Her Story
About Katrina
Katrina Dones is a recovery coach, nonprofit leader, and advocate dedicated to empowering individuals and families on their journey toward recovery and long-term stability. As the founder of Hope Haven Wellness Pathway and the nonprofit Motiv8 Hope Project, she leads initiatives focused on peer recovery support, transitional housing, and family-centered services that address homelessness and other barriers to success. A certified CCAR facilitator holding the RC, RCP, RCPF, and IARCP credentials, Katrina trains and mentors aspiring recovery coaches while promoting ethical, trauma-informed, and person-centered approaches to care. Her work is rooted in the belief that lasting recovery is built through compassion, education, accountability, and community collaboration.
Katrina's career in peer support began in 2022, inspired by her lived experience and a commitment to helping others overcome substance use, trauma, and criminal justice involvement. She has served in leadership roles including Executive Director of MOTIVATIONAL ONE and Peer Lead at PeerConnectLLC, where she managed peer recovery programs, coached multidisciplinary teams, and strengthened community partnerships. Through Hope Haven Wellness Pathway, she delivers recovery coach training, life coaching, executive coaching, and public speaking services, while Motiv8 Hope Project advances sustainable housing solutions and supportive services for individuals and families rebuilding their lives.
Committed to lifelong learning, Katrina is pursuing an Associate of Arts in Psychology at Pikes Peak State College, where she is also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Her educational background includes studies in graphic design and computer networking, providing her with a diverse foundation that complements her leadership and organizational skills. Active in professional organizations such as CCAR, IARCP, NADAC, and SAMHSA initiatives, Katrina continues to advocate for excellence in peer recovery services, ethical leadership, and innovative community-based solutions that create lasting opportunities for healing, resilience, and hope.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Katrina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being able to see the big picture and my leadership abilities. I'm not very narrow-minded. When I have one idea it sparks into four more ideas for where it could go next. I always have goals. Two mentors that helped me are Shakilla Saeed and Rachael Fowler at FRC who taught me how to open and run a peer support agency.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is don't limit yourself to what you think you know. Also my dad's life advice: some things matter some things don't so keep everything in perspective. You can't freak out over little things. Life is not perfect so throw away the experience take the lesson and move forward.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Turn the whole mess into the message. Take all lived experience and turn it into positives. The more bad things you've experienced in life the more qualified you are. Their compassion and their voice are really valuable to the story they tell. Have strong boundaries training and mentorship. This job requires heart ethics professionalism self-care and the most important component is to go big and never shrink yourself to be accepted.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is staying focused on the positive outcome and helping others to achieve their goals and realize their worth. There is not a lot of sober living for people in a family setting so I decided to make homes that would fit for that.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Ethics within the company is most important. Making sure that people that work for me or that learn how to do this from me are staying within the guidelines of the ethics that are required by the profession. You only do the things that you're willing to do in a room full of people behind closed doors. The Motivate Hope Project is a non-profit project helping family housing.
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