Tēnā koe, he uri ahau nō Ingarangi, I tau ahau ki Waitaha, ā, ka mihi ki te whenua. Ka mihi au ki te maunga Rāpaki, ka mihi au ki te moana Whakaraupō, ka mihi au ki te hapū o te rohe, Ngāti Wheke. Kō Tangata Tiriti ahau. Kō Elle Cradwick tōku ingoa.I am a passionate change-maker in the mental health space, driven by a vision of a more connected, nurturing, and equitable society. My background is in Psychology, achieving a Masters with Distinction, completed during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020. Throughout my studies, I volunteered and worked in various roles at Youthline, culminating in being national Helpline Manager at just 24. After completing my Masters, I stepped into the role of Suicide Prevention and Postvention Co-ordinator at Pegaus Health, a Te Whatu Ora funded role where we led suicide prevention initiatives and assisted communities following deaths by suspected suicide. It was humbling mahi. This experience led me to Ngā Koru Whirinaki o te Rau Aroha (Clinical Advisory Services Aotearoa) where I held a Portfolio role in Aoake te Rā, the free brief intervention service for those bereaved by suicide. Throughout these roles I saw a huge gap - people know that when people are struggling with their mental health, they should reach out, but most people don't feel confident with the 'how-to' of these conversations. And so Big Chats was born, a Charitable Trust and Limited Company that teach people how to have Big Chats about mental health, so that they can be there for their people confidently, safely, and effectively. Founding Big Chats has been my greatest challenge yet, and it is with the help of many that we are able to have an impact on a national level. And there's more to come - watch this space!