Voices in Health and Wellness

How A Former NFL Player Rebuilt Purpose And Designed A Trauma-Informed Recovery Model with Tim Massaquoi

• Dr Andrew Greenland • Season 1 • Episode 58

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What if healing looked less like a waiting room and more like a community hub filled with movement, mindfulness, and real-world support? That’s the vision Tim Massaquoi brings as Executive Director of a recovery centre serving families after a mass shooting in Southwest Philadelphia. His journey from the NFL to psychotherapy and leadership sets the stage for a candid look at how trauma-informed, culturally responsive care can meet people where they are—and help them move forward together.

We walk through the core elements of KHCRC’s approach: pairing clinical therapy with accessible options like mindfulness, line dancing, journaling, sound-based practices, and nature therapy. Tim explains why these non-clinical modalities reduce stigma, rebuild trust, and invite people into care on their own terms, especially in communities of colour. He also shares the leadership lessons that keep his small team resilient, from flexible schedules and humour to intentional check-ins that acknowledge secondary trauma.

The conversation digs into the logistics that make or break community mental health: partnerships for food, housing, and transport; outreach that actually reaches people; and funding models that recognise complex, evolving needs. We explore why mindfulness and DBT are high-impact starting points, how diverse clinicians accelerate trust, and what it would take to scale this model across cities. If you care about addiction recovery, mental health equity, or practical ways communities can heal after violence, you’ll find timely insights and actionable ideas you can apply in your own work.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review—your support helps more people find thoughtful, community-led approaches to recovery.

🧑‍💼 Guest Biography

Guest Name: Tim Massaquoi
Title: Executive Director, Kensington Health and Community Recovery Centre (KHCRC)
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Tim Massaquoi is a former NFL athlete turned licensed psychotherapist and the Executive Director of the Kensington Health and Community Recovery Centre (KHCRC) in Philadelphia. After a career-ending injury forced him to re-examine his identity and purpose, Tim transitioned into mental health to become the therapist he once needed — one rooted in lived experience, cultural understanding, and compassion. Today, he leads KHCRC’s trauma-informed, community-based recovery programs that blend clinical support with holistic, culturally responsive healing models for individuals impacted by gun violence, addiction, and grief.

Contact Details and Social M

About Dr Andrew Greenland

Dr Andrew Greenland is a UK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Drawing on dual training in conventional and root-cause medicine, he helps individuals optimise their health, performance, and longevity — with a particular interest in cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.

Voices in Health and Wellness explores meaningful conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential — featuring clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of healthcare.

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Dr Andrew Greenland:

Hello everyone and welcome back to Voices in Health and Wellness, the podcast where we speak with leaders who are reimagining how care is delivered, experienced, and sustained. Today's guest is someone who's doing deep, meaningful, impactful work at the intersection of addiction recovery, mental health and community care. I'm thrilled to welcome Tim Massaquoi, Executive Director of Kensington Health and Community Recovery Centre, a Toronto-based organisation offering trauma-informed, person-centred care for individuals navigating substance misuse and mental health challenges. KHCRC is part of a growing wave of services bridging clinical recovery with lived experience and wraparound community support. And today we'll support how Tim and his team are building that model from the ground up. So, Tim, a very warm welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Tim Massaquoi:

Thank you, Dr. Greenland. Appreciate it. I'm glad to be here today.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Wonderful. Maybe we could start a little bit at the top. Could you talk a little bit about your journey in terms of how you've ended up doing what you do and perhaps what inspired you to get involved in this kind of work?

Tim Massaquoi:

Yeah, thank you. So um, so my my journey began at the end of uh my previous career. So my previous career uh out of college, I went to the University of Michigan uh and I um I played American football. And so um, you know, I was able to, you know, fortunately get drafted into the NFL and begin my career as an NFL, you know, professional football player. Um two years into my career, my third year, uh, I suffered a devastating knee injury that you know completely ended my career. And so um I'm in my mid-20s, uh, and you know, I can't do the thing that I love to do. I was passionate to do. Um I've been doing for gosh, maybe 15 years, you know, since I was 10 years old playing uh football, and I couldn't do that anymore. And so a big part of my identity uh came into question as far as like, you know, my my purpose, my um, you know, you know, where I can what you mean, my value, you know, things like that. And it really, really took a a toll on me. And so at that point, I sought help. And while I was looking for a uh therapist, a psychotherapist in particular, I was looking for a black male psychotherapist who was also a former pro-athlete. And um, in my journey now, I've been told that, and even at the time, I was like, Yeah, you we don't have a lot of those types of psychotherapists available. Uh, and so fortunately, I was able to find someone who had worked with pro-athletes previously, uh as a female therapist, uh nonetheless, however, um, and I was really able to get the help that I needed. And so at that time, I decided to be what I wanted at the time I needed help. And so um, I went back to school, got my master's in counseling psychology, and um, and then I got licensed as a psychotherapist once I completed my coursework there, and uh I began my practice. I think my I began my practice specifically and intentionally to work with other uh pro athletes. Um and uh it was interesting because there's such a there's a process for even working with pro-athletes. And so while I was going through that process, uh I decided to just work with the community, just to provide services to the community, whoever was looking for services. Um and and that's really begin my journey into the world of mental health and wellness.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. Always interesting here about the journey because people have such different paths into how they get to where they are, and often there's a very personal element to it, which kind of guides where they go. So thank you for sharing that. Um, so you are um, I believe, uh uh you more of an executive director role at the moment. So, what does a typical week look like for you at the KHCRC in that in that space?

Tim Massaquoi:

Yeah, so at KCRC, we uh we work in uh southwest Philadelphia um in the in the US and we support victims of gun violence. Uh, specifically, we experienced in Southwest Philadelphia mass an incident of mass uh mass violence. Um a gunman in 2023 um shot uh nine people and uh killed five of those individuals. And so our goal and our mission is to support that community, support those families in that community in their healing journey. And so a typical day for me, it's really about supporting my team, um, just checking in with them, making sure that you know they have what they need to support our clients or our participants rather, and um, and then also finding more resources, right? When you do this work, uh resources are always a need, and the need is always high. And so um, you know, finding more collaborations, partnerships with folks who do other work to support communities such as food, housing and security, um, and making connections to um mental health services uh, you know, for individual psychotherapy. So we're really just about our work is twofold. We focus on those community members who are impacted by that shooting, and then we provide community mental health and wellness services to the larger uh Southwest Philadelphia community. And so we're constantly engaging, um looking for new partnerships, looking for uh interventions that are really effective and culturally responsive to our community. And so uh for me, it's just making connections, uh building relationships, um, and supporting my team and the excellent work that they do.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Interesting. I guess you've been doing this work for some time. And how has your approach to leadership changed during since you've taken on this role?

Tim Massaquoi:

Um, my my it's interesting. My my approach to leadership really has transformed um since my first leadership job about 15 years ago, about 12 years ago. I used to run a youth shelter um for runaway homeless youth, and that work was so dynamic because we were actually taking care of kids and we were their uh responsible um parental figures uh while they were with us. And so there's a lot of a lot of trauma in that work, um a lot of um vicarious trauma and tertiary trauma. Um and so for me, it's I really had to learn how to uh because again, I told you I'm a football player and we're very what's the mission, what's the championship, what's the plan, keep our head down and really it's just grind through, grind to that, you know, success or that you know goal that we have. However, as a leader, I had to understand uh uh the impact of you know being directly exposed to trauma and that secondary trauma with my staff, you know, I noticed some, you know, um some behaviors that were in response to that trauma that were kind of negative. So we had to really be reflective and be more of a space that was empathetic towards not just it only the children, but also the staff and the team that was working with them because there's just they were just exposed to a lot of trauma. Um, and so for me, my leadership had to shift from this kind of mission-driven um only to mission-driven and and supportive, uh, and also being a servant leader. Um, that was something that really I had to learn how to do, in that I was not just focusing on the clients or the participants, the kids, but I was also focusing on the health and well-being of my team. And so that was that was a learning process for me. And so now in my current position, that is the same kind of approach I have of a servant leader and also a conscious leader, in that, you know, my decisions, my the things I say, the strategies, the the mission, is it really supportive of the holistic of my organization, right? My team, the community, my part, are the participants in the community. I had to shift and really consider what I'm trying to accomplish and making sure that all stakeholders are impacted positively by any action that we would um pursue.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

And with that, what do you find most energizing about the work that you do?

Tim Massaquoi:

Uh, just just breakthroughs. Just my team. I have an awesome team. We're small, we're a team of three, but we're small and mighty and we're really connected to the work, the passion that my team has for the community members who have been impacted by this trauma. And their energy, the when we come into work every day, we're trying to figure out how to get resources to a participant. We are celebrating our wins. Um, I tell corny, corny, really bad dad jokes to start our staff meetings, and they're just so embarrassed by it. But it's fun, you know. We try to because the work is heavy, and so we have to make sure we are always incorporating light moments and moments where we can celebrate our successes. So that's something that uh I really, really enjoy my current position with my team and just, you know, and also supporting the participants and their appreciation for us, just being alongside them as they navigate this new world of uh, you know, working through that post-traumatic stress disorder, working through the loss of a loved one, just being with them day by day and seeing you know the ebbs and flows of that, but the idea that they appreciate us because we're alongside them, um, that's really satisfying for me, I would say.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

And you mentioned that the work is heavy, and I I completely get that. So, what are the most depleting parts of your work and how how do you protect you and your team from that? I mean, you mentioned about the humor and the staff meetings, but what else do you do to kind of keep the energy up and stop people getting dragged down by the heaviness of the work?

Tim Massaquoi:

Yeah, just be having some having a level of compassion that's um, I won't call it unorthodox, but it's not a norm, right? So just understanding that while my team and I are doing this work, life is still happening. We call it life is life, right? So um, you know, density supports to the kids, uh, you know, car issues, um, you know, other other things as far as like, you know, other priorities, really just balancing, being um empathetic and giving them flexibility, right? Working from home a couple of days a week, all those things are important when you're considering not just you know being a space where it's only about the work, but it's about you know the whole person as far as our team and and even myself and that our participants, just making sure that we're able to be flexible and having a lot of compassion for when people are going through difficult things. And again, just celebrating them, um, creating moments to celebrate their successes, the clients and the team when they're able to help a client, um, and just being able to create an environment that's light as much as possible because we are dealing with some heavy things. We are dealing with loss, we are dealing with grief, we're dealing with a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. And so, with that, you know, you have those very high and strong emotions that come along with this. So, we're just trying to create an environment where we can balance that with humor and support, and then also constantly checking in with my team to make sure they're in a good space.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. Um, you've been in the space for a while, and I guess you've seen some major shifts or not. But what are what are the things you're noticing, particularly around mental health, addiction, recovery, trauma, community-based care in your experience?

Tim Massaquoi:

I think the sh I think you know, some of the modalities that have been historically um only uh uh driven towards uh, I would say those who are more affluent, right? Those who uh have more resources. I think the shift in our communities from not just you know providing clinical psychotherapy to also having holistic wellness interventions available to communities that have not had that. I think that's a real big shift. And what I mean by that is the ability to you know teach community members around mindfulness, teach community members about, you know, sound bolt therapy, movement therapy, um, um, journaling. You know, um where we are in this 2026, we're gonna start to do what we call echotherapy or um nature-based therapy. So different modalities, um, and and then also play, right? Uh we have a line dancing class where we teach community members how to line dance, you know, create these kind of environments where it's not so clinical. The clinical is there, but also creating environments and opportunities for folks to heal in community because a lot of our community-based work is driven by having community members participate collectively, and it's not as um, I would say clinically driven, it's more so about engaging them in their own environment in natural communal spaces and then bringing healing modalities there. I think that's something that has been shifting, I would say, since the pandemic, actually. So that's something which is a great thing, you know, because these modalities provide therapeutic uh support without having that clinical approach, because not everybody wants to or needs to have a clinical approach. If a clinical approach is there and then that need is there, we can fulfill that as well. But having both for these communities, I think there's been a real game game changer in the mental health and wellness space for sure.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Brilliant. I mean, what was it that you were seeing that made you think you needed to put these things in? I'm just trying to work out what it was that you were seeing in the people that you served that thought, well, actually, well, yeah, these people could benefit from some of the things you've talked about.

Tim Massaquoi:

Yeah, um, I I would say that the one of the main things is when you know community members in these communities go through traumatic experiences like gun violence or or just violence in nature or loss, um, just this kind of isolation, right? This kind of like, you know, I'll handle it on my own, I'll do it on my own. You know, I can, uh nobody's gonna help me, so I'll figure it out. I think what I what we were seeing is that, you know, and then also the resistance to clinical um approaches to, you know, to therapy, you know, that kind of stigma has always been there, especially in communities of color. I think what I was seeing was like, how can we bring these services to these communities that um they're very hesitant and resistance and and trust is not something that can be built right away, but over time. So we had to create these modalities that were, you know, um not as technically driven, but more so kind of, hey, you know, we're gonna do this community thing, we're gonna heal in community, we're gonna provide, you know, these spaces for you to come as safe spaces for you to come and experience these healing modalities, and also having folks giving folks the language and the tools to now have ownership in our their own healing modality, their own healing journey. I think that was something that for me I saw that we wanted to, yeah, we we want these folks to get the services they need as far as therapy, but it doesn't have to be this clinical approach. And for me, that was something that was like um it was very important to create options, right? Giving folks options and options is great um for agency, right? When you have agency, meaning that you can kind of choose what you want to engage with, it gives you more incentive to complete that thing because you have chosen it and it wasn't prescribed to you. And so that was something that for our services and our approach, I wanted to have community members feel like they own their own therapeutic journey and that you know they weren't just pushed into one modality as far as you know, traditional psychotherapy like CBT or you know, some type of other modality like that. I wanted folks to really feel like, hmm, this feels well. I like this, and so I want to try this uh intervention or this modality. And that was something that um it was really important to have folks feel like they have ownership in their journey for for us.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. And do you think the shifts that you've seen both in the clients that you serve and the way that you've aligned your services is specific to your local context in Toronto, or do you think this is a more systemic thing, you know, more generally?

Tim Massaquoi:

Um I I I think it's more so and so we're in Philadelphia, but I do think it's I think it's more um I I think especially for for urban communities, communities of color, I think the the the shift is happening all over the in the US, I would say, you know, I think from from what I've seen, the shift is happening across the country for communities of color because again, uh yeah, there is a village, there is a community component that's really important, right? The healing modality can be individualistic, but this collective healing is something that you know we're seeing that more folks are moving towards. And these nature-based or natural or non-traditional clinical approaches to non-traditional approaches to therapy is something that I think is starting to be, you know, um more accessible. Uh doing things like you know, wellness activities like yoga, um, meditation. Traditionally, these communities would not have like, you know, access to it, you know, but now you're seeing that they're a part of um service offerings. And I think that's something that's really important because there's again, collectively, community members are having access to these things and are able to try what they want to try, pick what they want to pick and not be prescribed a certain approach. So I think that is a movement across, you know, uh, and again, I think the pandemic, there was a real big emphasis on wellness, especially when we're all isolated and looking for connection online, right? Big groups, new different ways to connect online. I feel like it has carried over now, um, five years later, into like this can be a thing we can use in communities across our country.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

You're obviously very innovative in what you've done and introducing these things. Do you think everybody else is a bit behind the curve?

Tim Massaquoi:

No, no, uh, no, not not necessarily behind the curve. I think um just the the mindsets and ideas of who these things are for, right? I think that is shifting. I think these things and these approaches are now seen as more accessible for everyone, right? I think that's been the major shift. Is that the I would say 10 years ago or 15 years ago, um in Southwest Philadelphia, middle school kids weren't doing yoga, you know, in their after-school program. Like our center, we provide yoga after school to help decompress, to help kids release that energy. That wasn't happening like, you know, 10, 15 years ago. So I think the openness in communities to do to these different human healing modalities has been something that has been encouraging, and and folks are starting to get it because of that kind of uh you know, push to clinical, push to psychotherapy, push to individual or everything being clinical, and um access as far as like uh I think a couple of things affected actually now that we're talking about it. I think access to clinicians that were diverse in in you know ethnicity, background experiences, I think that has increased. So more folks are coming into the space of clinical or that uh coming into the space of mental health and wellness um that weren't there before. There was usually a traditional um you know, Western European uh you know uh approach or those clinicians, uh majority were, you know, quite honestly, white white females and maybe a couple of white males, as far as who were clinic clinicians and psychotherapists and psychologists. But we're seeing a more expansive view of folks who are coming into the space that are more diverse. And so with that, now communities are coming alongside that diversity, and those communities are now experiencing um those modalities because there's folks who are facilitating or folks who are trained therapists who are bringing those modalities who look like them, who come from the same neighborhoods like them. And so when you have that, it's instant con if there's a connection because certain things don't have to be explained. That's why I was looking for, you know, in my past, uh I was looking for a black male therapist who had a background in sports because I didn't want to have to explain certain things because they just got it. And when you have that, that therapeutic alliance happens much quicker than when you're trying to figure each other out.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. You obviously done um tried lots of different approaches. If could you say pick the real top two or three that you would perhaps like to see other organizations exploring if if they've got limited time and resources to implement things, what would be the things you would like to see them do first based on the results and success that you've had?

Tim Massaquoi:

I would say the number one thing I would like to see is more mindfulness practices in different spaces. I I benefited for the past seven years from mindfulness, um, and you know, intro in in so many ways in my life, and it's impacted my personal life, it's impacted my professional life, um, it's impacted my my sense of purpose. I would love to see more mindfulness practices across the board. I would love to see these more um nature-based healing modalities, more kind of non-traditional um opportunities for folks to experience um healing and things in different ways. I would love to see more of that, but I would say mindfulness. I would like to, from a clinical perspective, I would love to see more uh emphasis on dialectic behavior therapy, this duality of life, right? I would love to see that because that's a reality that a lot of us um we live in the gray. You know, I got a gray shirt on today. Um, we live in the gray. Uh, things are not always black and white either or. Um life has a lot of both ends. So I would love to see those things. And then really more encouragement for agency, like giving folks the tools they need to own their own wellness journey, but just coming alongside them. I think there's something that's really, really, really beneficial when you can now embark on a journey towards healing or wellness, and then you just have somebody supporting you and checking in, but not just directing you one way. I I would love to see more of those kind of experiences for communities around our in the US and around the world, quite honestly.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. You you talked a lot about um the things that are working really well for you in your model. What's um more challenging to work with at the moment? Are there any particular things that are bottlenecks or frustrating or things that you're still trying to overcome in the work that you do?

Tim Massaquoi:

Um, yeah, you know, while while while all this being said, just you know, there are still community members who are resistant to to some of these services um and also resources. Resources are, you know, financial resources to do the work, to create environments where folks um are really, really engaged in the work. That's always a strain. So I would like to see more more resources into this space. I know from a uh you know work the you know, across industries from a work perspective, more organizations are including these wellness opportunities and resources, you know, whether it's you know mindfulness, whether it's an EAP, um, opportunity to see a therapist that's outside of the you know normal uh human resources. I think that's that's been a move, but I would, but there's still a gap. And so I think that gap can be filled with more resources that emphasize wellness. And then with that being said, also community growth, community health and wellness, more kind of communal opportunities to to experience these different modalities. I would love to see more of that. And because the more you see it, the more it becomes a norm. And the more, you know, especially communities who are impacted by gun violence or violence or poverty, um, I think those human modalities can really help folks um overcome a lot of trauma.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. And you talked about um resources and funding being one of the challenges. Are there any other gaps around sort of people or processes or partnerships that you um yeah, partnerships is huge for us?

Tim Massaquoi:

We we cannot do the work without partnerships. Um, so our our our we have a couple of partners that we work with to provide um food resources. We just did a cult drive um with another partner this past Saturday to get ready for the winter here. Um so partnerships are really important. I I would love to years ago when I when I worked in uh child welfare, youth services, uh, there was a grant opportunity where about six organizations came together and was able to support a young person through, you know, from from who ran away and now we're housing secure. So we supported them with housing, medical um education, job, uh mental health. So I would love to see more of that kind of collaborative work around, you know, supporting folks in their mental health and wellness. I think those are really, really great ways to address resource issues. When if I take my part, you take your part, but we're all working in unison, we're all working to collaborate and support people in their journey. I think that's an excellent thing that you know needs to be increased across the board when you're talking about serving others or social services. There needs to be more collaboration, more connection, and more kind of like, you know, um multidisciplinary teams, right? But not necessarily law as in the traditional sense, but more kind of um mental health and wellness services from an NDT perspective. That can only help folks no matter, you know, who's going through what, because we know that when somebody goes through something in our communities, it's not just the idea that they survived a shooting or they or it was a shooting, but it's also uh poverty, there's systematic, systematic, systematic issues of oppression, there's um you know, lack of housing, there's there's job insecurity. So if we can figure out a way to help folks more collectively, I think that's nothing but positives can come from that.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. Obviously, you are running a business. Um there any sort of recurring operational bottlenecks that you've just had to learn to live with over time, obviously, funding aside, because I know that's a big thing, but just the little nitty-gritty of what you will do day to day.

Tim Massaquoi:

Um, no, not necessarily. I think we've uh well, of course, you know, we will love more technology and you know, we're we're using technology as much as as pro as appropriate as possible. But beyond, I'll say funding is the main thing. Um, resources in our communities is another thing that we just try to work around again through those partnerships. But um, I can't see nothing much else. We are just trying to be supportive as we as much as possible to our community members, to our participants, and we just work through things. It's it's I can't identify anything because there probably have there probably are things that we've been able to work through where they're not an issue anymore. You know, the main thing is uh participant engagement, getting the word out to our communities, um, to let them know what we offer, who we are, what we do, and our intention and purpose. Um, you know, we door knock, we go, we put door hangers on a door just to say, hey, you know, this is who we are, scan the QR code and uh, you know, connect with us. So just really being um um innovative, we've we've kind of had to have that mindset, and that has really helped us do the work that we need to do. So I would just say, really, it's just more resources for the community. That that that's probably the main thing.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Got it. Um, I guess you're very interested in feedback. What feedback do you hear most often from your clients or frontline staff?

Tim Massaquoi:

Um, they uh from the staff is you know, again, I don't want to say, you know, say the same thing over and over again, but more resources um and and meeting diverse needs too, right? So when we think about funding for community or uh social services, there's usually very limited in nature. Uh, but people are complex. People are not, you know, these are, you know, you have your basic needs, but people are very complex. And so more of the ability to do different things to help people, I think that's really important, just you know, considering the whole person, the whole community, what needs are are what needs are present, what needs are non-traditional. Uh, I would like to see more funders um create more flexibility in what they fund and what they will and won't, you know, support. Because again, folks are very complicated. Folks are very diverse, needs change often. They're not just the same needs, and being able to help them meet those needs is what's gonna help, you know, certain communities move, progress in a healthy way.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. Um, let's say the KHCRC had a sudden influx of clients or funding next week. What will be the first thing that would break or you would need to scale?

Tim Massaquoi:

Uh, our space. Um, we're in a small space now, just our space. Uh, our space, I would say one of the things we want to do with our work, uh, as as our program is it's you know, we're in year two, so we're pretty young, is to see our growth and development, and also to see if our work can be done in other communities beyond ours. That's something we really want to do because we feel like um, you know, the work that we're doing is not just needed in our part of Philadelphia, but it's needed in different, you know, states, different counties, different regions. And so seeing our work and being able to expand it, hopefully in the future, that's something that we really would like to see for our clients. Again, it's just more diversity in resources and what we can help them with. That would be something that would be great. Say, hey, we We can help you, you know, with housing, we can help you, um, you know, whatever it might be with, you know, transportation, whatever it might be, we can help you with those things and you don't have to go to another resource because we're connected here. So that collaborative effort of these different service providers that comes into a space, um, really to create a network and a hub so we can support the whole person, that would be idealistic for us and for me for sure.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Amazing. And if you you've been on quite a journey with this organization, but if you were starting KHCLC from um again from scratch, would you do anything differently?

Tim Massaquoi:

Um I wouldn't. I wouldn't. Uh the way we started. So we started about two years ago after our major incident. Uh, I was hired uh about a year ago. Um, and the first thing I did was put a team together. And within four months of my hire, my team was up and running. And within two weeks of their hire, my team was communicating and connecting with families. So we got to our families first, and we didn't even have a space, a physical space yet in the community. We were um sharing a space with our fiscal sponsor, but my team just went to work and they focused on our families, and so I wouldn't change anything different. You know, I if anything, I would have liked to start sooner, right after the event. But um, you know, that's it, there it took a lot for us to get going in the first place, but I wouldn't do anything differently. Uh, I think uh the team that I was able to, you know, bring together just did an excellent job, and and we're growing, right? We're growing, we're starting to be more uh more welcomed by the community. Folks are starting to access our services, so things are really going well. So I wouldn't change anything. I think the way we started was how we had to start, um, given the circumstances.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Brilliant. And where would you like to be in the next six to 12 months? You've talked about some aspiration for growth, more funding, more space, but where would you like to see the um KHCRC in a year's time?

Tim Massaquoi:

So um, in six months to a year, uh six months to a year from now, I would love to see us um financially stable. Um, I would love to see our community, our families that we're serving um in a better space um from their mental health and wellness perspective and in other parts of life too. And I would like to see us expanding and serving more communities around our area. I will because that the I feel like we can do it. I feel like, you know, um we can you know bring more folks to our team and just really now work with our city, with the police department, with the social services. I would love to see us integrate into the larger Philadelphia community as well, with an emphasis on community mental health and wellness.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

On that note, Tim, I'd like to thank you so much for your time this afternoon. It's been such an interesting conversation hearing about your journey, your inspiration, um, what you've done to help serve your local community, where you're looking to take things going forward. It's been really um very insightful. So, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it.

Tim Massaquoi:

Uh, thank you, Dr. Greenland, for having me on. I appreciate it.