Andrea Paquette founded the Stigma-Free Society in 2010 after being hospitalized for bipolar disorder and losing her home. She was hoping to address the significant stigma around mental illness, and created customized workshops, mental health toolkits and presentations to support people too embarrassed or ashamed to speak up about their experiences. Andrea believes that the more we remove judgement and encourage people to share their stories, the more educated and understanding we’ll all become.