Frontline Baddies Team

All the wonderful people that have created and defined what it means to be a Frontline Baddie supporting other Frontline Workers.

Tracey Gaydosh

Co-Founder & CEO

My name is Tracey Gaydosh (TJ) (she/they) and I hold a BA in Psychology with an emphasis in Developmental and Clinical psychology. I hold another BA in Gender, Race, & Sexuality Social Justice. I have a diploma in Child Life Speciality and a master's Diploma in Psycho Social Rehabilitation. I am a registered Psycho Social Rehabilitator.

I have experience working in what is known today as Vegas, DTES, and Calgary. I have 10 years of diverse frontline work experience including youth harm reduction, medical detox, addiction treatment, youth community reintegration from custody, domestic violence sector, and stabilization for youth. I have helped create multiple support services: Vice at UBC, Alberta's only Open Custody Reintegration Program, and Calgary's community based stabilization youth program. I was honoured as a Community Youth Advocate by the OCYA office in 2022 for helping youth in the justice system learn and advocate for their rights through the YCJA.

I wanted Frontline Baddies to be a community for frontline workers simply starting with instagram memes. After receiving copious amount of messages from frontline workers who were suicidal and burntout, I knew our community needed more than a meme page. Aileen and I had already created a community of support for us and our friends, but we agreed: other Frontline Workers need that same support on a larger scale. I organize and help lead our team to success through supporting our crew in their dreams of what they want Frontline Baddies to be.

Aileen Vu Tran

Co-Founder & COO

My name is Aileen Tran (she/they) and I hold a BA in Journalism with a focus on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). Driven by a desire to make tangible change, I transitioned from journalism to frontline work in the DTES, drawing on my lived experience. With five years of diverse frontline experience—including human trafficking prevention, youth work, addiction rehabilitation, outreach, needle exchange, and supportive housing—I now work at North America's lowest barrier shelters and serves as a Harm Reduction consultant, operating within a trauma-informed framework.

I co-founded Frontline Baddies, with the goal of building a supportive community where frontline workers facing struggles can find solidarity, a sense of belonging, and the empowerment needed to thrive in their roles. I firmly believe that frontline workers deserve more safety, support, and fair compensation for the critical work they do. Having personally encountered violence on the job, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, and unsupportive management, I'm deeply committed to advocating for safer, more supportive environments and fair compensation for frontline workers. I believe that those on the front lines deserve recognition and improved conditions for the critical work they do. I've experienced firsthand the challenges of burnout, insufficient support, and discrimination. We're dedicated to building a supportive community where frontline workers facing similar struggles can find solidarity, and a sense of belonging, helping them to grow and thrive in their work.

Brooke Spinelle

Director of Services

My name is Brooke Spinelli, I am a cis-gendered biracial woman using she/her pronouns. My experience includes over five years in youth services, primarily in residential support and community outreach. I was the youngest intake coordinator for one of the oldest youth treatment centres in Vancouver. I was new to the field when I met Aileen and Tracey working in the DTES with youth. They both taught me ways to stay safe doing this work and were supports for me in being able to do frontline work long term.

I hold a Youth Justice diploma and am set to complete my BA in Criminology by May 2025. My passion for youth work stems from my own experience with a supportive counselor during adolescence, which inspired me to pursue a similar role. I joined Frontline Baddies in Spring 2022 after recognizing the lack of support for frontline workers.

As Director of Client Services, I ensure client satisfaction, foster positive relationships, and also contribute to content creation and workshop support. What I love about frontline workers is being able to connect with people and create a sense of community and humanity. I strongly believe that the smallest interactions can have a lasting meaningful impact on the way we view the world and the way we treat ourselves and others.

Dani Bodner

Director of Education

My name is Dani (She/Her) and I've worked in social services for the last 5 years and recently graduated with my Psychology degree at U.B.C. I have been a youth worker, intake coordinator, transitional worker, and currently am a case manager. I've worked in youth group homes, stabilization programs, youth treatment programs, and in the adult forensic stream. Outside of my work I'm a loving daughter, devoted friend, dog mom, trauma survivor, and proud to be part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

Frontline workers are consisntently overlooked within the mental health field and even in the overall job market. My time working frontline consisted of continuous critical incidents with little to no support for our under staffed teams, and being denied educational opportunities as well as mental health care after these incidents would occur on a daily and even hourly basis. I knew this was unfair, but I was so tired and burnt out to think any further of it. When I had the opportunity to join the Frontline Baddies team, I knew I had to take it. I truly believed that frontline workers deserved actual support and wanted to provide that any way I could. I'm honoured to call myself a Frontline Baddie and be included in this work of supporting our community through directing how we educate and support other Frontline Workers.

Firimina Mushi

Director of Marketing

My name is Firimina Mushi (She/Her) and I am a committed member and facilitator at Frontline Baddies,

with extensive experience in mental health support, shelter resources, and harm reduction, particularly in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Roles I have previously held include HIV/Health Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development in Tanzania, and I hold degrees in psychology and counselling as well as business administration.

I have been recognized for co-organizing national collage exhibitions in Tanzania and am certified in First Aid Level 1, Naloxone administration, and Non-Violence Crisis Intervention (NVCI). I joined Frontline Baddies to connect with others facing similar challenges and aim to use my expertise to support and uplift fellow frontline workers. At Frontline Baddies, I plans to implement effective marketing strategies to expand the organization's reach and impact.

Megan Malette

Director of Community

My name is Megan Malette (she/her) and I’m a maritimer born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I am mom to a 5 year old golden retriever named Luna. I believe deeply in the importance of access to low barrier, harm reduction focussed housing and support spaces and am grateful to the folks I have the privilege of supporting and learning from each day.

With certifications as both a Birth & Postpartum Doula and an Abortion Doula, I have a special interest in reproductive care and wellness. I look forward to further expanding my knowledge and expertise in the near future with training to become certified as a Death Doula. I’ve had the

opportunity to engage in a wide variety of training through OTC and love working in a space that provides me with opportunities for learning and growing, every day.

I want to support frontline workers who are pregnant or have been pregnant in accessing the appropriate supports and resources. I’d like to collaborate in establishing a network of people who are pregnant and parenting, who have had abortions, who experienced miscarriage, etc. to facilitate connections to other frontline workers in similar situations.

I feel passionately about this work and care deeply about supporting frontline workers through both their struggles and successes. The work that Frontline Baddies is doing is amazing and I’m excited to be here as part of this team. I’m looking forward to meeting and connecting with many of you!

Sophie Butler

Director of External Affairs

My name is Sophie Butler (she/her), and I have been working frontline for 3 1/2 years. I am currently working as a frontline addiction counsellor, but have also worked as a case manager and peer for a safe consumption site in Ottawa. I have completed a bachelor in psychology, and am currently undertaking a masters in counselling psychology to hopefully one day be able to offer low cost therapy to frontline workers.

I joined Frontline Baddies because I truly believe that there is no help for us without us, and strongly believe in the mission and goal of the Frontline Baddies organization. While volunteering my time I am looking to help with facilitating groups, sticker design, and helping increase social media presence to hopefully reach and help more baddies. I am looking forward to connecting with Frontline Baddies both in my immediate community and around Canada through our programs offered and monthly brunches!