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ABOUT

Brie A. Moore, Ph.D.
Founder
 

Brie began working with children with anxiety, depression and related struggles and their families in 2000. Throughout the years, she has always found her balance in the mountains.  In 2017, Brie founded The Courage Project in order to share the acceptance, courage, and growth that playing outdoors can offer. Her hope is that through this effort, we will make strides to increase awareness of and destigmatize 

psychological and behavioral health concerns, promote acceptance on both an individual and societal level, and empower children struggling with anxiety and depression to live life to the fullest, pursuing their greatest ambitions. More

Anne Attinger, PLA, LEED AP
Director

Anne has been a landscape architect for over 15 years and knows the outdoors as an experiential and healing environment.  She believes the indoor/outdoor link has a positive impact on quality of life.  For children, especially, outdoor play is fundamental.  Through the Courage Project, Anne seeks a departure from the dominant notion of fixed equipment playgrounds and encourages an intimate relationship with the basic elements of life: sunlight, fresh air, soil, water, rocks, plants and animals.

Nina Oakley, Ph.D.
Director


Nina left the ocean for the mountains in 2011 to attend graduate school in Atmospheric Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. She now paddles outrigger, stand-up, and prone in Lake Tahoe as often as possible. Nina finds time in the outdoors a great way to relax and re-focus while also developing the "grit" that is critical for success in a STEM field.  Through the Courage Project, Nina is excited to help kids find an activity they are passionate about with the hopes that this will help them manage anxiety, improve mood, and overcome challenges they may face in their lives.

Claire A. O'Brien

mSTEEP Program Director

Claire O’Brien is a recent graduate from UMass Amherst with a dual degree in Psychology and Spanish. Since graduating, she has become a level 200 Alpine Race Coach at Palisades Tahoe and a trained MSPE instructor. Claire joined The Courage Project in 2023 with a goal of expanding the organization to integrate mental training components for athletes. She has brought together her own athletic background, studies, and passion for outdoor adventure to develop a mindfulness based sports performance program. This program aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in the athletic industry, provide developing athletes tools to reach their full potential, and empower the next generation of athletes to be well rounded human beings. 

Patricia Walshaw, Ph.D.
Director

Patty is a clinical psychologist who has always had a love of the ocean and mountains.  She recognizes the state of mindfulness that just sitting in a line up or standing at the top of a run can produce.  Patty is passionate about bringing outdoor experiences to youth with symptoms of anxiety and depression.  Through the Courage Project, she hopes they too can find centeredness as they challenge themselves while also having fun.

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