Impact Story: Jamie Davis on Mothers and Families In Recovery
Lived Experience in a New Light
After meeting Jamie Davis five years ago through mutual friends, Racquel Garcia, founder of HardBeauty, tried convincing Davis to become a peer recovery coach. Even though Garcia saw her potential, Davis didn’t see herself the same way.
“At the time, I didn’t feel like my lived experience was something that could help others–I still saw it as something I had survived, not something I could use as a tool,” Davis said. “But Racquel saw a strengths-based version of me that I hadn’t grown into yet.”
During this time, Davis was working in Medicaid billing, but was more involved in the backend. Processing claims, documenting services accurately, and filling out paperwork gave her insight into how the systems function, but did not allow for the type of connection that direct service does.
“What made me switch was realizing that I wanted to be on the front end of change, not the backend. I wanted to work directly with people—to hear their stories, support their recovery, and build programs that filled real gaps in care,” Davis said. After a year in this role, she decided to make the switch to coaching.
As a matter of fact, Davis was already doing this type of work even before getting paid for it. She was a sponsor in the AA community, and her husband was a part of the Sober Souls Motorcycle Club.
“So I was like, well, I could get paid to do the work that I’m already doing, and then it turned into something so much bigger,” Davis said.
No Two Days Look the Same
From being a coach for 6 months, to a coordinator for 2 years, and most recently the Director of Women’s Wellness and Recovery at HardBeauty, Davis has made a huge impact on people in recovery across the state of Colorado.
Every day is different. Monday may be coaching a mother through recovery. On Tuesday, perhaps she’s traveling across Colorado to help address the rural need for behavioral health. Wednesday, Davis is meeting with hospitals and CPS to create a more equitable space for mothers and fathers in recovery. And the list goes on!
The work’s varied nature makes Davis’s role a perfect fit for her. Dealing with ADHD, being a mom, and nurturing her own recovery journey means that she needed a dynamic, flexible, trauma-informed position where she could make a difference.
Balancing Saving Moms and Being a Mom
One of Davis’s biggest driving factors in a career was the flexibility to still be a mother to her own children. Being a stay-at-home mom for many years, she knew she wanted to be there for her kids, and do something that her kids would be proud of! “You know, I change lives on a daily basis. I still get to be a mom,” Davis said. “Just making sure that I could be a mom and a person with a career, and in this job, in this field, I get to do that.”
Davis didn’t realize the passion she would have working with mothers until she started working for Garcia, but it stems from her own lived experience. “You’re not allowed to talk about it because you’re a mom first, and having a substance use disorder while being Mom is rough. It’s rough,” she said. “The fear of having your children taken away is real. The fear of not being a good enough mom was very real. So it really was, and is still, what drives me in behavioral health.”
“If I would have had someone like me when I got sober 10 years ago, I think my life would be different today,” Davis said.
While her role focuses a lot on supporting mothers and their children through recovery, Davis pointed out that she helps fathers often as well. “I have a really big passion for dads and men in recovery just because they’re not allowed to talk about it, even more than moms. Society has made it so men can’t have feelings; they’re not supposed to have any mental health things going on,” she said.
In 2023, one in four U.S. children lived with at least one parent or caregiver with a substance use disorder. This shows the importance of family-based interventions and stigma erasure that Davis and her team addresses at HardBeauty.
“If I would have had someone like me when I got sober 10 years ago, I think my life would be different today.”
Eliminating Stigma
Partnered with the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC), HardBeauty’s trainings address stigma and its effects on people with SUD across the entire state. The sessions have one core goal: “Helping professionals understand how stigma—implicit or explicit—changes outcomes for the people they serve,” Davis said.
Davis focuses mainly on maternal health, families, and SUD. Some main topics include the influence of language on bias, building trauma-informed engagement and environments, and showcasing real stories that show how small shifts can make big differences.
“The message I want every trainee to walk away with is simple: Your words and your presence can be either a barrier or a lifeline. Choose to be the lifeline. When we humanize people, when we remove shame from the room, outcomes change,” Davis said.
Davis believes that everyone has some kind of story with substance use or mental health struggles. “This is one of the biggest things I do in my training; I give everybody permission to have their own experiences, and it’s okay to have whatever experience you’ve had, and those experiences don’t have to mask every person you ever meet with (a) substance use disorder,” Davis said. “Every experience you have can impact you forever, and not every experience has to impact you forever.”
Recognizing the Champions
Recovery comes first, so implementing recovery-driven flexibility in the workplace is very important at HardBeauty. They ensure that every employee has what they need to support their healing journey, from AA, to Reiki, and everything in between.
Since the behavioral health industry is demanding and work often goes without recognition, employee appreciation is important to creating a positive work environment. At HardBeauty, “Racquel is amazing at making sure that we know we’re appreciated and the work we do is appreciated,” Davis said.
For other organizations, Davis suggests that employers establish a solid feedback loop that goes back to the employee. “If they get a compliment out in the community about someone, make sure that you tell them,” Davis said.
“They see the work you’re doing, they see the impact you’ve had, and that you really are making a difference across the board,” she said.
About HardBeauty:
HardBeauty is a recovery hub with locations across the state of Colorado. HardBeauty is committed to community wellness and meeting clients where they are.