In this episode of Stepping In It, we talk with Kimberly Johnson, CEO of Arch Collaborative and founder of the Children’s Legacy Center. Kimberly shares her journey as a mother of five navigating a broken behavioral health system and her work leading reform. We explore rural challenges—from crisis care gaps to lack of infrastructure—and the power of trauma-informed, community-driven solutions to transform care in California’s North State and beyond.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Discover how lived experience shapes leadership in behavioral health reform.
• Learn about federal initiatives and workforce development challenges.
• Understand the role of advocacy in advancing rural and underserved communities.
• Gain insights from Kimberly Johnson’s impact at both state and national levels.

The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:09 - Introduction & Guest Kimberly Johnson
00:02:15 - Kimberly’s Background & Lived Experience
00:06:05 - Federal Perspective on Behavioral Health
00:08:27 - Workforce Challenges
00:12:16 - Building Systems of Care for Rural Communities
00:15:40 - Lessons from the Farm Crisis
00:19:05 - Advocacy in Policy Change
00:22:11 - Future Directions for Behavioral Health
00:25:22 - Closing Thoughts

Links:

• https://www.najeralawgroup.com/blog/california-domestic-violence-rate/
• https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/exploration/crime-statistics/domestic-violence-related-calls-assistance
• https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Crisis-Care-Continuum.aspx
• https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/our-work/publications/building-californias-comprehensive-988-crisis-system-strategic-blueprint-draft?language=en
• https://www.archcollaborative.org/
• https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/BHT/Pages/FAQ-Prop1.aspx

Connect with Kimberly:

https://www.instagram.com/ospshasta/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/childrenslegacycenter/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/kimberlylanelle/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-l-johnson-7803a374/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/archcollaborative/

https://www.facebook.com/OneSafePlaceShasta/

https://www.facebook.com/childrenslegacycenter/

Connect with us: 

https://ruralpolicypartners.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/linkedin.com/company/rural-policy-partners/ 

https://www.facebook.com/facebook.com/ruralpolicypartners

https://www.youtube.com/@ruralpolicypartners

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nWSxR1f3f8I