Built From Experience. Rooted in Community.
Focused on What Comes Next.
Why We Started
Ground Up Recovery was created because we have seen what happens when behavioral health, recovery, housing, employment, transportation, benefits, family needs, and community resources are treated as separate problems.
Real life doesn't work that way.
Someone can complete treatment and still have nowhere safe to live. A person can want recovery and still struggle to find employment. Someone may be ready to change but not know how to access healthcare, benefits, transportation, identification, education, or other basic resources.
And sometimes, the most powerful thing a person can hear is:
"I've been there. I understand. And there is a way forward."
That's why Ground Up Recovery is being built differently.
Our vision brings together behavioral health services, addiction recovery support, peer recovery, case management, life-skills development, community resources, and supportive recovery environments so individuals can address more than one piece of their lives at a time.
We don't want to simply help people survive a difficult chapter.
We want to help them build the foundation for the next one.
Why We Give Back
Ground Up Recovery is more than a business idea to us.
It is an opportunity to give back to the communities that have shaped us.
We have seen people struggle. We have seen people become overwhelmed by systems that are difficult to navigate. We have seen individuals judged by their addiction, mental health challenges, homelessness, criminal justice involvement, or past decisions instead of being recognized for who they could become.
But we have also seen recovery. We have seen people reconnect with their families, find employment, secure housing, develop stability, discover purpose, and begin believing in themselves again.
Those experiences are why Ground Up Recovery exists.
We want to create a place where people are treated with dignity rather than judgment, possibility rather than labels, and support rather than shame.
We also want to strengthen our community by helping individuals become healthier, more stable, connected, independent, and empowered. Because when one person begins rebuilding their life, the impact can extend far beyond that individual.
It can affect their children.
Their family.
Their workplace.
Their neighborhood.
And ultimately, their community.
Meet our FOUNDERS
Two Perspectives. One Purpose.
Ground Up Recovery was founded by Mandy Washington and Cheyenne Hawley with a shared belief that people deserve more than services—they deserve genuine support, meaningful connection, practical resources, and the opportunity to build a life beyond the circumstances that brought them to recovery.
The vision for Ground Up Recovery combines professional experience with lived experience.
Mandy brings a background in behavioral health, case management, community resources, program development, administration, criminal justice, workforce development, and navigating complex systems of care.
Cheyenne brings the perspective of a Peer Recovery Coach whose passion for helping others is deeply influenced by her own lived experience and understanding of the recovery journey.
Together, they recognized something important:
Recovery cannot always be addressed one piece at a time.
Mental health, substance use, housing, employment, relationships, transportation, financial stability, community connection, life skills, and personal purpose can all affect a person's ability to move forward.
Ground Up Recovery was created to help bridge those gaps.
Our founders share a commitment to creating an organization where people are treated with dignity instead of judgment, recognized for their strengths instead of defined by their past, and given meaningful opportunities to build greater stability, independence, and hope.
This isn't simply about providing services.
It's about creating the kind of support system we want to see in our community.
It's about giving back.
And most importantly, it's about helping people recognize that regardless of where they are starting:
They can build again.
What “Ground Up” Means to Us
Our name represents our philosophy.
A strong life, like anything built to last, requires a strong foundation.
Sometimes that foundation needs to be repaired.
Sometimes it needs to be strengthened.
And sometimes a person has to begin again.
That's where we come in.
The roots in our logo represent where we've been and the experiences that shape us.
The tree represents strength, resilience, and continued growth.
The mountains represent the challenges we overcome and the Colorado community we call home.
And the sunrise represents something we believe every person deserves:
another beginning.
At Ground Up Recovery, we believe your past can be part of your story without having to determine your future.