10 to Watch: Annie Schmidt of NAMI Wake County
Annie Schmidt is the Executive Director of NAMI of Wake County and is part of the current 10 to Watch Leaders Class from United Way of the Greater Triangle. Annie shares about the impact and importance of mental health and how to lead in the field. Annie is a 2021 Leadership Triangle Goodmon Fellow.
Owen Jordan: What is your “background” with mental health advocacy? What awoke your passion for it?
Annie Schmidt: Mental health has always been important to me. I’ve lived with depression and anxiety since I was young. It has manifested in different ways, including disordered eating, panic attacks, and harmful intrusive thoughts. I didn’t realize that what I was experiencing wasn’t unique until a high school friend told me about her journey with therapy for an eating disorder. For me, there was a moment that clicked realizing that I was not alone helped to bring hope into my journey. That it wasn’t always going to be doom and gloom. My passion for improving mental wellbeing included jobs in the child welfare field and court system. I found out about NAMI in 2016 after I had lost two relatives to suicide over the course of a year. My cousin, Jackie, started to attend NAMI Family Support Groups and I was able to see how she was empowered to make a difference in the lives of others experiencing suicidal ideation. When this position came open, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I do it for my family, my friends, people I’ve worked with throughout my career, and for me.
Owen Jordan: Can you tell me about your role with NAMI?
Annie Schmidt: I started as NAMI Wake’s first Executive Director in May 2018. My initial goals were for the organization to be sustainable, inclusive, and offer quality programs. This included making progress and setting up systems as it relates to Board development, diversified fund development, technology, financial practices, strategic partnerships, training, equity in leadership, marketing practices, supporting volunteers, adhering to evidence-based practices, and incorporating the community health needs assessment in our planning.
We’ve gone from me as the only staff member to having three full-time staff members, a part-time operations assistant, two social work interns, and five work-study students. Our programs have continued to grow and each year since I’ve been here, we’ve served more people than ever in the organization’s history. Our volunteers and staff are second to none. They consistently go out of their way to make sure people feel supported in what they are going through. Each of them knows what it feels like to be alone in taking care of someone or being stuck in negative thoughts and want to make sure others do not feel that.
Owen Jordan: What brought you to 10 to Watch?
Annie Schmidt: Two main reasons, the first being that I want help in taking our organization to the next level. I feel great about all of the progress we’ve made in the last 3.5 years, but the need keeps growing. Prior to the pandemic, 1 in 5 individuals lived with a mental illness and out of that 20% only ~40% access care in a given year. That leaves friends and family members to be the primary sources of support. Recovery is possible, but it isn’t accessible to everyone. I want NAMI to be able to meet the need and I am looking forward to working with the other members of 10 to Watch, the United Way leadership, and Leadership Triangle to help set us up for success.
I also frequently hear that NAMI is the best-kept secret. I don’t want to be a secret. I am hopeful that with these partnerships (10 to watch orgs, United Way, LT) we will be able to work with existing organizations to help their work, work together on addressing disparities, and ideally improve mental health access for the region.
Owen Jordan: What does leadership look like to you in the world of mental health?
Annie Schmidt: Leaders in the mental health field need to be courageous. Courageous in their ability to speak up when things are not working, take risks and try something that hasn’t been done yet locally, and share their experiences. I was in a really bad place this Fall. Grief coupled with stress from the job became too much and it was physically affecting me. I needed to take a break and cut back, but I was afraid that I would be judged for my decision. I was afraid that members of the community would wonder how I could help others when I wasn’t doing the best job helping myself. I was worried that I would be treated differently, that people would be worried to give me opportunities or that any accomplishment would have an asterisk *for someone living with a mental illness. I was also worried that the only place I would be able to find employment in the future would be in this field which also was instigating my poor health. But it isn’t what happened. I was met with significant support. And, it all worked out. I’m back in a place where I am excited to do this work.
Owen Jordan: What were some big takeaways you took from your time in Transforming Leaders?
Annie Schmidt: The importance of balance and boundaries. That one of the primary reasons why we were always spread thin was because of me. I kept saying yes to things because the need was great and all of it was important to address. But I was doing it at the expense of my own well-being as well as my team. Even though we have increased our capacity since the Fall, that doesn’t mean that we need to sign up to do more. That it is important to see what we are doing correctly and grow in a sustainable matter.
