05/01/2026
"Aware and Unwilling." This is what a participant shared during the two-word check-in on day one of The Way Onward Facilitator Training.
They explained that something “corporate” like leadership didn't have anything to do with their job in peer support, and it wouldn't help them better connect with people.
And for just a split second, I felt that little voice of self-doubt start to whisper in my ear.
But then I caught it. I paused and reminded myself that I live this stuff. Leadership and recovery aren’t concepts to me... they’re lived experience.
So instead of getting defensive (it's a default mode I'm working on), I got curious. I leaned in to curiosity to understand where they were coming from. And that changed everything.
Once they realized I wasn’t coming from a “corporate” place, that I actually walk a path of recovery too, the walls started coming down.
By the end of the second day, their two-word check-out was,
“relieved and honored... old dogs can learn new tricks and I'm glad to have met you.”
This is why I believe so deeply in this work. It’s why I continue to challenge the process and focus on building leadership ecosystems that actually support lasting change.
Because it takes more than talking about “strengthening workforce capacity” and “building recovery capital.”
It takes lived experience, practice, and space for people to discover it for themselves.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to bring leadership into recovery in a real, human way… let's explore it together.
Registration for The Way Onward Facilitator Training Online is now open — live, virtual, and now approved for CEUs.
You don’t have to be “all in” to start.
Just willing to be curious. 👉 https://thewayonward.com/training/the-way-onward-facilitator-training-online/