As we navigate these challenging times and Minnesota’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we work hard to continue serving the recovery community in the most effective ways possible. We are connecting with people everyday, helping them navigate recovery resources during this especially difficult time and providing essential peer recovery support. This month, we interviewed Julie Shade, a former Community Engagement Intern and soon-to-be Recovery Navigator.
MRC: How did you get involved with MRC?
Julie: I learned about MRC through Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. I signed up to get weekly Telephone Recovery Support (TRS) calls and to work with a Recovery Navigator. TRS calls and working with my navigator were essential to my recovery. As I continued my recovery, I started the career training program at Twin Cities R!se (TCR) and started my intern role at MRC.
MRC: What does MRC mean to you?
Julie: MRC is a lifeline of recovery peers willing to help you find resources that you truly need to stay alive and have success in your recovery. It’s a hub of information to help you with the recovery process.
MRC: What is something significant that you are proud of?
Julie: I am most proud of the decision to get back into recovery and also to pursue some education to change my career pathway. After 12 years of recovery, I experienced a setback. In January 2019, I started my second phase of recovery. This time around, I was inspired to make a difference. I want to be able to help other people in recovery avoid the pitfalls that I fell into. Changing career paths is a really big deal. I wanted to transition out of warehouse work and I was not sure how to do that. MRC helped me figure that out.
“Recovery Works. That’s a statement you can put at the bottom. With an exclamation mark.”
MRC: What suggestions would you give to people in the recovery community?
Julie: Success comes through willingness. Take action. Be willing to learn, be honest, and grow. Give your best each day. Self-examination goes a long way. You have to learn to pay attention to things and really hear them. Recovery Works. That’s a statement you can put at the bottom, with an exclamation mark. Whatever unique way people find that works for them. Recovery works no matter how we find it. For some people, it is different and that is great. We are all working towards the same goal and it does not matter how you get there.
MRC: What is your next step/goal?
Julie: My goal stays the same. In the warehouse or now, I look to be an asset and a part of a team. I will attend the Recovery Coach Academy in the fall and continue to work in the recovery field. Once I become a Certified Recovery Coach, I want to focus on bridging the gap between early recovery and long-term recovery. I would like to be a lecturer and connect people in recovery in the future.
