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). Motivated by a drive to create tangible change, I transitioned from journalism into frontline work in the DTES, where I draw on my own lived experience. Over the past six years, I’ve worked in a range of frontline roles, including human trafficking prevention, youth services, addiction treatment, outreach, needle exchange programs, and supportive housing. I also have experience as a Harm Reduction consultant for the Dr. Peter Centre.

I am the co-founder of Frontline Baddies, a community-driven initiative built to support frontline workers who often face burnout, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, and lack of management support. Having personally experienced violence on the job and systemic barriers in the workplace, I’m deeply committed to advocating for safer environments, better mental health support, and fair compensation for those doing this critical work. Frontline workers deserve more than survival—they deserve to feel safe, seen, and supported. Through Frontline Baddies, we aim to build a space where frontline workers can find solidarity, belonging, and the tools to thrive in both their roles and their communities.

Brooke Spinelle

Director of Services

My name is Brooke Spinelli (she/her). My experience includes over five years in youth services, primarily in supportive housing 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 in 2020 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 BA in Criminology and a diploma in Youth Justice. 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 working frontline 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 6 years and I hold a BA in Psychology from 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.

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!

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!

Bernadette Folster

Director of Mindfulness and Traditional Care

My name is Bernadette Folster (She/her), Bernie for short. I am a proud indigenous women from the Bear Clan. I have been in frontline community work in Northend Winnipeg for 7 years in low barrier settings. I am now in a role in my fulltime workplace where I support frontline workers as well. Some of the many things I am passionate about is harm reduction, creating safe inclusive spaces and using my voice to advocate. I am currently on my own journey of healing and discovering my culture. I truly love and am grateful for the work I am able to do and be apart of.

I wanted to be apart of the Frontline Baddies because I have been recognizing the gaps in support for frontline workers and frontline leadership even in the most supportive organizations. I have developed a great deal of self-care balance, mindfulness work, and workplace advocacy in my career.

I also have been taking back and learning my indigenous path that has been stolen from me due to intergenerational/oppressive trauma. As I grow in my traditional journey, I am excited to bring more traditional support to fellow indigenous heart workers such as connecting them to ceremony, providing sharing circles opportunities and helping Frontline Baddies continue to grow our indigenous lens.