Shawn Livingston is a combat veteran, decorated ultra-marathon runner, person in recovery from substance abuse, and mental health advocate. Overcoming his battle with drug use and PTSD has provided him the opportunity to help others find freedom through his personal experience. Shawn is passionate about utilizing physical fitness to aid in the pursuit for a sustainable recovery.
After getting sober, Shawn found a passion for running and had the opportunity to share his story in his award winning documentary, 100 Miles to Redemption. He inspires countless families and provides hope through his own personal accounts with addiction, recovery, and the healing power of fitness.
To learn more about the documentary, visit his website: https://www.100mtr.com
Taylor packed up and moved to Austin in 2018 shortly after graduating college and having her first child in mind of creating a new, healthy life away. She graduated from University of Missouri with her Bachelors of Nutritional Sciences Dietetics. Taylor struggled with a severe eating disorder for years and always tried to create this “perfect woman” when in reality self love was the biggest missing factor. After a rollercoaster of healing, self-love guidance, and taking time to relearn herself in her own body – then is when the truest form of herself appeared. In her disorder she felt very alone, unheard, and misunderstood. Something that brings her passion to light as a Nutritionist is making sure her clients feel heard and understood in their journey. She has turned her challenges, fears, and personal experiences into a guidance of helping women and men face their fears in their eating patterns.
She also works 1:1 with our clients helping create a healthy balance of nutrition and fitness. Teaching how to properly fuel the body with meal guidance, meal prepping + cooking, eating on a budget, macronutrients, balanced/ intuitive eating, stress management, and reforming healthy habits!
Limor moved to the Austin area to attend Texas State University in 2010 from Dallas, TX. She had struggled with substance abuse and depression from the age of 15 and gradually became an IV heroin addict. She studied psychology in school to help “solve” her own addiction. After numerous treatment centers and attempts at sobriety, Limor got and stayed sober in 2017. At a year sober, she began to struggle with depression and low self esteem. Working a strong 12 step program she was looking to add more healthy outlets. She began working out, getting active outside the gym and eating healthy. She was amazed that she had something sustainable to treat her depression. A “better body” was only a byproduct to the positive side effects from her fitness journey. She gained confidence, self esteem and self love. She began to see the parallels between sobriety and the disciplines learned while being physically active. Limor is a leader in the women’s recovery world and is transferring the profound benefits she has obtained from living an active lifestyle to other women struggling in addiction and trying to achieve long term sobriety. Limor promotes recovery by engaging in a personal and positive relationship, demonstrating and inspiring hope, and optimizing client connection with a broad range of community support. With the confidence to challenge clients in an empathetic way and extensive knowledge in cultivating personal growth programs, she is uniquely capable of guiding clients in creating their passions and constructing strategic plans to achieve their recovery goals. In early 2022 Limor became the Women’s Program Directory for Active Recovery Homes. She is in communication with all parents and loved ones, coaches the women and leads employees with the high standards of Active Recovery Homes. Within each home, the individual coaching sessions are utilized to maintain support for the clients while living in a structured environment.
Elena Hickey has been teaching group exercise classes at the Y for the last 15 years. She is certified in Body Pump, RPM, Cardio Kickboxing and is a NASM certified personal trainer. She found a passion in boxing which has done a lot to strengthen her mental, emotional and physical health. She has worked at the Townlake Y for 19 years and this is where she discovered ARC and all the amazing coaches. She was a meth addict and alcoholic and was welcomed onto the ARC team in 2020. Helping others love fitness and connect to their bodies has been a great part of her recovery. Her goal is to bring the fun to fitness, teach clients to listen to their bodies, meet themselves where they are at each day and get stronger from there.
“After working in the recovery field for several years, I became a certified personal trainer after discovering the amazing benefits of health and wellness. I am currently working on my masters in clinical mental health counseling and enjoy helping those with severe mental health disorders thrive. I also enjoy helping others with career or educational goals. Fitness has been a vital part of my continued recovery. It has helped me gain self confidence and treat my depression, anxiety and anger. One of my biggest passions is boxing, which I found after I got sober. Getting others excited about recovery, fitness and life is my main goal when working with our clients! Before recovery, I lacked motivation and direction. Through fitness and staying sober, I have been able to achieve more than I ever dreamed in life and look forward to helping motivate others to do the same.”
Keith Morton is a college graduate with a decade in the hospitality industry, including management. After struggling with addiction for many years, he found his way to the other side and the freedom that only an addiction-free life can provide. Sustaining that recovery since moving to Austin has been a direct result of ARC and its pioneering model of recovery through adopting an active lifestyle. With a strong foundation in the 12 steps he branched out to grow his recovery. As part of that, he discovered the value of fitness, concentrating on weights and strength training, and its part in the holistic approach of mind, body, and spirit toward sustaining recovery. Today, he applies his personal experiences and his certification as a personal trainer to help guide others who are struggling to navigate the peaks and valleys of early sobriety. He highlights the importance of goal setting and discipline in the gym to help translate into the real world.
Ritchie is a certified Recovery Support Peer Specialist (RSPS) and has been working in the Austin recovery community for since 2017. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Ritchie moved to Texas to address his own mental health and addiction issues. As a recovering addict, Ritchie understands the challenges of early recovery, striving to meet clients where they are at and supporting them in reaching their goals. Ritchie has a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Akron in Political Science and International Business. Ritchie believes in the importance of exploring and pursuing the things that give individuals a sense of purpose, and so beyond being a Recovery Coach, Ritchie also spends his time cultivating his love for music by recording and performing in his band.
Rachel Stein is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor located in the Austin Texas area. She has a Bachelor of Art in Psychology and a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Rachel Stein is the Founder and CEO of Atomic Souls Counseling and passionate about developing and supporting the recovery community in Austin Texas.