Redefining Mental Health Support
Kathleen is the founder of A Minute for Mental Health, based in Brant, Ontario, where her work lives at the intersection of mental health, education, and real-world application.
She supports helpers, leaders and teams in building practical skills to manage stress, prevent burnout, and stay connected to what truly matters.
Her approach is grounded, actionable, and deeply relevant to the environments people navigate every day.
Because for Kathleen, mental health isn’t just something to talk about, it’s something to practice.
Something that needs to work in real life, not just in theory.
Personal Shift That Sparked Change
This work is rooted in lived experience.
After navigating her own burnout, Kathleen began to question the limitations of the traditional mental healthcare system.
She saw the gaps.
The rigidity.
The ways support often felt disconnected from the realities people were facing outside clinical settings.
And she knew there had to be another way.
That realization became the foundation for her work today, creating accessible, skill-based support that meets people where they are, especially in the spaces where stress and burnout are most present.
Learning the Language of Business
One of the most defining challenges in Kathleen’s journey has been the transition from clinician to business owner.
In clinical work, the path is clear.
The need is understood.
The value is already established.
But in business, especially within the mental health space, things look different.
Kathleen found herself in rooms where people were engaged, open, and deeply resonating with the work.
Hearing the same words again and again: “This is exactly what we need.”
And yet, those moments didn’t always translate into action.
No follow-up.
No booking.
No next step.
That gap forced a powerful realization.
Impact and traction are not the same thing.
Meaningful work doesn’t automatically convert into sustainable business.
She had to learn how to communicate her work differently, to make it clearer, more tangible, and easier for organizations to understand, prioritize, and invest in.
It meant getting specific about outcomes.
More direct about value.
And more intentional about how people enter the work.
All while navigating uncertainty and moments of imposter syndrome without immediate validation.
Bridging Interest and Action
Today, Kathleen’s biggest challenge is traction.
Not a lack of interest, but the space between interest and commitment.
The demand is there.
In workshops, events, and conversations, people engage deeply and recognize the need for this kind of support.
But decision-making doesn’t always follow.
Mental health is widely acknowledged as important, yet often treated as optional when budgets, priorities, and logistics come into play.
Part of her work now is bridging that gap.
Positioning mental health not just as supportive but as essential.
Connecting it directly to performance, retention and day-to-day functioning within organizations.
At the same time, she’s building multiple layers of her business, from workshops and partnerships to tools and a developing digital app.
It’s a phase filled with opportunity, but one that requires clarity, focus and strong foundations for sustainable growth.
Owning the Ask
One of the most honest challenges Kathleen faces is learning to be more direct.
She knows how to connect.
How to teach.
How to hold space.
But when it comes to selling her work, she’s had to confront a different skill entirely.
The tendency to over-explain.
To soften the ask.
To offer too many options instead of one clear next step.
Part of that comes from the nature of mental health work, where care and sensitivity are prioritized, and direct selling can feel uncomfortable.
But she’s learning something important.
Clarity is not pushy.
It’s necessary.
Because when the path forward is clear, people are far more likely to take it.
And the work she offers is too important to stay in the realm of “almost.”
At Reignelle, we continue to share the stories of women who are reimagining how support is delivered, building meaningful solutions from lived experience and reminding us that real impact happens when purpose is paired with clarity, courage, and action.