Name: Patrick Buehl
Facebook: @patrick.buehl.2025
LinkedIn: @patrickbuehl
Website: www.teentree.com
Age: 40
Title: Founder & CEO, Teen Tree
Married/Single: Married to Ashley — my first and only.
Kids: Five! A proud blended family that keeps the house loud, the fridge empty and my heart full.
City you live in: Scottsdale
A typical day in my life includes… an early alarm and the school drop-off relay, then a full sprint: department meetings, culture check-ins, contracts, insurance negotiations and time with other business leaders; all part of working to change the ecosystem so kids get long-term change and sustainable outcomes, not quick fixes. When I can, my absolute favorite thing to do is walk into Teen Tree and meet with the kids, or head into a Kid in the Corner board meeting knowing we’re going to make a difference. I also mentor youth through New Pathways for Youth. The day ends at the dinner table with Ashley and the kids, where the phones lose and the conversation wins.
I was born… in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, the waterpark capital of the world. We moved to Phoenix in 1998, when I was in sixth grade, and I’ve been thawing out ever since.
My favorite thing about Arizona… that it gave a Wisconsin kid a fresh start, and now I get to watch it do the same for teens and families every day. The sunsets don’t hurt, either.
I’m listening to… feel-good music our kids love; it’s a direct line into their world, and I’ve come to love it too, and country love songs, which are Ashley’s favorite and have grown on me.
My family… is my why. Ashley and our five kids are the reason behind everything I build, and my daily reminder of what every teen deserves to come home to.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… Simon Sinek. We built Teen Tree by starting with why; dinner would just be me asking him what comes next.
One thing I cannot live without… Ashley’s patience. Five kids and a growing company, we test it daily.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… a professional athlete. That dream retired early, but the best parts of it, the team, the coaching, the comeback stories; turned out to be exactly what I get to do now.
I’m inspired by… the teens at Teen Tree. The courage it takes to face your hardest chapter at 15 makes everything on my to-do list look easy.
The person/people who motivate(s) me is/are… Ashley and our kids, first and always; and every parent brave enough to pick up the phone and ask for help. That call takes guts, and it deserves our best.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… no teen would ever believe they’re beyond help, and no family would have to wait for a crisis to find it.
The perfect day would be… a sunrise hike with Ashley, a few hours on campus watching breakthroughs happen, then burgers by the pool with all five kids; and nobody asking for the Wi-Fi password.
My first job was… bussing tables at El Paso Barbecue; fast-paced, high-energy, and I loved every minute with the customers. Turns out I’ve been in the people business from the start.
My favorite escape… heading back to Wisconsin, the wilderness, the seasons and getting to share both with our family. You can take the kid out of the Dells…
My life… is loud, full and nothing like I planned. It’s better.
I’m currently working on… growing Teen Tree so more Arizona families can find whole-person care; 30-plus initiatives and counting, and on being as present at home as I am at work.
Always… show up, for Ashley, our kids, our team and every family who trusts us with theirs.
Never… underestimate a teenager. They’re not broken, and they will absolutely out-negotiate you.
Favorite Quote… “We rise by lifting others.”
Biggest Dream… a Teen Tree within reach of every family that needs one, and all five kids someday saying, “Dad got it mostly right.”
My Pet Peeve(s)… when people talk about teens instead of to them. (Also, empty milk cartons put back in the fridge. Five kids, zero confessions.)
Bio:
Patrick Buehl is the founder and CEO of Teen Tree, an Arizona teen mental health organization providing residential care in Scottsdale. Built on the belief that no teen or family should ever walk this road alone, Teen Tree wraps more than 30 programs; clinical therapy, life coaching, nutrition, academics and family partnership-around whole-person healing. A Wisconsin Dells kid who grew up in Phoenix, Patrick lives in Scottsdale with his wife, Ashley, and their five children.
