Submitted by Jordan Young, Heroes in Recovery lead advocate
Jesse or “DJ Jazzy Jesse”, as he is known in some circles, can be looked at as one of the true success stories for people contemplating how their life will be once they choose recovery. Since he chose to enter treatment over ten years ago, he has begun to enjoy the fruits of recovery. He currently hosts two national conferences for Foundations Recovery Network featuring over 800 attendees and 100 exhibitors from the recovery field over the course of four day events. You can view information on his conferences at www.foundationsevents.com. Here are some of his experiences.
“How did you get from being new to recovery to working in the recovery field?”
“I entered treatment at Foundations Associates, now known as Foundations Recovery Network, in the winter of 2000. I had been pretty successful in sales before the addiction got too bad. I did four months in the program, following by some independent living. About five or six months after I got out of the program I got an offer to work at Foundations, and have worked there for over eleven years now! I did intake calls for the first year and a half. Eventually, I began selling booths for our conferences and ironically didn’t even attend the first conference I managed remotely. After that, my bosses realized they needed me to go and be a part of the event because everyone was asking for me, wondering where I was. Naturally, I began attending the events and eventually running and emceeing them became a better option. I had some theater background and it became natural that I would take a more active role in the conferences, so I began to develop a stronger presence in the field. I do everything now from recruiting speakers, directing traffic, coordinating promotional items and giveaways, to encouraging new faces at the conference to meet each other and network during the events. I became the point person for the events, in order to bring people together to create the kind of a buzz that would make people want to come back and be a part of them regularly. Our events have grown progressively ever since then and we continue to expand in scope and size. As an added perk, there have been some fun times when I’ve been the DJ for the conference. I’ve actually had a legitimate hotel-based night club environment to DJ in, with a controlled and fun sober atmosphere.”
“Tell me about some extracurricular things you do that someone thinking about a life in recovery might not associate with recovery.”
“I make dance mixes and share them with others through my own website. To me, dancing and music is a fun outlet to engage in as a recovering person. I still get to enjoy dancing and dance music; just without the hype and dark side. Additionally, I actively work out at a couple of different gyms. I do everything from spin class, cross-fit, suspension band training to weight lifting. I recently got into playing recreational basketball, a new sports passion for me. I have consistently served as captain of a couple of competitive adult soccer teams. Soccer has always been my biggest and favorite sport activity. I am currently playing a couple of nights a week and whenever tournaments come up, as well. I’m also active in my recovery meetings and twelve step groups. Getting in the middle of the boat has allowed me to strengthen my recovery process and stay connected with like-minded people. I am a sponsor and actively work with my sponsor as well.”
“What have you found to be the most rewarding part of recovery, other than not having to use?”
“It’s probably all of the really interesting people that I meet, who are exceptionally talented and creative. I get a chance to know and befriend these people in the context of being in recovery and working in this field. My network of support and relating to other people instantly grows, especially since we have something in common that is important to our health and sanity. We all have that commonality; we share the same stories, so it becomes easier to form relationships with those kinds of people. I already know we have that in common and have been through similar experiences. I think all the diverse relationships made is the most exciting part of my recovery journey.”