National Recovery Month: How Crow's Nest Ranch Started as Free Community Meetings to Creating A Recovery Hub in Truckee-Tahoe
September is National Recovery Month, a time to celebrate the strength of those in recovery and to honor the communities that make long-term sobriety possible.
At Crow's Nest Ranch, this month is personal.
Before there was a licensed outpatient treatment program, before PHP and IOP and dual diagnosis care, there was a folding table, a meeting room, and a commitment to serve the Truckee-Tahoe community without a price tag attached.
That seed grew into two organizations, not one. Crow's Nest Ranch and Radical Recovery were built by the same founders, driven by the same mission, and rooted in the belief that recovery support belongs to everyone regardless of what they can afford.
That is where this story begins.
What Is National Recovery Month and Why It Matters
Recovery Awareness Month has been observed every September since 1989. It is a national public health campaign dedicated to celebrating the millions of Americans living in recovery, recognizing the progress of addiction treatment, and reducing stigma.
For organizations working in the recovery space, September is an opportunity to be transparent about where we came from, who we serve, and what we actually believe.
Crow's Nest Ranch and Radical Recovery are using this recovery month September to share that story publicly for the first time.
One of the first ads we made.
The Origin Story: How Crow's Nest Ranch Started with Free Community Meetings
Before Crow's Nest Ranch became a licensed outpatient and sober living program in Truckee, California, it started as a nonprofit recovery community organization rooted in service.
That organization is now known as Radical Recovery, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2022 by (now) licensed clinicians and local couple Jordan Brandt and Brionna Miner. From the start, Radical Recovery operated under a single conviction: peer support should be free, clinician-guided, and available to anyone who walks through the door.
The founding vision was straightforward: bring free, non-12-step recovery support to the Truckee-Tahoe community and make it available to anyone who needed it.
That meant hosting free fitness meetings in the style of SMART Recovery meetings, Refuge Recovery meetings, and monthly outings, gatherings open to everyone regardless of where they were in their recovery journey.
No RSVP. No sliding scale. No cost at all.
Jordan Brandt, CEO and founder of Crow's Nest Ranch, built the early program on a service-first mission, not a revenue model. The goal was to complement the already strong 12-step community in the region, not compete with it. The area had solid AA and NA infrastructure. What it did not have was a range of peer support options for people seeking something different.
Radical Recovery set out to fill that gap. Crow's Nest Ranch grew from that same soil.
Why We Chose Non-12-Step Alternatives
We have a strong lineup of 12-step meetings, and we wanted to add more options for our community. Not everyone finds their footing in a 12-step meeting, and that is not a failure. It is a reality.
SMART Recovery is a science-based, secular program grounded in cognitive behavioral tools. It teaches practical skills to manage urges, navigate emotions, and build a life that supports sobriety. No sponsor, no higher power requirement, no prescribed steps. It paired well with our twice-weekly fitness groups as a way to gather, work out some morning stress, and connect through our vulnerability.
Refuge Recovery is a mindfulness-based community drawing on Buddhist principles. It uses meditation, compassion, and community as tools for healing.
This philosophy of choice sits at the center of Radical Recovery's all-recovery navigation model.
Under the tagline "The Path Is Yours," Radical Recovery connects people to the full spectrum of local resources, including 12-step programs (AA, NA, Al-Anon) alongside alternatives like SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, monthly outings, the Wellbriety Movement, and more. The goal is not to pick a side. It is to make sure every person can find their path.
By offering this range from the beginning, Crow's Nest Ranch became the only recovery community center in the Truckee-Tahoe region providing true all-recovery meeting options, including non-12-step meetings and 12-step alternatives.
The people who walked through the door deserved options. That value has never changed.
From Free Meetings to Full Treatment: The Growth of Crow's Nest Ranch
The recovery community built through free programming became the foundation for something larger.
Demand grew. People in Truckee-Tahoe and across the Lake Tahoe region needed more than a weekly meeting. They needed evidence-based treatment, clinical support, and a safe place to live while doing the work.
That need led to the development of Crow's Nest Ranch as a licensed addiction recovery program, now offering PHP, IOP, and outpatient treatment at 10775 Pioneer Trail, Suite 112, Truckee, CA 96161.
The clinical program integrates evidence-based therapies including ACT, CBT, DBT, EMDR, DBR, and more alongside somatic and holistic approaches: yoga, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, HIIT training, neurofeedback, and outdoor adventure therapy. The program goes beyond just your addiction by providing dual diagnosis treatment for those navigating co-occurring mental health conditions alongside substance use.
For patients with insurance, Crow's Nest Ranch accepts most PPO plans, including Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare, and Optum, along with Medi-Cal for Placer County and Nevada County residents. Sliding scale private pay is available for those without coverage.
Outpatient treatment: Truckee residents and people traveling to the area from across the country now have access to a comprehensive program that did not exist in this region 3 years ago.
The growth was not accidental. It came directly from starting in service and from a clear-eyed view of the gaps that Radical Recovery was built to address.
Radical Recovery: The Nest All-Recovery Hub and the Mission Continues
The free community programming that started everything is still running today through Radical Recovery, also known as The Nest All-Recovery Hub.
Radical Recovery was built to address three structural gaps that still exist in the Truckee-Tahoe region: a shortage of non-clinical, alcohol-free and drug-free drop-in spaces with no financial barrier; financial and deductible barriers that shut out Medi-Cal recipients, uninsured service workers, and court-involved individuals from peer support; and the need for specialized, community-integrated care that meets people where they are.
What sets Radical Recovery apart is that it is clinician-led peer support, not informal community programming. Every service, from individualized path planning to one-on-one peer mentorship and coaching, is guided by the same clinical expertise behind Crow's Nest Ranch. Core values of service, adventure, community, exercise, and connection are the scaffolding of how the program runs.
Services include all-recovery resource navigation, action-oriented outings and community events throughout the Tahoe Basin, meeting attendance support, and recovery capital building for sustained healing. For young people in the community, the Leave No Doubt Scholarship provides access to support regardless of financial circumstances.
Radical Recovery has earned endorsements from the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation, the Town of Truckee Mayor and Council, Nevada County Behavioral Health, and Placer County Health and Human Services.
Located at The Nest, 10775 Pioneer Trail, Suite 214, Truckee, CA 96161, Radical Recovery welcomes anyone who needs support. Follow @radicalrecoverytahoe on Instagram for events and updates.
This is not a pipeline for the clinical program. It is not a marketing strategy. It is service work, the same as it always was.
How to Get Involved This Recovery Month in Truckee-Tahoe
If you are in the Truckee-Tahoe area and looking for recovery support, there are two clear ways to connect this September.
For free peer support, drop into Radical Recovery at The Nest, Suite 214, 10775 Pioneer Trail, Truckee, CA 96161. No registration needed. Learn more at www.radical-recovery.org .
For clinical services including outpatient treatment, PHP, IOP, and sober living, contact the Crow's Nest Ranch team directly to learn what your insurance covers and whether the program is the right fit.
Recovery is not one path. It is not one program or one meeting format or one philosophy. Crow's Nest Ranch and Radical Recovery exist together to reflect that truth, in service and in treatment, every day of the year.
National Recovery Month is simply when we say it out loud.