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Mia Ruchie,
Communications Intern
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Every October 10, the world pauses to recognize World Mental Health Day, a global moment to raise awareness and spark dialogue around the importance of mental health.
At Geronimo Power, we believe caring for our people goes beyond the workplace. It means showing up for one another through challenges and ensuring that everyone, especially those who have served, can access the care they deserve. This year, we’re using this important day to highlight a recent initiative that embodies that belief.
Opening the Conversation
In recognition of Veterans Mental Health Awareness Month, our Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG), led by William Hossain, hosted a Lunch & Learn featuring The Headstrong Project, a nonprofit providing confidential, barrier-free and stigma-free PTSD treatment for veterans, service members and their families.
Headstrong team members Kristen Rheinlander (Director of Corporate Partnerships), AJ Veal (Director of Outreach) and Tahlia dos Santos (Vice President of Revenue Operations & Program Development) joined us for a deeply personal and moving discussion. Each shared their own story of hardship, resilience and the moment they discovered Headstrong, offering a powerful look into both the challenges of navigating mental health and the hope that accessible care can bring.
“As a former client, I’m proud to say The Headstrong Project saved my life. Their care helped me heal from trauma I thought would define me forever. Partners like Geronimo Power that stand behind Headstrong’s mission help make this kind of healing possible — for me, and for veterans still searching for it.” – Tahlia dos Santos, U.S. Air Force Veteran, VP of RevOps & Program Development at The Headstrong Project
Understanding the Barriers and Breaking Them Down
Through honest dialogue and lived experience, the Headstrong team painted a powerful picture of what it means to seek help as a veteran. Stigma, cost, accessibility and trust remain significant barriers, but Headstrong is working to change that.
Their trauma-informed, evidence-based model connects veterans and their families with expert clinicians who provide rapid, confidential support. The result is care that meets people where they are, grounded in understanding and delivered without judgment.
“Veterans face unique challenges of processing their experiences and reintegrating into their family, communities and workplace. They carry invisible burdens that most will never see,” said Christina Blount, Project Development Manager at Geronimo Power and a retired Army officer herself. “Organizations like the Headstrong project provide space where veterans feel heard and understood and can put words to what’s going on inside.”
Community in Action
The Lunch & Learn was more than an educational session. Over a meal catered by The Fabled Rooster, a veteran-owned smokehouse in Minneapolis’s North Loop, employees gathered to listen and connect virtually.
Moments like these remind us that awareness grows through empathy, and that community is built not just through shared work, but through shared understanding.
Standing Together for Mental Health
Headstrong’s mission is simple and powerful: to help veterans and service members “Triumph Over Trauma.”
On this World Mental Health Day, we’re reminded that strength isn’t found in silence or endurance, but in honesty.
If you or someone you know is a veteran seeking confidential support, please visit: https://theheadstrongproject.org/get-help/.
To support the Headstrong mission, please visit: https://theheadstrongproject.org/?campaign=534240.
