Crow’s Nest Ranch

10/30/2026

No, ghostface didn’t win our giveaway. We will be announcing that winner on Monday!

In the spirit of Halloween we dedicated our Thursday morning DBT, Somatic experiential group to learning the always-scary Muay Thai elbow techniques. What makes these strikes so terrifying is that they can deliver devastating, close-range precision and power. And also relieve a significant amount of internal frustration and anxiety.

We practice somatic therapies as part of our program because of the significant mental and physical health benefits it offers any person in our care. 

Physically, the intense cardiovascular workout helps improve strength, endurance, and coordination, promoting overall fitness and a sense of accomplishment. 

Mentally, these disciplines foster resilience, self-esteem, and healthy outlets for stress and emotional regulation, which can be particularly beneficial in recovery. The focus required in Muay Thai encourages mindfulness, helping individuals to stay present and manage cravings or triggers more effectively.

But don’t just take our word for it. Check out what our patients are saying:

“I never thought I’d enjoy Muay Thai but this completely changed my perspective. It helped me release years of pent-up frustration and gave me a real sense of empowerment.” - BP

“I was surprised to find that hitting the pads and learning new moves was incredibly fun. The mental strength I’ve developed has not only helped me in my recovery but also made me feel empowered as a woman.” - HB

“At first, I was skeptical about this being beneficial for my recovery. But I enjoyed the mental challenge these groups offered me.” - HH

“I found a community that lifts each other up. The focus and discipline required in morning training not only strengthened my body but also gave me a newfound confidence.” - DA

“Muay Thai became a source of empowerment, giving me the resilience to face my challenges head-on and inspiring me to be the best version of myself.” - JA

Join us in fostering your path to healing and growth. Contact us: 📲 530-448-4555 or 📧: [email protected]

10/25/2026

After running our Saturday group and spending time in practice and recovery with the people in our care, some of our staff made the trip to Reno for Ray Valdez’s art show.

Check out his art at: https://www.rayvaldezstudio.com

Today’s show consisted of Ray leading a traditional drum ceremony and a small circle of sharing while surrounded by his art.

It was an incredible time and our Clinical Director even walked away with one of Ray’s original paintings!

For those who do not know him yet, Ray is a Yaqui Nation elder based in Reno, Nevada. He has dedicated much of his life to preserving and sharing Indigenous spiritual practices, including his work in Native American religious rights.

At Crow’s Nest Ranch, Ray leads our Wellbriety circles and guides these healing ceremonies that are now part of the rhythm of recovery for our patients.

Ray, thank you for your generosity through your teachings and your art. It is an honor to walk alongside you. 🙏

Wellbriety is an Indigenous approach to healing that asks what it means to be well in every part of your life: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

If you want to learn more about Wellbriety check out White Bison ⚪️🦬⚪️

With gratitude,
The Crow’s Nest Ranch team

10/20/2026

It actually saves the business about $8,500 a year in turnover, replacement, and health costs, according to the National Safety Council.

Here's another one: roughly 1 in 12 workers has an untreated substance use concern. They're already on our teams, at our front desks, and on our job sites. Most of them stay quiet because they aren't sure how work will respond.

Employers around the nation who speak up first are seeing results. New Hampshire launched the first statewide Recovery Friendly Workplace program in 2018.

RSVP Today

Oct 28: Free Truckee-Tahoe employer Lunch & Learn: build a recovery-friendly workplace, reduce stigma, and help employees seek care sooner.

10/13/2026

Crow’s Nest Ranch Outpatient happily collaborates with local and regional MAT providers to support continuity of care, clinical review, coordination, and aftercare planning.

Outpatient levels include PHP, IOP, and OP for adults with substance use and co-occurring mental health needs.

Read the full article at ➡️

Crow’s Nest Ranch Outpatient offers MAT-friendly outpatient treatment in Truckee, CA. We collaborate with MAT providers to support continuity of care, clinical review, coordination, and aftercare planning. Outpatient levels include PHP, IOP, and OP for adults with substance use and co-occurring me...

10/13/2026

Why does a group utilizing structured movement-based activities calm you in a way training alone can’t?

Swipe through for the science behind it, and what it means for recovery. 👉

When you move in real-time with other people, two separate brain functions are activated at once.

🧠 The first is social bonding. Your brain releases oxytocin, the bonding hormone. Substance use disrupts the oxytocin system, the same system that drives trust, connection, and social reward. Research (McGregor and Bowen, 2012) has linked oxytocin to reduced drug seeking and to repairing the social bonding deficits that long-term use leaves behind.

😎 The second is pain relief and mood enhancement. Research by Tarr, Launay, Cohen, and Dunbar (2015) found that moving in sync raised pain thresholds, a common marker of endorphin release, independent of effort done alone.

🤝 Then there is “self-other merging”, the proposed mechanism behind why synchronized movement bonds people in the first place. When the line between “me” and “the group” softens, isolation loosens its grip. And isolation is exactly what addiction feeds on.

That is why movement at Crow’s Nest Ranch is community-first.

Every solo session has value, and we would never tell you to stop training on your own. But training only alone can leave a calming, bonding response on the table that your nervous system is fully capable of producing.

We pair group movement with CBT, DBT, ACT, DBR, and other evidence-based therapies to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms.

You already possess the capacity to connect. We help you build it. 🌲

📍 Truckee-Tahoe, California
📞 (530) 448-4555
🌐 crowsnestranch.org
💬 Or DM us here

10/07/2026

Your resilience is already there. Sometimes people simply need the right support, structure, and skills to access it.

In this article, we explore a simple but powerful idea: DBT, ACT, and CBT all point to the same truth: lasting recovery requires using the tools that work, staying flexible when things get hard, and keeping action toward the life we want.

At Crow’s Nest Ranch, we don’t believe our job is to “fix” people.

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to read this one. It’s ultimately a reminder that you may have more capacity for change than you realize and that recovery doesn’t require perfection. It requires a willingness to keep moving forward, even when the next step is uncomfortable.

Read the full article here:

There is a phrase that gets used a lot in recovery circles. Sometimes it is said quietly, almost to oneself, in a moment of real desperation. Sometimes it is said with a kind of fierce clarity that only comes when a person has finally decided they are done fighting themselves. The phrase is: “By a

09/28/2026

‼️Win a split board ‼️

One month. One daily action. Done in community.

is here.

This is an all-recovery challenge for anyone in recovery, sober-curious, or supporting someone they love.

How it works:

📲 Download the app

🤝 Join the Crow’s Nest Ranch group

☝️ Pick one daily action that supports your wellbeing: walking, baking, journaling, cycling, hiking, attending therapy, organizing an outing, and more!

🗓️ Do one personal activity, daily throughout October.

🤳 Share it to the group

✅ Post to your personal social feed and story to help normalize recovery out loud.

Bonus: All participants are entered to win a Jones splitboard plus other community prizes.

We are thankful for the collaboration with to help this reach as many people as possible to reduce stigma and isolation experienced by those in need of support!

Start here for the full details and official steps: https://www.crowsnestranch.org/sober-october-together

09/24/2026

Today would have been my mom’s 70th birthday. Crow’s Nest Ranch was founded in her memory and remains committed to our community with the same vigor she showed for those she loved.

Deanna McRae Brandt. Rodeo Queen. The woman who named a horse ranch “Crow’s Nest” in rural Oregon, where I grew up running wild and learning what it means to earn something.

She had 4 miscarriages before I was born. A brain tumor removed, and part of her brain along with it. Doctors told her she would likely never carry a child again. When she got pregnant with me, another doctor told her there was a high probability I would be developmentally disabled and advised her to end the pregnancy. She said no without flinching.

That was Deanna.

She raised me with an iron fist. Hard on me because the world is hard and she knew I would need to be harder. She also had the softest spot for the strays of this earth, the ones everyone else passed over. I see that in every person who walks through our doors at Crow’s Nest Ranch.

I have never shared what I am about to share publicly. It feels right today.

After she died, I fell apart. I went back to using. Eventually I was arrested. Sitting in a concrete jail cell, I got on my knees and prayed out loud to her. I said: “Mom, if you get me out of here by tomorrow, I will turn my life around, go to rehab, and commit myself to a path of complete and total service.” The following day, I was bonded out. Two days later, I sat in detox with nothing left to lose.

I believe that was her. Her last wave of the wand. Testing whether I was finally ready to keep a promise I had made one too many times before.

She is the reason Crow’s Nest Ranch exists. She is in every group session, every sober sunrise, every client who finds their way back to themselves. Her name is on this place even if most people do not know it yet.

Happy 70th, Mom. I miss you every day.

All the love. Your Son,

Jordan Brandt, Founder & CEO, Crow’s Nest Ranch & Radical Recovery

Crow’s Nest Ranch is a celebration of Deanna McRae Brandt. Rodeo Queen, Wife, Mother, Daughter, and Caretaker.

09/23/2026

Join us for . A community-first way to reduce stigma and strengthen connection around addiction, recovery, and mental wellbeing.

We are proud to be collaborating with Hello Steady, Radical Recovery, and Reconnected Foundation to invite our community into an all-recovery challenge throughout October.

This campaign is for people in long-term recovery, people who are brand new, sober-curious participants, and supporters of loved ones.

Head to our site to get the details, join the challenge, and enter to win a Jones Splitboard and other community prizes: https://www.crowsnestranch.org/sober-october-together

Join Sober October, Together, a self-paced, all-recovery community challenge in Truckee-Tahoe and beyond. Build connection, reduce stigma, and take one daily action for well-being and recovery. Join Crow’s Nest Ranch in collaboration with Radical Recovery, Reconnected Foundation, and Hello Steady.

09/18/2026

Thank you Sierra Sun for the feature!

Read Full article at:

September is National Recovery Month, a time to celebrate the strength of those in recovery and to honor the communities that make long-term sobriety possible. At Crow’s Nest Ranch, this month is personal. Before there...