Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Comage-trower. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

Michelle, the owner of TLC Boarding, has played a pivotal role in supporting my business transition. She not only believed in my dream but also saw the potential in my vision, offering her farmhouse as a temporary home for our program on a donation basis until we generate income and can contribute financially.

Our journey began a year ago when I opened a renovated section of my home, personally funded then expanded by a Vela Grant, to create the Healing House Micro Campus. Over time, Michelle and I developed a close friendship, and she graciously offered to help when we outgrew our space. Since then, she has been instrumental in our growth—helping us market the program and even organizing community volunteers and starting our beautiful, 4-H-inspired farm class for our members, along with equine-assisted activities she has discounted for anyone who is a member or client at Mental Heart Healing House.

Having someone believe in your dream and support your vision is a powerful feeling. Without the opportunity to utilize such a spacious farm, we wouldn’t have been able to expand Mental Heart Healing House into the larger campus it needed to become. With this incredible support, we can now focus on growing our enrollment, knowing we have the space to accommodate more members and promote the healing environment from the animals our members and clients needed.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Yes definitely. I am a visionary. I write programs for children going through challenges. This journey started 35 years ago where I worked for years with families and children. I started at age 16 and learned about all of the different ways to grow in the early childhood field. I started to grow in fields like marketing, social media, child protective services and more mainly in the state of Arizona. When I moved away to Carmel Indiana and back again within a 2 year period, I came back to Arizona worked in clinics and decided to open a more healing personalized service for children who were suffering silent struggles such as parents and family changing dynamics, illness, deaths of someone very close to them, We focus on alternative school learners (unschool, homeschool, play,project based & similar learners)

We had to get creative and create a FLEXible option for our members that the world is forgetting about. Mental Heart Healing House offers a therapeutic, membership-based community for youth (ages 3 through grade 9) who need a flexible, healing family environment. We support alternative academics, those facing family transitions, grief, illness, anxiety, bullying, light suspensions, relocation, and other challenges. Through mental health support, social,life-emotional skills, and hands-on experiences, we help students grow emotionally, thrive, and build strong family and community connections.

Our membership options are flexible, offering part-time, full-time, and programs tailored for students in alternative learning environments. Our three membership options support different family needs. Each option emphasizes emotional, social, and life skills, as 90% of our focus is on the holistic development of your child, not academic instruction:

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes, I’m very proud of the times I’ve chosen to pivot and recreate a vision that best serves the population of children we work with. The beautiful thing about Mental Heart Healing House is that we don’t need to be large to make a significant impact. Many people equate success with numbers, but I see true success in the deep, meaningful changes happening within individual children and their homes. When one child receives the personalized care they need, that transformation spreads to their family and classroom, creating a ripple effect.

I believe that children need to understand and enjoy what they’re learning, otherwise, it won’t stick. That’s why I don’t keep myself or my program in a box. As a business owner, I’ve given myself permission to be authentic and create an environment that gives others that same freedom. It’s important for kids, teens, and even adults to feel safe in a space outside of their homes to be real and grow.

Mental Heart Healing House will continue to pivot as often as needed to support the evolving challenges and needs of the community. If we’re in a season where grief is prevalent, we focus on supporting that grief. If there’s a financial need, we adjust by lowering costs or offering more free, donation-based community classes. This isn’t a typical business model and it does present challenges for our budget, but we’re committed to meeting the whole child’s needs. Thankfully, our community has been incredible at supporting us and helping us provide exactly what our youth and families need, even when we can’t do it alone.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

My real life experiences and the failed opportunities as well in different stages of my life. Being a teen mother and grandmother has given me the experience I couldn’t have ever gained just through college. My teen parenting experience as a military spouse helped me gain so many skills around the United States. I worked in many different daycare settings, developing programs and setting environments and spaces because it was too Rigid for what the children needed. I have always struggled with anxiety and was raised in that type of environment and space where I was able to be creative and learn in beautiful settings with amazing parents. It made me want the same for my children and in turn I was creative in how I taught my daughters early on and other children in the community. traveling gave me a chance to try different ways of working with multi-aged multi-grade children and families. Now 4.5 years into my very own micro-campus, I get to witness every opportunity and job I have had, combined beautifully into a healing space for children and families and educators.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mentalheart.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentalheart1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mentalhearthelp/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-comage-trower-3922b3133/

Image Credits

Mental Heart Healing House