Episode 17

Hurricane Helene: How Tragedy Helped Rally a Community with Brandon Moffitt

Episode

17 Description

“I think suffering and tragedy is unbearable without community.” – Brandon Moffitt

In this powerful episode, Andrew sits down with Brandon Moffitt, executive director and co-founder of Black Mountain Academy—a therapeutic boarding school for neurodiverse boys—to reflect on the impact of Hurricane Helene. They discuss the chaos and shock of the storm’s immediate aftermath, how the local community rallied together, and the profound human connection that emerged from the tragedy. Brandon shares how the students and staff at BMA were affected and how moments of crisis can reveal the strength of relationships and the beauty of collective care.

ORDER Andrew’s New Book — LAUNCH: A Guide to Getting Unstuck, Navigating Life, and Thriving: https://a.co/d/e5FE5JZ

Andrew Taylor Website: https://octagonmentoring.com/

PureLife Adventure: https://www.purelifeadventure.com/

Black Mountain Academy: https://theblackmountainacademy.com/

About

Brandon Moffitt LMHC

Brandon enjoys working directly with our Leadership Team to implement and fulfill the vision of Black Mountain Academy. The Leadership Team strives to be collaborative and to learn from one another as we meet the needs and achieve the goals of our students and families. As a person who loves to perpetually learn, Brandon works with the team to examine meaningful ways for Black Mountain Academy to continue to grow and evolve to best serve our students, families, and local community.

Brandon has over 20 years of experience as an educator and therapist working with adolescents and their families in therapeutic schools and programs. During his tenure in a previous program, he developed and ran a very successful model focused on integrated care for boys with neurodevelopmental and learning differences. Prior to becoming a therapist, Brandon spent time as a math and science teacher in public schools and as a guide on white water and climbing trips for adolescents. He loves being a dad, trail running, mountain biking, camping, fly fishing, woodworking, cooking, and being outdoors.