One day in 2003, Alida Schuyler, who had been searching for her coaching niche, came to the realization that her tribe was “alcoholics and people in recovery.” As a result, she decided that her niche would be “Recovery Coaching.” Alida googled “Recovery Coach” and “Recovery Coaching” and found nothing — not a thing came up! In Alida’s word “nada!”

Alida, the visionary, thought to herself — hmmmm, there must beothers out there who are interested in coaching people in recovery. She founded the “Great Life in Recovery” Special Interest Group (GLR SIG) under the banner of the International Coach Federation (ICF) with the intention of attracting other coaches interested in “Recovery Coaching.” The first GLR SIG met in the summer of 2003, and today there are more than 5 million hits on Google for “Recovery Coaching!”

Andrew Susskind, fellow coach and psychotherapist, joined the “Great Life in Recovery” SIG shortly after it began. Alida and Andrew decided to meet outside the SIG to support one another in their efforts to develop Recovery Coaching. It was during this mastermind era that the vision to create a Recovery Coaching community was born. Andrew’s focus was to build a community to spread the word about Recovery Coaching while Alida’s focus was to create a Recovery Coach Training Program that would provide a brand-new alternative for addiction professionals. Their joint efforts resulted in the creation of Recovery Coaches International (RCI) in September 2005, and it soon became the public face for Recovery Coaches. With an original membership of two, Alida and Andrew built this community on the belief that if you build it, they will come. How right they were!

Andrew became RCI’s first president in 2005 focusing on creating the framework that would host the world’s first International Recovery Coaching community. At the same time, Alida, created the first Recovery Coach training program, a training program for professionals, via her private company Crossroads Recovery Coaching.

In the first year, a team of officers developed the RCI objectives and vision. Catherine Campaigne developed the website, and Mike Johnsen was brought on board as virtual assistant. The first year was in Andrew’s words “just planting seeds.” The primary benefit of membership was to be a groundbreaking pioneer and to participate in developing a vision for this grassroots organization. There were only 10 or 15 members, with about 6 doing the majority of early development.

In 2007, eight RCI members attended the ICF conference in Long Beach. This was the first face-to-face meeting of RCI members. Alida became President of RCI for a two year term from 2007 — 2008. It was during this time that Alida helped to expand the basic structure and set up the first Board of Directors.

Alida then recruited Jan Brown, who was elected President of RCI for 2009. Jan brought a depth of experience as she had created a non-profit, as well as a passion for coaching people in recovery.

Alida Schuyler, MA, PCC is director of Crossroads Recovery Coaching Inc. She trains Recovery Coaches and provides private life coaching to persons with money issues or co-occurring disorders. She is co-founder of Recovery Coaches International and a current board member. Alida is a credentialed member (PCC) of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), chair of the ICF Great Life in Recovery Special Interest Group, and a participant in Recovery Coaching forums and e-communities. Alida earned a B.A. in Psychology from the Berea College and a M.S. in Library Science from the University of Kentucky. She was trained in clinical hypnotherapy by the Wellness Institute.

Andrew Susskind, MSW, ACC is a pioneer in the cutting-edge field of Recovery Coaching. In 2005 he co-founded Recovery Coaches International dedicated to integrating coaching into the addiction recovery community. As a credentialed coach, licensed psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Andrew brings a multi-faceted perspective to his work. In addition to his passion for coaching, Andrew maintains a private practice in psychotherapy in Los Angeles.