Recovery Gnome Project

Mar 11, 2022

This Week on Talk Recovery Radio

This week on Talk Recovery Radio we have 5 amazing mothers on for a full hour who are sharing their stories of their journey through their children’s recovery journeys, as well as the Recovery Gnome Project and Recovery n’ Motion. Catch the show live on Talk Recovery’s Facebook page Thursday at noon – 1pm.

About Recovery Gnome Project

The Recovery Gnome Project, founded by family members with loved ones who have struggled with the disease of addiction, was created with a specific mission:

​To Celebrate Recovery and Inspire Conversation, Learning, and Hope!

We are familiar with the devastating impact addiction has on the entire family; the hurt, the loss of self and purpose, and the isolation. The stigma of addiction for all involved can create a very lonely and bleak world. Regaining what was lost takes an incredible amount of hope and support. Having been there ourselves, we know that recovery is not only possible, it’s happening all around us-families can and do recover!

Embarking on unique recovery journeys has led us to our definition of recovery, “The mindful pursuit of physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.” and to help normalize the concept of recovery, the RGP has created a variety of campaigns designed to meet our mission. Along the way, we have discovered that some of the best healing comes from shared experiences: Whether it’s a chat while painting a Recovery Gnome or a run with a group of Recovery ‘n Motion teammates, conversation, learning, and hope are sure to follow.

Recovery ‘n Motion

RGP’s Team Recovery ‘n Motion is our latest campaign and is an example of the RGP mission statement in action. Three moms (Lianne, Carrie-Ann and Kathleen), brought together by way of their children’s addiction, were leaning on one another for support.  They were having a conversation about the stigma of addiction and how they might be able to change people’s perceptions when the idea of running was discussed and boom, one thing led to another, they reached out to the Recovery Gnome Project and the rest is history.  Our dream would be to have the largest team in the marathon to in order to spark many more conversations addressing the stigma of addiction and normalizing the concept of recovery. Our recovery gnome symbol (the guardian of treasure-no greater treasure than that of recovery) is a non-threatening conversation starter and what a sight it will be to have 150 + RGP Team Recovery ‘n Motion members running in the BMO 8km with Recovery Gnomes on their shirts.

RPG Team Members

Kris, a former Speech & Language Pathologist, is one of the founding members of the Recovery Gnome Project. You might hear Kris long before you set eyes on her-she is energetic, loud, and loves to laugh:  That was not always the case. Having experienced the family disease of addiction and the chaos associated with it, Kris’ sense of self, purpose, and joy had all but escaped her. The stigma of addiction and lack of resources left her feeling alone and lost. Regaining what once was took faith, courage, and lots of support, much like it did for her addicted loved ones. Now, on her own recovery journey, Kris aims to help families and those touched by addiction know there is hope, community, and help available-Recovery is possible AND families do recover!

Sandra is a physiotherapist and one of the original RGP founders. She is very familiar with the family disease of addiction after watching and struggling alongside her son as he battled his addiction. Her son began to heal and start on his recovery journey, and Sandra slowly realized that her journey was very separate from her son’s. She began to work on herself, healing her inter-generational trauma, giving her the strength, peace, and serenity in her life that she so needed and deserved. For Sandra, the importance of embracing a holistic recovery which includes friendships with other parents of adult children in recovery, physical fitness, and spirituality is integral. She has once again learned to love, understand and forgive herself. Sandra has learned to set boundaries and let go.

Kathleen is a retired speech-language pathologist who spent years as a stay-at-home mom. She and her husband were shocked when they discovered that their teenage sons had started to experiment with drugs. This shock turned to fear, confusion, isolation, anger, and grief as drugs and alcohol became more important than school, family, hockey, and other interests. Once the boys went to treatment for help, Kathleen realized that both she and her husband needed to heal and recover as well. The Recovery Gnome Project has been a beacon of hope and healing. The silver lining of this journey has been a greater understanding and appreciation of living for today, expectations, friendship, and community. Kathleen would love to help addiction become less stigmatized and to support other parents going through a difficult time.

Lianne is a Portfolio Manager and one of the newest members of RGP. She has often compared her extensive experience in the markets to the recovery journey. Long-term prescriptive of hope and optimism coupled with the short-term volatility of struggles, relapse, and fear. Lianne more recently has embraced her recovery after her son’s relapse after two and a half years of clean time. Lianne is a strong advocate of self-care and having a deep connection with people of similar experiences. Lianne very much believes in giving back to the community through support and participation along with her love of physical activity makes RGP the perfect fit.

Carrie-Ann is a mother of two fine young men (bad ass boys).  Both played sports, did well in school and partied in their younger years.  She was very naive to her son’s drug use believing the “just say no to drugs” conversation would work. One son needed treatment, the other did not. During her son’s rehabilitation, Carrie-Ann realized she was struggling herself. After so many years of supporting her boys and then dealing with the chaos of addiction, she somehow lost herself along the way. With the help of the Recovery Gnome Project and support of fellow recovery moms, she got her life back. Team Recovery ‘n Motion is an opportunity to not only open up about addiction but also to show how one can thrive in recovery.

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