Name: Kathy Brunson
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Family: I have 8 siblings.
Hobbies/what you do for fun: I enjoy watching movies.
Job/role/employer if relevant and you’d like to include: I am a Certified Peer Specialist at Agape Network. I demonstrate visions of recovery through the Seeds of Faith Program.
Tell us about your recovery journey: My recovery journey has not been easy, but it has taught me the value of who I am. My journey has shown me growth isn’t always pretty, but it’s always worth it. Every step forward or backward has taught me something about resilience and self-compassion. My journey is what allows me to support others today, the challenges I’ve faced help me connect with people in a real human way.
How do you work with Thriving Mind? Thriving Mind is a managing entity for Agape Network.
Tell us about the peer work you do? I provide support through lived experience offering something that no textbook can replace. My role as a peer specialist bridges the gap between clients and the treatment world by showing that recovery is real, possible and personal. I give hope to people who might not have any yet. I walk beside them not ahead nor behind. I don’t fix people; I meet them where they are. I support them while protecting my own recovery. I stay grounded within my own healing as I help others with theirs. Balance takes strength, awareness, and self-care.
Why do you like to help people? Helping others that are walking a path that I understand helps me to feel powerful and purposeful.
Why is peer work important to you? It turns pain into purpose by using my past struggles to make positive impact. It creates genuine human connection, and it keeps me grounded in my own recovery. It allows me to use my lived experiences to support others. I help others to feel understood and less alone. It gives me purpose and a sense of responsibility to give back.
What would you want people to know about being a peer? Lived experiences do matter regardless of where you came from. Peer work is about connection and not judgement. It’s about meeting people exactly where they are without shame, pressure, or labels.
Do you have a success story to share? I mentored an individual that participated in Seeds of Faith. While she was gardening, she began to visualize her past experiences. She began to see life from a different perspective and began to face her own challenges. She then graduated successfully from the program. Worked her way up to become a manager at a fast-food franchise. Then became a peer specialist and now serves at a treatment center.
What does being a peer support specialist mean to you personally? It’s a reminder that the path I went through wasn’t wasted. It became a bridge that allows me to connect with others in a real human way. It means showing up with honesty instead of perfection. It reminds me everyday of how far I’ve come. It keeps me grounded in my recovery but most of all it means my story has value. My voice does matter. And my lived experience can help someone feel less alone.
What’s one moment in your peer work that has really stayed with you? When I begin to see an individual accept the reality of their situation, put their best foot forward and change for the better.
How do you stay grounded and maintain boundaries in your role? By believing in a power greater than me and trusting the process.
What’s one thing you wish more people understood about peer support? The value and significance of having a lived experience and wanting to help others with the same struggles of addiction.
How do you celebrate small wins — for yourself or those you support? By sharing positive words of encouragement as I embrace them with love.
What keeps you motivated during difficult days? The bible verse in Psalms 35: “Weeping may endure for night, but joy comes in the morning.”
What’s one practice or tool you regularly use for your own wellness? Prayer.
What are your hopes for the future of peer support work? To empower more people with lived experiences to become peers.
What inspired you to become a peer support specialist? Someone once told me to spread my wings and soar like an eagle. She told me I am a living testimony. Proof of how willingness to change can transform your life.
What challenges have you faced in your peer work, and how have you overcome them? A challenge I’ve faced is seeing how people do not believe in a higher power and how it can restore you. I’ve overcome it by sharing my faith.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their recovery journey? To build a relationship with a God of your own understanding.
How do you take care of yourself while supporting others? By prioritizing my own well-being, setting boundaries, learning to say no, and maintaining healthy habits.
Have you had a mentor or role model who influenced your work? Yes, and she still encourages me to continue my work.
