JoAnn Elizabeth Leavey is a registered psychologist and registered nurse, writer, poet, musician, pilot, and life enthusiast who has lived and worked in Vancouver, London, and Toronto. She has spoken in over eleven countries, motivating and teaching people how to help youth and others living with mental health problems. She publishes regularly in Academy Forum, a journal of The American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry. In April 2015 Dr. Leavey will receive the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award for her local and international medical, public and mental health, and environmental volunteer work.