Recovery Friendly Leader

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Denver, CO
Recovery Friendly Leader

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We offer research and experience-based training to support employee recovery and your business.

Our Mission: To empower leaders with solution-based strategies to support employees impacted by substance use and promote safer, healthier, and more productive workplaces. Our vision: A world where every employee has equitable access to recovery and is supported by their leaders. We achieve our mission and vision in three primary ways:

Training: Founded on published studies and lived experience, we offer leaders the essential training necessary to support employees whose lives are impacted by substance use and their workplaces in remaining safe, healthy, and productive. Education: We foster community awareness, understanding, and progress in the fields of leadership development and recovery support by sharing our latest research and insights through public events, speaking engagements, and workshops. Advocacy: As an organization, we practice the principles of RFL’s program to better understand and lift the voices of workplaces affected by substance use at the local, state, and national levels.

10/01/2026

Oh yeah… that’s right!!!

Recovery Friendly Leader (RFL) is here and proud to be co-hosting the reception at the 2026 Colorado Opioid Abatement Conference!

What an awesome day of community, connection, and awareness…and an opportunity to see the incredible work opioid abatement dollars are helping fund across Colorado!

A big shout out to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.. just thank you for being you and always fighting for our community 🫶🏽

09/15/2026

“Employees Deserve a Chance to Recover”

“Employees deserve a chance to recover. Leaders can make that possible.” Dr. John Narine knows this because he was the employee who never got that chance…until he built it himself. Recovery Friendly Leader exists so that every employee has a leader who knows how to help. 👇 Tag someone who needs to hear this. Share with a leader who should see this.

09/08/2026

“I Got Fired for Being Sick. Then I Built the Solution.”

Dr. John Narine was sober, had the job he wanted, and then returned to use. He was fired. No one knew what was really going on. That experience didn’t break him...it became his purpose. He founded Recovery Friendly Leader (RFL) so no employee has to go through what he did alone. If you’re struggling, know this: things are changing. 👇 Share with someone who needs to hear this.

Register for our annual Leadership Social here: https://givebutter.com/RFLTLS2026

09/01/2026

“Break Down the Walls. The Conversations Get Easier.”

Every manager dreads the conversation where something’s clearly wrong and they don’t know what to say. Dr. John Narine built Recovery Friendly Leader to solve exactly that. Break down those walls, and it becomes easier to talk to people. Hear what happens when trained leaders put these tools to work 👇 recoveryfriendlyleader.org

Register for our annual Leadership Social here: https://givebutter.com/RFLTLS2026

08/25/2026

“Your Employees Are Scared to Tell You the Truth.”

Dr. John Narine knows what it’s like to hide addiction at work because he lived it. “How am I supposed to do this again? Live this lie.” That fear is sitting in your workforce right now. Recovery Friendly Leader training teaches you how to be the leader someone can finally be honest with 👇 recoveryfriendlyleader.org

Register for our annual Leadership Social here: https://givebutter.com/RFLTLS2026

08/19/2026

Construction knows how to talk about physical safety.

But are we giving our leaders the tools to respond when an employee is struggling with substance use or trying to sustain their recovery?

The construction industry continues to face serious challenges related to substance use, overdose, su***de, and mental health. And supervisors are often on the front lines.

They notice when something changes.

They have the difficult conversations.

And they can play an important role in whether an employee feels safe asking for help.

That’s why Recovery Friendly Leader works with construction companies to equip workplace leaders with practical strategies to recognize concerns, respond effectively, connect employees with resources, and create a culture where recovery can succeed.

In partnership with the American Subcontractors Association of Colorado, we recently brought construction leaders together to talk about what this looks like in the real world.

This video captures some of those voices—and why this work matters.

Watch the video and learn more about Recovery Friendly Leader.

Thank you to:
Heather Gutierrez CSP ASP OHST CHST STS STSC, Caleb Swift, Sarah Deering, Tricia McNaughton, Ash Ward, Aaron Matuska, Daniel Quinn

Absolute Caulking & Waterproofing Inc, JHL Constructors, Powell Restoration, Inc., Valley Hope Addiction Treatment & Recovery, Guardian Recovery, Restoration Consulting Group, Copperstone Customs

08/18/2026

“Your Managers Don’t Know What to Say. We Fix That.”

Your managers see the warning signs. They just don’t know what to do next. Dr. John Narine built Recovery Friendly Leader because he lived on both sides of this problem...as the employee who needed help and as the researcher who studied what works. Here’s what your leadership team is missing 👇 recoveryfriendlyleader.org

Register for our annual Leadership Social here: https://givebutter.com/RFLTLS2026

08/11/2026

“Your Company Already Lost Someone Like Me”

Dr. John Narine was sober, working a recovery program, and thriving in a job he loved. Then a return to use happened, and he was fired for “performance issues.” The real problem? No one around him knew how to help. How many talented employees has your company already lost the same way? 👇 recoveryfriendlyleader.org

Register for our annual Leadership Social here: https://givebutter.com/RFLTLS2026

08/04/2026

“We Built a Workplace People Want to Stay In”

What does a workplace look like when recovery is truly supported? Hamilton and her team at Café Longmont are living it. But even they discovered blind spots they didn’t know they had, Leader training helped them build a workplace people want to stay in 👇 Share this with someone who needs to see it.

Register for our annual Leadership Social here: https://givebutter.com/RFLTLS2026

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Denver, CO

Website

http://recoveryfriendlyleader.org/

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