DonnaLisa Knowles is a Darkness to Light Certified Facilitator & Trainer, the Mono County Child Abuse Prevention Council Chair, a Life Designer Certified Coach, HeartMath Certified Mentor/Coach and Building Personal Resiliance Mentor, an Exchange Certified Facilitator, and the Founder/President of Unbrainwash the BS, and a SHE RECOVERS Coach and volunteer facilitator of our SHE RECOVERS Together Online Zoom Gatherings. She has been a SHE RECOVERS Foundation (SRF) volunteer facilitator for just over a year now, centering community members by introducing thoughtful topics and engaging folks with her openness, vulnerability, and kind demeanor. She inspires folks with her positive outlook and enthusiasm for where she lives. DonnaLisa has been a member of the SHE RECOVERS Together Online community since 2022.
She has recently been recognized as a SHE RECOVERS Gem.
SHE RECOVERS Gems are volunteers who have been acknowledged by their peers for their profound and life-altering contributions and service to our community.
We had the honor of interviewing DonnaLisa Knowles about her role as a SHE RECOVERS volunteer.
What does being a SHE RECOVERS Foundation volunteer mean to you?
Being a SHE RECOVERS Foundation (SRF) Volunteer means that I get to be part of a very personal journey with many women and non-binary individuals who identify with women’s communities. It means I can be a meaningful part of other women’s recovery journeys.
What made you want to become a SHE RECOVERS Foundation Volunteer?
I decided to become an SRF Volunteer shortly after I began attending gatherings because I was impressed by the amazingness of how the gatherings were run and the people who were a part of them (volunteers, founders, participants). The SRF Intentions & Guiding Principles are concepts I 100% believe in, and I ALWAYS believe in learning and growing.
What four words would your friends and peers use to describe you?
Open, honest, kind, compassionate.
How do these aspects of who you are show up in your everyday life?
Being open and honest means I tend to be clear about what I am thinking/experiencing in a given moment. Kindness and compassion mean I share my thoughts and experiences with consideration. My goal is to “offer” ideas, not tell someone what to do. Also – I smile at people, let them into traffic, open doors, use good manners, etc.
What is something of which you are proud?
I earned two college degrees with no financial support from anyone, I moved to the town I now live in, and I have been leading others in personal growth since my college years, first through outdoor adventure experiences and now through coaching and facilitating. I have three amazing kiddos whom I love with my entire being.
What do you do outside of your SRF Volunteer role for work and/or play?
I adore hiking and snowshoeing, and I love connecting with others through local volunteer work. I am a realtor and a life coach. I love adventure and being the “guide on the side” when I am helping my friends do a hard hike.
What does radical self-care look like for you?
Radical self-care means I allow myself to feel selfish. I say this because nearly everything I do that is not for the direct benefit of others feels selfish, so any act of self-care will likely have that component. Often, a slight initial feeling of guilt helps me know that I am on the right track for self-care!
Tell us a little bit about your recovery journey. What are you recovering from? What tools and resources do you weave into your patchwork of recovery?
Since an early age, I was exposed to many traumatic experiences—many times more than one at a time, with the exception of about six years in my early twenties when I was in college. First of all I want to say my life was reasonably okay until age twelve, when my parents got divorced. After the divorce, my mom suffered from AUD and SUD, and as a result I experienced neglect. I had to “mother” myself and my little sister during some tough times; fast forward to moving back to an overbearing/controlling father at the age of fifteen and then eventually, a verbally and emotionally abusive husband.
I have used many tools and resources to help with my recovery: one-on-one therapy, outdoor growth through adventure—the most amazing experiences of my life! I became a white water rafting guide and have also taught rock climbing and orienteering. I helped build two ropes courses and led many, many groups of people through the process of working together to solve a common problem. I also experienced emotional brain training through in-person group therapy (Laurel Mellin is the person behind the EBT training I took). Also, books by the dozen, some of the most impactful for me – Change your Thinking, Change your Life by Brian Tracy, What to Say when You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter, and I took an assertiveness class my first year in college.
What or who is inspiring you right now?
Mel Robbins, SRT (Simple, Reliable, and Tested – her approach to personal development and goal-setting.)
What SHE RECOVERS Intention and Guiding Principle resonates with you the most?
We don’t have to hit rock bottom to pursue recovery in any area of our lives. We believe in early intervention.
What is your favorite SHE RECOVERS resource?
SHE RECOVERS Together Online Zoom Gatherings.
What is one piece of advice you would give to another woman/non-binary individual who is seeking a community like SHE RECOVERS?
No matter what, NEVER GIVE UP!
