’s always more than one way to get to where we’re going.

What I like most about Headstrong:

Beyond Headstrong’s ability to offer stigma-free care, what I love about Headstrong is the speed at which we are able to connect someone to a clinician. The average time to effective barrier-free, confidential, evidence-based care is 29 days and declining. To me, this is a remarkable service that makes access to care easily available when someone needs it most.

What I like to do in my spare time:

I love to live life to its fullest. Colorado-born, I’ve had the blessing of growing up in the mountains and much of my free time is spent exploring the outdoors. I love to hike, backpack, and paddle-board in the summers and winters are spent snowshoeing or snowboarding. Winters are also spent in the jewelry studio. I’ve been silversmithing since high school and love creating unique heirloom-quality jewelry to be enjoyed for generations. I teach donation-based therapeutic yoga classes in a rural community and as a lifelong student, I’m currently studying eastern medicine. Mornings and evenings are filled with homestead chores and I’m slowly working on a cabin renovation with my partner.