Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristi Glenn.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I gave birth to my second child, I felt more equipped as a mother the second time around. I had no idea I was embarking on one of the most difficult journeys of my life. By the age of four, my son was disenrolled from eight daycares and was screened out of three early intervention programs. No one had any answers and I had never felt more alone and so ill-equipped.
Over the next three years, I advocated for him both in and out of school. He wasn’t able to be in a classroom and I wasn’t able to work because of the constant phone calls and problems. And then, it happened… my six-year-old child was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation. Ten hospitalizations later and we were receiving out-of-home residential treatment. What was worse was that people were blaming me! It was horrifying. I was fighting so hard for my son and yet somehow people said it was my fault that he had significant mental health needs.
The more families I met, the more I heard my story within theirs. This inspired me to build a career in the children’s mental health field to support families on this journey. I started as a Family Partner. This is a professional who uses their valuable knowledge from their experience of raising a child with mental health needs to help other families navigate the stigma, shame, grief and loneliness often accompanied with raising children with these needs. To boot, finding appropriate services is often a daunting task. There is no such thing as a successful Google search for children’s mental health care services. Family Partners help families through that too.
As my career evolved and my son’s mental health recovery steadily improved; I found myself wanting to do more. There are so many gaps in services and networking for families. I started a weekly vlog on my Facebook page named “From Barriers To Bridges.” It is a public page as my hope is professionals who work with families like mine will start to understand families better through this forum. There are too many youth not receiving the right services. Too many siblings not receiving support to understand this invasion of mental health in their home. Too many kids are separated from their families because of their mental health diagnoses and too many families are blamed for their child’s needs. I provide a forum for families to discuss current challenges and I always provide resources on the topic of the discussion.
This last year has been my most exciting yet. I spearheaded the South Shore Leadership Conference and our theme was about resiliency. Poignant speakers from Boston and the South Shore shared their stories of overcoming adversity and becoming successful.
I am most proud of launching my family-centered mental health consulting business, with my co-founder, Dahyana Schlosser. Pinnacle Partnerships is a place where educators, medical doctors, mental health providers, and communities of care – such as places of worship – and many others can find opportunities for training and support in partnering with families. By understanding the strengths of a family and building on them, we coach professionals to support families in overcoming their challenges. I provide the expertise of my professional and personal experiences in children’s mental health systems and Dahyana provides clinical insights and together we support all of our partners. We call everyone we work with our partners. We must be in true partnership with each other and families to help move the needle on mental health care for children. The best part about Pinnacle Partnerships is we believe in Family Partners as the practicioners leading the way. We believe the critical experience Family Partners hold changes the entire trajectory of families’ lives. Moreover, at Pinnacle Partnerships, Family Partners are not only supporting families but also providers. At Pinnacle Partnerships, we know even through very difficult times, it is our job as helpers to empower families to live their best life.
I’m really proud of what I have created so far and what the future holds. Mental health is as important as physical health. As families, caregivers and communities; we must stand together and support each other in love and faith, without judgment. Nothing is worse than feeling helpless and alone. If I have supported one mom, aunt or grandfather to not feel like I once did, then I have done something good in this world. But if I can support other people in truly understanding families on this journey, then I’m on the path to change the world.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey has been anything but smooth. I am lucky that I have found great strength in other women around me. From my business partner to other professionals to my friends and family – and many of those overlap. I have created an amazing network and I leave no space for negativity. I have immense faith in God’s grace in my life. My advice is, to be honest, stand in your truth and by your beliefs, especially when they aren’t popular. That means change and success is coming! It has been a difficult road to fight stigma, to be taken seriously as a woman entrepreneur and as a change agent for mental health care and the appropriate treatment of families.
Be relentless and embrace imperfection. Sometimes, we win and sometimes we learn, but we never give up.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Pinnacle Partnerships story. Tell us more about the business.
Well, I have talked a lot about my work as it is so tightly woven into my personal life. So, I won’t be redundant.
One of the things I am most proud of is I have built this career from the ashes of my life. I’ve only touched the surface of what has occurred. Yet through all of this, I have helped my son flourish in his own beautiful way. I have given my daughter as much guidance and support in her own journey as well. I have survived the ending of a marriage through this and managed to maintain a co-parenting and amicable relationship. While doing all of this, I have held a full-time job and completed my education. When I look back at what I have accomplished, its a bit mind-blowing.
I think what sets me apart is my courage to say things that are unpopular. Author and influencer, Luvvie Ajayi, refers to this as speaking truth to power- as being the domino. It can be intimidating to speak up when the response will likely be unpopular or even disregarded. Many conversations like that led me to take a different approach to children’s mental health care. There is so much to be changed to shift interventions for families (because, yes, the kid and their family are one), into the current day. I’m not afraid to challenge the age-old approaches and thought processes about this subject. It must be said. There are millions of families standing behind me. I am willing to be their voice.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mother is the first person I knew who spoke her future into existence. Her story is amazing. I give my life to God and the universe because I watched her do it. My grandmother immigrated here from Cape Verde and built an amazing life – what courage! My aunts and cousins have raged against and beat breast cancer – they never give up.
I have just two women who truly understand the importance of family voice in children’s mental health that have not raised children with these needs. I am lucky enough to still have one, in my professional network. She has never underestimated the power of families and is unwavering in her support of professionals with lived experience in the field. The other is the co-founder of Pinnacle Partnerships, Dahyana. She is also relentless is her beliefs about families being the only true experts on their child. I am in awe of every Family Partner that has sat in my office as their personal lives were crumbling because of the state of their families, but still came to work to support others. And the other very few women that have stood in places and spoken unpopular truth with me as we boldly smooth the terrains for the families behind us. For these women, I will forever be inspired and grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pinnaclepartnerships.org
- Phone: 774-297-4410
- Email: pinnaclepartnerships@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/pinnaclepartnerships
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/themajesticwarrior
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/PinnShips
- Other: www.facebook.com/pinnaclepartnership
Image Credit:
Myranda Matta, Lyndsay Jones, United Way of Greater Plymouth County, East Boston Central Catholic School
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