Dr. Dawn Nickel – or “Mama Dawn” as she is affectionately known in the women’s recovery space, is a founder of the SHE RECOVERS® Foundation and an experienced thought leader with extensive experience in researching and writing about women experiencing substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and intimate partner violence.
Dawn is a Certified Professional Recovery Coach, with a PhD and consulting expertise related to women and health care policy. In her work as as a researcher Dawn has focused largely on exploring how best to support women who experience substance use disorders, mental health issues, and intimate partner violence, the three issues that prompted Dawn to start her own personal recovery journey in 1987.
Dawn understands that choosing to start her recovery journey at age 27 was only the beginning; she continues to choose and practice it every day. She currently identifies as being in active recovery from anxiety, grief, workaholism and the patriarchy.
Dawn recently published her first book ‘She Recovers Everyday: Meditations For Women’ – a daily meditation book that acknowledges the specific needs of all women in any type of recovery – and is generously donating 20% of the proceeds to the SHE RECOVERS® Foundation.
When she isn’t writing, working as a healthcare and social policy consultant, or helping to grow the movement she started, Dawn can be found hanging out at home with her partner and family, walking or hiking with She Recovers’ friends, doing the odd 1000-piece puzzle, or reading. Her life goals include “graduating” therapy at some point, writing more books and a screenplay, completing her travel bucket list, and spending quality time with family, especially her precious grandchildren.
