Lachell J. Aaroneaux

My career in mental health spans about 25 years, though I just started my own business in September 2025. I began as a mental health advocate with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), where I became a board member of one of their affiliates. I then worked as Community Outreach and Educational Program Coordinator for a NAMI affiliate, and later became the training director for NAMI's state organization. What brought me to this field is deeply personal - I myself have been diagnosed with depression and know how to manage it in the workplace, and I have family members who have been diagnosed with mental illness. I took classes on how to relate as a family member and a person living with a mental health diagnosis, and it just intrigued me and became my mission in life. I pursued more classes and trainings, and got certifications in suicide prevention and mental health first aid, becoming an instructor in both. One of my most notable achievements is training over 2,500 people in QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention gatekeeper training. I was inspired to start my own business after working in a culture that did not support mental health in the workplace. Now my typical day involves marketing, creating content for training, getting myself out there, and attending networking events. I'm working on getting into workforce development with community colleges to teach companies about mental health in the workplace. The challenge is trying to get corporations to buy into this training - they need it, but getting them to buy into it is one of the challenges. Before my mental health career, I actually have a degree in engineering and construction management and worked as a construction manager. Working in construction as a female, as a woman of color, and being young at that time, it affected my mental health, and I had to work through it on a daily basis. I got burnt out and needed something new, and life brought this mental health journey right when I needed it. I am the author of W.I.S.E. - Women Increasing Self-Esteem, a guided journal to awaken to our unapologetic, authentic, and greater selves.