We recently connected with Bryon Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Bryon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.
After years of battling addiction and experiencing incarceration, my life began to change when I entered the Adult Drug Court program here in Las Vegas, NV. Through that program, I was introduced to 12-step recovery, which became the foundation for my transformation. I surrounded myself with people who shared the same vision for a better life—one rooted in recovery, accountability, and service.
As I worked on myself, I also began giving back to the city I once took so much from. I started volunteering with the Shine A Light Foundation, an organization that ventures into the flood channels beneath Las Vegas to offer resources and support to those in need. That experience opened my heart even more and allowed me to connect with others on the same path.
Through my work in recovery and my service with Shine A Light, I met someone who offered me an opportunity at Vogue Recovery Center. I started working there as a Behavioral Health Technician, where I use my lived experience to support others in the early stages of recovery. It’s an honor to help people take their first steps toward healing—just as others once did for me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Addiction is a mysterious thing. It comes in all forms—caffeine, cigarettes, sugar, heroin. No one is immune, and anyone can fall victim to it. For me, it started in high school. What began as weekend parties, drinking, and smoking weed quickly escalated. I said yes to everything. I told myself I was going to try every drug out there—and for the most part, I did. Some of them stuck, but opiates became my constant.
At first, it was fun. Then it became fun with consequences. Eventually, it was just consequences. After multiple prison terms, I found myself asking: Why can’t I stay sober? Why can’t I hold a job for longer than three months? Why doesn’t my family want me around anymore? I had become someone I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t the Bryon my family knew and loved. I was lost, broken—a shell of myself.
It wasn’t until I finally asked for help that things began to change. I had tried to do life on my own for so long and always ended up in the same place. When I finally let go of my ego and admitted, I don’t know how to live anymore, I was sent—against my will—to Freedom House Behavioral Health, an inpatient program that saved my life. They sat me down and taught me how to live again. Some of it I had heard before, but the greatest gift I received was an introduction to a 12-step fellowship.
That program became the foundation of everything I have today.
Now, I work as a case manager for the Shine A Light Foundation. I manage clients in the same Adult Drug Court program that I completed just over two years ago. I don’t have a college degree. I don’t have traditional credentials. What I do have is lived experience. I’ve walked the same paths my clients are on. I’ve been in their shoes. And now, I get to sit across from them and say, Recovery is possible.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
Being in this line of work is so much more than a paycheck. I have the privilege of getting a front-row seat to watch lives change—often in the most drastic, beautiful ways.
I’ve watched people come to us straight from the tunnels under Las Vegas, broken and hopeless, and walk out transformed. I’ve seen them become homeowners, reunite with their children, pay off mountains of debt, and begin rebuilding relationships that once seemed lost forever.
There’s nothing like seeing families show up to graduation ceremonies, crying and screaming their loved one’s name with pride—because they’re finally back in their lives.
Sure, a paycheck helps pay the bills. But witnessing transformation like that? It’s worth far more. That’s the real reward.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Consistency. It’s about doing the next right thing, no matter the circumstance.
At Shine A Light, the IPATH Program is built on that principle. We provide long-term, individualized case management to individuals struggling with substance use disorder and homelessness. What we offer isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution—because our clients don’t have one-size-fits-all stories.
Each person we work with comes from a different background, with unique challenges and strengths. We meet them exactly where they are. From there, we opt them into our programming and walk alongside them for 18 to 24 months, providing consistent support, accountability, and care every step of the way.
The impact speaks for itself. This isn’t just about services—it’s about relationships, trust, and transformation over time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shinealigtlv.com
- Instagram: @bryonjohnson222
