When Parents Are the Intervention (with Mallika Reddy Pajjuri)

<p><em>Introducing Thrive Together</em> — a new video podcast from the Thrive Center at Georgetown University, now appearing right here on the Thrive Dispatches feed.</p><p>Hosted by Maya Enista Smith and Jason Lembeck, <em>Thriving Together</em> features the same commitment to honest, solutions-focused conversation as <em>Thrive Dispatches</em> — with a more personal, co-hosted dynamic and a focus on the entrepreneurs, families, and practitioners building something new.</p><p>In this first episode, Maya and Jason sit down with Mallika Reddy Pajuri, co-founder and CEO of PsycheCare — a peer coaching platform that supports families in the weeks and months after a child&#39;s mental health crisis. Mallika shares how her own chronic illness shaped PsycheCare&#39;s model, why the company put parents (not clinicians) at the center, and what it looks like to build a Medicaid-focused mental health startup from the ground up — including three months living in Minnesota, a rented Jeep, and a crocheted emotional support pickle.</p>