Jan 8 • For The Professionals Here
Dear Next Generation 2.0
** To read the entire post please see the above link! **
Dear Next Generation 2.0: Why Lived Experience Isn’t a Bonus—It’s the Backbone of Real Social Service
Jan 08, 2026
∙ Paid
Ok, are you ready for this one? I’ve been lucky enough to wear a lot of different hats so far in this field. I’m starting my own business—Progress is Progress Recovery Coaching—working on multiple online platforms, doing the daily grind as a clinical substance abuse counselor, sitting on boards of directors for projects that actually matter in addiction recovery and mental health, and getting called in as a subject matter expert when people finally realize the textbooks aren’t enough. I’ve seen this work from just about every angle: the frontline, the boardroom, and the trenches in between. And I can say this, with no hesitation: Lived experience is not a bonus. It is not an “extra.” It is a core competency.
Here’s the ugly truth that too many organizations still don’t want to hear: When decisions are made without voices who have lived the system—who have survived it, been failed by it, fought their way through it—outcomes suffer. Full stop. You can have all the “best practices” in the world, but if you don’t have people with scars and stories in the room, you’re missing the point. And you’re missing the chance to actually change anything.
This isn’t a blame game. I know most people in leadership mean well. I know they want to help. But good intentions aren’t enough. You can’t fix what you don’t understand, and you damn sure can’t serve a community you don’t actually talk to—or listen to.
Here’s what I see, again and again: Organizations perform better—real, measurable, sustainable results—when governance reflects the realities of the communities they claim to serve. Research backs it up. Practice proves it. The people on the ground have always known it. But we still see lived experience treated like a box to check, not a skill set to honor.
I’m done with that. I want the next generation to be done with it, too.
Lived experience brings context that policy can never teach. It’s the early warning system that spots harm before it becomes “procedure.” It’s the difference between decisions grounded in reality and decisions made from a safe, sanitized distance. When we say “nothing about people without people,” we’re not being radical—we’re just asking for responsible governance. For honesty. For the kind of leadership that actually works.
So here’s my ask, my challenge, my call-out to every clinician, leader, and professional reading this: Stop talking about “valuing” lived experience. Start embedding it. Start hiring, promoting, and listening to people who’ve been through it. Because the future of this field—and the people we claim to serve—depend on it.
Progress is progress. Let’s get to work.
1
0 comments
Dear Next Generation 2.0
powered by
skool.com/progress-is-progress-coaching-3648
Addiction, Recovery, Mental Health, Support, & Truth. Messy, Real Progress for Anyone who wants better—NO judgment, just gritty community.
Suggested communities
Powered by