Still Here Recovery Coaching

08/31/2026

Behind every number is a person who was, and still is, loved.

A mother, a brother, a daughter, a friend. Someone whose absence is still felt in ordinary moments, long after everyone has gone back to their lives.

They were not their addiction. They were the ones who made people laugh, who showed up when it mattered, who had hopes and plans for a future they should have had the chance to live.

For every life lost, there are people left behind carrying a grief that doesn’t simply end. Empty chairs. Unanswered questions. Milestones no one gets to celebrate together.

And for every person we’ve lost, there are so many more still here, still fighting, still finding their way, still worthy of every ounce of compassion we have to give.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember the people behind the numbers. We refuse to reduce a life to a statistic, or a person to their addiction.

They were here. They mattered. And they are remembered.

Awareness doesn’t end today. Keep learning. Keep listening. Keep seeing the humans behind the headlines, the families behind the losses, and the people in your own community who might be struggling in silence.

If this feels close to home, you’re not alone. 🩵

08/28/2026

Last year, Yellowknife gave us a pretty unforgettable welcome.

Next week, we’re heading back to the Northwest Territories for five days of Recovery Coach Foundations training on behalf of the Tłįchǫ Friendship Centre in Behchokǫ̀.

Our last trip north gave us some incredible memories, including this view of the northern lights. We’re looking forward to being back, meeting new people, sharing conversations, and spending another week learning together.

We’re grateful to be invited back and excited to see what the week brings.

See you soon, NWT. 🩵

📷: Shelley Shadow

08/27/2026

People are more than the language we use to describe what they’re going through.

A person with relationships, memories, interests, strengths, struggles, humour, hopes and a life that cannot be reduced to a single word.

As International Overdose Awareness Day approaches, we’re making space for people at the centre of the conversation.

Stigma has a way of turning people into labels. Awareness asks us to look again.

The person was always there.

08/27/2026

Helping others matters to you.
How you help matters, too.

Caring, listening and wanting to make a difference already come naturally to you. Recovery Coach Foundations builds on that with practical skills for supporting others with intention, without taking over their journey.

Over five days, participants explore active listening, motivational interviewing, boundaries, self-awareness and the role of a recovery coach through hands-on learning, discussion and practice.

Whether your interest comes from lived experience, the work you already do, or simply a desire to support others more effectively, this training offers another way to put that intention into practice.

Location: London, ON
Innovation Works
Dates: October 19-23, 2026
Time: 8 am - 5 pm
Course fee: $2,395 + HST

🔗 Start here: https://www.still-here.ca/recovery-coach-foundations

Take the first step in becoming a certified recovery coach in Canada and the U.S. 5-day intensive, trauma-informed training prepares you for peer recovery certification. No degree is required.

08/25/2026

A little something to sit with today.

What’s one possibility you’re not ready to give up on?

It doesn’t have to be big, fully formed, or something you know how to reach yet. Maybe it’s something you’ve been working toward, something you’re returning to, or an idea you haven’t quite been able to let go of.

If nothing came to mind right away, that’s worth noticing. Let the question stay with you. And if something did come to mind and you feel comfortable sharing, you’re welcome to leave it below.

08/22/2026

What can five days of Recovery Coach Foundations add to the work you do?

More than a set of techniques.

This 40-hour, in-person training creates space to build practical coaching skills while taking a deeper look at how you show up in support of others.

Participants explore the role of a recovery coach, practice active listening and motivational interviewing, work through boundaries and ethical considerations, and examine how personal biases, assumptions and lived experience can influence the way we support others.

It’s hands-on, reflective and grounded in real practice, with role play, discussion and feedback led by experienced recovery coaches and facilitators.

For those already working in peer support, healthcare, social services or community settings, it adds another lens to the work you're already doing. For others, it opens the door to a new way of putting lived experience, professional experience or a desire to help into practice.

Dates: September 14 - 18
Location: White Rock, BC
Ocean Promenade Hotel
Time: 8 am - 5 pm each day
Course fee: $2,195 + GST

🔗 Explore the upcoming training: https://www.still-here.ca/recovery-coach-foundations

We are Recovery Coaches and Recovery Coach Trainers.

08/21/2026

When we care about someone, it can be tempting to jump in with advice, solutions, or our own idea of what should happen next. A thoughtful question creates space for something different: their experience, their priorities, and what matters most to them in that moment.

Good questions don’t need to lead someone toward an answer we think they should arrive at. They are born from curiosity, without knowing what the answer will be. It’s possible they don’t know the answer right away, either. An evocative question may stay with them, giving them something to think about days later. A fast answer puts to death the question.

08/19/2026

Some stories deserve more than a scroll.

Social media gives us a place to connect, share ideas and stay close to this community. There are also thoughts, stories and conversations that need a little more room than a post can give them.

So, we’ve made a little more room.

The first Still Here newsletter is officially out in the world. It’s a place to share what we’re learning, what we’re doing, where we’re headed, and a few pieces of life along the way.

We hope it becomes another way to stay connected, whether you’ve been part of the Still Here community for years or are just getting to know us.

If you’d like to join us for the next one, we’d love to have you.

The conversation continues

Want to join us for the next one? Visit our website and scroll down to subscribe: https://www.still-here.ca/

08/18/2026

Mindfulness isn’t reserved for quiet moments.

It can show up in the few seconds between feeling a reaction and deciding what to do with it.

A comment that lands the wrong way. A message that catches you off guard. Our reactions arrive before we’ve had time to make sense of what we’re feeling.

The goal isn’t to make that reaction disappear. It’s to notice it and create enough room to ask: What am I feeling? What do I need? How do I want to respond?

That small pause can create enough room to respond with intention rather than simply moving wherever the first reaction takes us.

The response doesn’t have to be softer. It doesn’t have to make everyone comfortable. It might be a boundary, an honest conversation, a request for space, or choosing not to respond right now.

Mindfulness can give us a moment to notice before we choose what comes next.

08/16/2026