Creating Pathways to Wellness

Meagan Gauthier is a New England native who grew up in Northfield, MA. She has made homes throughout Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. She currently resides in Keene with her husband.

 

From a young age, Meagan has held a deep love for music, art, and animals. She began horseback riding lessons at the age of ten, immediately falling in love. Meagan also spent many summers attending and volunteering for a local camp, where she was a lifeguard, waitress and camp counselor. It was there she learned how much she enjoyed working with children.

 

After graduating high school in 2008, Meagan studied art and literature at Greenfield Community College. A few years later, she studied dog training at Animal Behavior College. After becoming a certified dog trainer, Meagan had the pleasure of working with a variety of dogs and their owners. Her time dog training not only taught her how to be a good dog owner and trainer to her own dog, but also how to be a good leader.

 

Meagan has worked in various customer service roles through the years, including Radio Shack, where she worked with electronics and cell phones, banking at Greenfield Cooperative Bank, and accounting at an insurance administrative company. In 2020, she proudly accepted a career in optics at Chroma Technology. Her workplace is a setting that fosters positive mental well-being. So when they offered a mental health first aid course, she jumped at the opportunity.

 

Animals have helped Meagan through some of the most difficult times in her life; her dog and cat bring her a tremendous amount of joy. Still, the yearning to ride and be around horses again remained, which led Meagan to Dusty Dog Horse Farm. She was drawn to the family-like community among the people and animals. This community was the same one that led her to Cooper’s Crossroad. Meagan says: “I have always loved animals and helping people, which is why I couldn’t be prouder to volunteer for such a wonderful organization that offers tools, guidance, and support to those who have been impacted by adversity and trauma. I don’t think there’s anything more important than mental health and human connection.”