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Tricia Baker stands as a beacon of hope and compassion in the realm of mental health advocacy, earning prestigious recognition as a 2013 Woman of Worth by L’Oreal Paris. As the Co-Founder of A.I.R. (Attitudes In Reverse), Tricia has dedicated herself to the noble cause of promoting mental wellness and preventing student suicides through education and support. Her tireless efforts extend to her role as the Program Director of the AIR Dogs: Paws For Minds Program, where she orchestrates the provision of emotional support animals, sourced from rescue situations, to individuals grappling with mental health challenges. Through this innovative initiative, Tricia seeks to not only offer solace and companionship but also to foster greater empathy and understanding within the community towards mental illness.
With over a decade of experience leading the charge at A.I.R., Tricia’s credentials as a CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer and American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator underscore her expertise in utilizing canine therapy to aid in mental wellness. Her tenure as Vice President Marketing Manager at Merrill Lynch, combined with her background as an Art Director and Graphic Designer, reflects her versatility and acumen in communication and strategy. Tricia’s unwavering commitment to making a positive impact, both professionally and philanthropically, underscores her status as a true luminary in the field of mental health advocacy.
Attitudes In Reverse (AIR®) offers a comprehensive mental health plan aimed at educating youth, from elementary level through college-age, with programs wrapped in messages of understanding, empathy, and kindness towards all. Believing that good mental health programming is essential for effective anti-bullying and suicide prevention, AIR breaks down stigma to identify at-risk youth, offering programs for parents, teachers, and all school staff. Certified AIR Dogs, therapy dogs, accompany all program presenters, reinforcing AIR’s mission to create a community of understanding, kindness, and empathy through mental health education and awareness. Through a commitment to providing unlimited mental health awareness and suicide prevention programs, regardless of financial ability, AIR inspires hope and fosters empathy, encouraging those suffering from mental pain to seek assistance while promoting understanding of mental health disorders throughout society.
Susan Kleiner: Hello and welcome to the Women’s Roundtable podcast, powered by the Think Factory, where we learn how women think big and grow their business. My name is Susan Kleiner. I’m a partner with Outside General Counsel Solutions, and I’m the host of today’s episode. I am happy to have with me today Tricia Baker, the co-founder of Air Attitudes in Reverse, a nonprofit whose mission is to start conversations about mental health issues and student suicide prevention. Certified therapy dogs are a big part of charities advocacy work in schools, as penning a dog releases oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine and lowers cortisol levels, which is great. I am so happy to have you here. It’s been great getting to know you and your story is, you know, amazing. And I’m looking forward to sharing your story and your important work with our guests. So welcome today to our episode, Tricia.
Tricia Baker: Thank you so much. It’s it’s truly an honor to be here to speak with you today and with everybody.
Susan Kleiner: Thank you. So just to get things started, could you tell people a little bit more about air attitudes in reverse and, you know, what led you to co-founding this organization?
Tricia Baker: The story there is a very personal one and a tough story. When my son was a 15 years old, he was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. We had no idea that he was affected by an anxiety depression and he had suicidal ideation. And we spent three years he spent three years trying to get healthy, trying to get well. And he battled we all battled as a family. And unfortunately, in May of 2009, we all lost our battle. And he did end his life by suicide. And after he died, there was a lot of misunderstanding and some discrimination about his memory and about how he died. Because people do not understand suicide is a symptom of a brain illness. People don’t understand these are mental illnesses and no one chooses to have a mental illness. So and we also knew that there were a lot of other young people who were out there struggling, like Kenny, who were embarrassed and afraid to talk openly. Kenny was actually embarrassed. He lied about his illness for over three years. He told everybody he had mono. He didn’t want people to make fun of him. He didn’t want to be bullied or ridiculed or targeted. So we knew we needed to do something. And that’s how attitudes in reverse or air was born. And air represents mental illness. Mental illness is like air just because you don’t see it. It’s all around us. One in four people in society are affected.
Susan Kleiner: Well, that’s a lot. I want to thank you for your openness. I find it to be so refreshing and good to talk about these issues that are so hard to talk about. And obviously, you know, my deepest condolences for the loss of Kenny. And I know that from when I spoke to you, you know, I feel like I had kind of a revelation from the first time where when we talk about these difficult issues, it’s like people tiptoe about it. But really what we’re talking about with mental health is your brain is ill, like you have a brain illness. It’s like cancer, it’s like any childhood disease. And I think that if we can reframe the conversation to talk about brain illness and and helping people get their brains. To be better, right? Like more healthier, whatever it is like. And talk about it that way. It will help reduce some of the stigma.
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