Her Story
About Maddison
My typical day starts with checking emails to see if there are any peers reaching out who are in immediate need of shelter or treatment, because when someone is ready to go to treatment, we want to help them as quickly as possible since that feeling can be fleeting. I usually have one-on-one peer support sessions scheduled, often around 10 or 10:30, lasting about 30 minutes to an hour each. Around noon, I lead or facilitate group meetings - I'm really passionate about our Codependence Anonymous group because I think codependence is a core thing for a lot of people with substance use. Around 1 o'clock, I go out into the community for outreach through our partnership with the Department of Public Health, where we do something called PORT, the post-overdose response team. They send us maps showing where overdoses have occurred in the area, and we go door-to-door to get resources to the right people. We hand out Narcan and drug test strips so if someone is using, they can at least test it and make sure they're not going to die, or if it does have something bad in it, they'll have the naloxone to bring them back. We also hand out information packets so people can reach out for one-on-one peer support or seek treatment, and we can get them connected with a facility. By about 4 o'clock when I get back, I document all the notes from outreach, including demographics of the people we served, areas we went to, and how much naloxone we distributed.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maddison
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to the recovery community in my area - that's a big part of it - and also my faith. The recovery community has been instrumental in supporting the work I do, and my faith gives me the foundation and strength to continue serving others in this field.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to remember your why. I know it's kind of cliche, but I have a sticker on my refrigerator just because sometimes you can get jaded by the statistics of how many people stick with it. I mean, it doesn't mean they don't eventually stick with it, but you see a lot of people go back to the same things, and that can be hard. You get compassion fatigue. So just remembering why you're doing it is really important - it's something that keeps me grounded in this work.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry would be to be confident and know who they are. Remember who they are, remember who they wanted to be like when they were a little kid and they were innocent, and all the things that made them who they are - that's still them, it's still who they are, and it can still be a driving factor of who they show up as. Don't lose sight of that core part of yourself as you navigate this challenging but rewarding field.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field are definitely compassion fatigue, for sure. Also, red tape - as far as politically and how money gets funded in certain areas - that can be challenging. Compassion fatigue is a major one though. But opportunities-wise, I feel like we're at the start of a recovery revolution, so the opportunities are endless. I like to think that it's a growing movement that's going to continue to grow. I really want to flip the way society sees addiction and recovery, and I think that's happening over time - not by me, but by all of us, just standing up and saying it can change, you can recover.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would definitely say integrity is one of the main values I live by. Leading with compassion, I think, is really important in my personal life and in my profession. I mean, it doesn't just make others feel better - it brings me joy. I would rather lead with compassion because it's better for me, even from a self standpoint. I'm happier knowing that I did the best I could, or treated someone with the kind of kindness I would want for myself.
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