Andrea Paquette

Andrea Paquette is the President and Co-Founder of the Stigma-Free Society, formerly the Founder of the Bipolar Disorder Society of British Columbia (BDSBC). She created the Bipolar Babe Project in 2009, and thereafter, an impacting website, which offered people a place to connect and find valuable mental health information. The Bipolar Babe Project evolved into the Charity she leads today.

Andrea's purpose is to create awareness and understanding of various stigmas, while encouraging people to be accepting of themselves and others. Andrea is passionate about educating the community about the stigma surrounding mental health and additional societal stigmas that negatively affect people’s perceptions of themselves and others. She shares her personal story of struggle and triumph since her bipolar disorder diagnosis in 2005 throughout multiple venues across the globe.

She is an award-winning mental health activist, educator, facilitator, speaker, and published author. In 12 years, Andrea has presented her story at over 1000+ schools, workplaces, community organizations and events, reaching thousands of people with her hopeful message.

Andrea is the 2019 award winner for the President's Commendation from the Psychiatric Association of Canada. She has been named as a 2017 YWCA Woman of Distinction nominee for Metro Vancouver. She has been featured on a Bell Let’s Talk Public Service Announcement that aired nationally across numerous media outlets. She also has been featured on a CBC documentary in the Fall of 2020.

Andrea shares her message with passion far and wide that truly,
"No matter what our challenges, we can all live extraordinary lives."