Kathy Leahy
Conversation with Trish Smith, August 2016
Pictured: Leon Cranston, Kathy Leahy, & Chase Moore
Leahy in Conversation with Trish Smith
Trish Smith: They really respect her. She respects them. I really admire what I see. They come to her like she’s their mother and she speaks to them as though she’s the mother and authority and this is her home and she’s overseeing her home.
Kathy Leahy: I think that helps to ground them too.
Trish Smith: It does.
Kathy Leahy: There is something about my behaving in that way that calms them. People want to be clear about what the boundaries are. And sometimes it’s just, “What are the boundaries in life?”
Trish Smith: Yeah. I agree.
Cassandra Holden: Some sense of structure…these things are OK, but these things aren’t. Therefore, I can figure out how to negotiate.
Kathy Leahy: Exactly. I might put up with this, but I’m not putting up with that.
[Laughter]
Trish Smith: And there’s a different role. I work with property managers all the time…that’s what I do. And the roles are just…so, the way we think about our work is different. She has a more motherly role.
Kathy Leahy: For this property.
Trish Smith: For this property. She’s protective of her residents.
Kathy Leahy: Yes, I am protective. I don’t want them taken advantage of and/or disrespected. They know I’ll stick up for them.