Andy Riggs
Founder at Heart Head Inc.
Albeit a younger nonprofit, Heart Head knows its mission. The nonprofit wants to help people pay for their mental health care and therapy, all while providing positive psychology life coaching that will help to break the stigma around therapy—ultimately guiding people to get the help they deserve.
What motivates you to pursue this kind of philanthropic work? In July of 2017, I lost my Uncle Rick to suicide. One year later, I lost two friends within a month of one another. I have seen too many people suffer in silence, and will do everything in my power to make sure everyone has access to therapy regardless of income, race, gender, insurance coverage or geographic location. Mental health and physical health are one in the same – and financial burdens shouldn’t stop someone from seeking out mental health care.
Best advice for someone looking to give back and get involved in their community: Be prepared to put in the work. It’s not easy and there are many factors to consider. But find a problem in the world that many are struggling with, then find a way to help fix it or eliminate it altogether. You have to be passionate about the cause you are serving or you will not succeed.
What impact do you most hope to leave on the Milwaukee community and the world? I hope to disrupt the mental health industry and shake up the insurance industry. Therapy has a reputation for being expensive, and insurance companies have a reputation for offering limited “in network” providers and absurd co-pays and deductibles to meet before they will cover any costs. If someone already has a mental health concern, and financial concerns, this only makes matters worse. My hope is to impact the community where nobody has to say “I just can’t afford therapy” or “my insurance won’t cover that.” I hope someone says “I’m a better human being mentally thanks to my therapy, and I didn’t go broke thanks to Heart Head.”