Meet Lori Madrid

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lori Madrid and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lori, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’d love to say I started Everybody Matters because of rainbows and unicorns and so on, but Everybody Matters was inspired out of anger! As a school social worker, I had become so incensed about the fact that on a daily basis I was managing four or five crisis situations with students while in my periphery there were more waiting in line that I couldn’t get to. Once I’d helped with the students in crisis, I couldn’t circle back to follow up because the others in line then got my attention. It was a no win situation. I was outnumbered by the people who needed me.

At the time, I was also teaching evening social work classes at a local university, and as I drove to class fuming over the fact that kids weren’t getting the help they needed, the wise voice in my head basically shouted, “Stop your whining, Lori. You’re a smart woman. Figure this out! Fix it!” Hm, well, I guess I told me. As I walked into class I overheard some students complaining about their internships saying things like, “I’m only answering the phone. I’m only filing. I don’t even get to see clients.” And viola – the light bulb moment. I was desperate to have children get help, and these people were desperate to learn how to help. The perfect marriage. The school district and university both agreed to pilot a program where I would train teams of interns to help kids in schools and Everybody Matters was born.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was born for this work and I’m pretty sure that in the delivery room on my literally birth day, the doctor announced, “Congratulations, it’s a social worker!” I jokingly say the nurses talked with me about their relationship woes and I gurgled out advice. I’m the person at the party to whom strangers tell their troubles and the friend who shows up in the middle of the night because the worst has happened and we all need to sit on the floor and sob. I grew up on welfare when food stamps were actually paper coupons and, as a free lunch kid, had to wait in the back of the line with that different colored lunch ticket. I know what it’s like to have the phone shut off for nonpayment and to wear clothes from the donation box only to have a classmate run up to me shouting, “hey, that’s my shirt.” And I’m so grateful because I understand the inherent angst of poverty and feeling “less than.” Luckily, I was born smart and academically driven so I left small town Wyoming, and headed to where the real action is and got my masters in New York City. I interned in Spanish Harlem with people struggling with homelessness and the South Bronx with children in foster care. I received training with Salvador Minuchin and saw Albert Ellis work in person which was thrilling for young a social worker. I then returned to Wyoming working in Psychiatric Residential Care with children and I just keep learning and learning and learning. I can’t wait to see the next problems I can help solve.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a tough question for me because I’m must less about the “doing” and more about the “being” but were I to have a friend in town we’d for sure check out the theatre scene catching a play at the Herberger or Gammage, or even one of the smaller local community theaters. I’m personally not a foodie, but it’s super easy to find the perfect place for great cuisine depending upon a friend’s palate, and let’s face it, it’s fun to sit outside at Aunt Chilada’s because it’s just so cute.

Because our weather is so great, I’ll usually set up a day at local hotel spa where we can get massages and then sit by the pool talking at length about life, the universe and whole lot of everything else.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The success of Everybody Matters is due to …. well, really, everybody. I’m not saying that in a flippant way – seriously, all along the way every person in my orbit has added to the success. Effective leaders know it’s essential to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and I’m a pro at that. Throughout the conceptualization and growth of the program my mental health and school colleagues continue to provide both support and push back as I fumble with and hone ideas for how to proceed. Both the university and school district leadership assumed the risk inherent in running a pilot program which is not easy for leaders in large organizations. The board of directors provide wise, determined and committed counsel and our funders trust our process and continue to provide financial support. The interns are the heroes and consistently show up to support the resilient children facing major stressors, while maintaining their own professionalism and stamina. As we’ve grown, the Everybody Matters staff has become comprised of former interns who understand and teach the model and are shepherding the next generation of mental health professionals into the field. Although I carry the title and responsibilities of CEO, I have never felt isolated in decision making or as though I’m singularly the element that creates our success – except to the extent that I’ve surrounded myself with all the right people. Honestly, with Everybody Matters, everybody matters.

Website: everybodymatters.us

Instagram: @everybodymattersaz

Facebook: @everybodymattersaz