Focus On Your Recovery
This workshop focuses on building a support team. Stories are shared of when the participant was a positive influence in the life of another person. Next, we uncover the success factors that enabled this story to happen. This is followed by a group activity to co-shape and design their ideal recovery relationship. The action plan at the end is the creation of their recovery team.
“Whatever you focus on expands.”
Elevate Your Recovery
This workshop focuses on co-creating your ideal future. We study moments of triumph and crowd source the collective resources of the group. This is followed by a visualization of a new future. This workshop ends with participants creating a personal action plan to bring their images to life.
“We don’t get into recovery to survive, we do it to thrive.”
Appreciate Your Recovery
This workshop focuses on your ideal day in recovery. The participants journal stories of appreciation followed by writing down items that they love and appreciate doing. Next is a group activity were participants co-create a skit or magazine cover to demonstrate the activities they enjoy. Participants are then invited to create an action plan to commit to doing more of the things they love.
“Recovery is a continuous process that never ends.”
Building Resilience in Recovery
This workshop focuses on the power of our words. We start with a story of overcoming an adversity. The group uses this story to uncover and theme the individual and collective strengths of the group. Next, the group co-creates an empowering sentence of resilience which is turned into a personal resilience affirmation. The participants create an action plan that incorporates resilience to use in their success in life and recovery.
Examples of Empowering Sentences Created During Workshop:
“What I can’t do alone, we can do together.”
“No matter how many times we fall, we get back up.”
“We are motivated, persistent, determined, and courageous about our recovery.”
“We as a team embody a lot of the same which gives us a fighting chance at a new life.”
“We are proud and courageous determined to take care of ourselves and our sobriety”
“We resilient women are committed to evolving with creative and loving instincts to overcome addiction with kindness and empathy to transform chaos into serenity”
Self-Care in Recovery
This workshop focuses on building an ideal self-care routine. We study moments of health and wellness followed by self-care actions and goals relating to the mind, body, and spirit. Next, the group divides into groups to ideate an ideal self-care routine for their daily life in recovery. This activity is followed by each participant creating their own daily self-care routine.
“Self-care is not selfish.”
“I’m absolutely grateful. Had you of done this two months ago in my active addiction, I would of never experienced what I did today sober. It gave me hope, value and more gratitude.”
“It’s encouraging and hopeful looking back to a point in our lives that was good. It helps me realize some of the positive qualities we have that we might have forgotten through our use. Helps to build goals to create the future we want.”
“I had not even realized how disconnected I had been feeling from other people. I have had super low energy, but this sparked energy in my mind and body. It felt so supportive and I cannot believe I got the sense of connection that I did from a virtual meeting.”
“Connecting in breakout rooms – hearing others stories and seeing the strengths in each of us and tapping into those within myself. Thank you so much for reminding and connecting us!”
Our addiction recovery system needs an upgrade. Our current success rates for people finding addiction treatment range from dismal to depressing.
Whether we are talking about alcohol, illegal substances or prescription medications, the numbers show that our current treatment models for substance use disorders are in desperate need of improvement.
These alarming numbers call for a shift in our treatment paradigm; a dynamic approach to facilitate addiction recovery and treatment. How might we choreograph powerful conversations around developing methods, programs, and approaches that facilitate long-term recovery outcomes?
Our workshops draw on research-based methods and real-life addiction recovery experiences to help facilitate transformational group experiences and create positive outcomes for those in recovery.
During these online and in person workshops and events, you will discover a step-by-step, science-based approach to facilitating powerful conversations where all voices are heard. These workshops and events offer a menu of life-skills, coping tools, and activities you can implement right away with your peers.
Non-Profit Organizations
Leader Facilitators
Consultants and Life Coaches
Workplaces
Education & Recovery Advocacy Training
Healthcare Professionals
Leader Executives
Recovery Community Organizations
Addiction Treatment Centers
Structured Sober Living
And More…
My name is Jesse Harless, and my mission is to change the recovery world one conversation at a time.
First of all, I want to thank you for investing your time and energy in yourself and in the lives of others. I left a successful career to live my purpose of helping people in addiction recovery to dream big and reach their full potential.
I work with and train individuals, groups, workplaces, education and advocacy recovery training companies, communities, addiction treatment centers, and sober living homes because I’m passionate about seeing people get a great start in their recovery journey. When I started my journey into addiction recovery at age 22, the only place I was told to go was self-help groups. But where are millennials and so many others going for help today? If it’s not self-help groups, then where?
As we know, only about 10 percent of people who suffer seek treatment support. Starting the journey to recovery is different for everyone and we can offer them a powerful head start. We know there’s only so much a person can learn in 28 days. This is why this initial work is so important. How do we help individuals get a better start to their recovery journey?
I’m excited for the opportunity to connect with you about Entrepreneurs in Recovery® Workshops and Events. Our approach enables all the voices to be heard, help individuals create a vision for their life, increase their resilience capacity, and design actions and goals that are more relevant than ever before. These events and workshops equip people with the skills to not only survive, but also to thrive.
The journey of creating Entrepreneurs in Recovery® events and workshops began while I was studying to become a XCHANGE certified guide. The XCHANGE approach trains leaders, executives, coaches, and consultants in the art of facilitating rapid positive change using several methods including Appreciative Inquiry. I’m currently a member of the XCHANGE Faculty team. I’ve integrated all of my learnings into my workshops, trainings, and events including my HeartMath® certification.
The XCHANGE approach is a powerful method to design & lead virtual group interactions to unlock collective strengths, creativity and resilience. The XCHANGE approach has been brought in by leading organizations (e. g., Facebook, BMW, TED , US NAVY, United Nations, Habitat for Humanity), institutions, and learning communities around the world, with groups representing over 75 countries.
I now spend my time running events and workshops with executives, coaches, facilitators, leaders, therapists, counselors, addiction professionals, recovery coaches, entrepreneurs, human resources, healthcare professionals, learning environments, recovery community organizations, and companies. People who want to do good in the world using a simple process that accelerates psychological safety and connection. I also work with individuals interested in taking Entrepreneurs in Recovery® events and workshops into schools, non-profit organizations, churches, prisons, and communities:
“Change begins with a single conversation” – David Cooperrider
The traditional treatment model for substance use disorders leans toward the negative, seeing the client as broken and flawed; telling them they need to be fixed. Often, facilitators and counselors focus on what is not working, what’s missing, what’s broken, what is wrong or negative in an effort to fix the problem.
This old paradigm of thinking and doing often unleashes a client’s sense of shame which can be both toxic and destructive.
Deficit-based approach to recovery:
In order to make a real difference, this negative mindset must be changed by both facilitators and clients.
Dr. Gabor Mate says, “Don’t ask ‘What’s wrong with you? Ask, ‘What happened to you?’
How we treat people and talk to them is a matter of life and death in the world of addiction recovery and mental health. These are important individuals who have a life purpose.
“Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.”
~ SAMHSA
Johann Hari states, “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, the opposite of addiction is connection.”
A big trigger for relapse is isolation. During Entrepreneurs in Recovery® workshops, we are beating isolation by creating deeper connections with peers and the people around us – it all starts with purposeful connecting and meaningful conversations.
“To see the number of folks participating. Their openness, their willingness to share, those are all huge things. A lot of guys generally don’t open up. And to open up that quickly to someone coming in that they don’t know was phenomenal. This would absolutely benefit people in recovery whether they have six minutes, six days or six months of sobriety. This (workshop) would absolutely be beneficial to them in terms of their long term outcomes. Positive long term outcomes.”
Andrew West – Executive Director of Bonfire Recovery Services
“Trainings are boring. Same messages from different people, regurgitating statistics and facts from years long ago. Trainings can be the black cloud of necessity to keep our certifications or licensure‘s valid.
The trainings that Jesse deliver, through Entrepreneurs of Recovery workshops, are designed to tap into each one of our personal and unique skill sets to fan a flame of fire that brought us to our work in the beginning.“
Claudia Hamilton – Executive Director of LivingProof Recovery and NextDoor
“After Jesse runs his workshop, typically the atmosphere for the entire group itself comes up positively charged. There’s a lot of remarks about Jesse’s workshops such as “Jesse’s groups actually led me to feel more empowered. I think that what Jesse is doing for the recovery community is deeply impactful. I think that Jesse’s work is going to have a great impact on the lives of people, and by affecting the lives of those individuals, will then continue to spread down for more and more people.”
Ryan Gagne – Executive Director of Avenues Extended Care
“Thank you for being a guiding light for all those around you and for creating opportunities for individuals like myself to create impact in deep, meaningful ways. Through your training and guidance, doors have opened up for me in ways I never thought possible. We truly are changing lives.”
Stephanie Courtillier – Founder of Integrous Women
Sentences created by participants during Stephanie’s first Entrepreneurs in Recovery® workshop:
“We are courageously connecting to a spirit within us that leads us to acceptance and confidence”
“We resilient women are committed to evolving with creative and loving instincts to overcome addiction with kindness and empathy to transform chaos into serenity”
Elevate the lives of people in addiction recovery who might be lost, stuck, or lack of direction to gain clarity in order to live a life of purpose.
I design, choreograph, and facilitate events and workshops to bring about this mission.
People who are often interested in my training, events, and workshops want to:
