We recently connected with Jen Cutting and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, thanks for joining us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?

In may of 2020, right as the pandemic started, my program Supplies For Life began. Back then it didn’t have a name. It was just random bags of hygiene and hope from an Amazon wishlist. Back then I was working on becoming a CRPA (Certified Recovery Peer Advocate) and I was sending lots of people to rehab or watching them try to transition back into the community from rehabs or incarceration. Living in a shelter gives you just that. It doesn’t give you hygiene, laundry detergent or hope.
As a formally homeless incarcerated individual, I know how hard it is to transition back into society and not have these basic needs. And on top of that try and stay sober.
I took this opportunity to help the community I am apart of. I began making these bags with hygiene for men and women. I gave them out for free. But along with them came the sense of community and togetherness. It made people feel less alone. All of this was done during the pandemic.
During this time I also started a self-titled youtube channel. In October of 2020, I did a video for my birthday titled “Go Bags”. My subscribers bought my wishlist out SEVERAL times. It was incredible. I got some many packages I had to transport them myself because the mail truck wasn’t large enough.
Fast forward to 2021 and the program had grown so rapidly I decided I needed help. For a year and half I had partnered with an amazing none profit for a bit and had a great experience there. Since then I’ve gone back out on my own to keep the program street-based and grassroots.
Today I proudly service the community of Delaware County NY. I am a CRPA, CARC, Rape Crisis Counselor, Narcan Trainer, Harm Reductionist, Youtuber and a syringe peer. But mainly im just a girl who stayed sober helping other people.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a mother and wife. I am also a woman in long-term recovery. I proudly celebrate 5 years this October. My addiction has taken me down some crazy paths. I’ve been incarcerated several times. I had my daughter in Bedford Hills Correctional facility in the nursery. She will be 11 this December. I didn’t choose this industry. It chose me. This type of work is a calling. You don’t know that’s where you’re headed until you get there. It is something that is in your soul. I just went with my gut feeling of what I needed when I was in active addiction and made a program surrounding those feelings. I got my certifications back in 2019 and never looked back.
I fought for 4 years to regain custody of my daughter. 8 months of it on the court. I won sole custody back in July 2021. That is my biggest and best accomplishment to date next to giving birth to my daughter.
I am also a public speaker. I tell my story to others to inspire them and make them feel less alone. I want people to know how bad it was for me and if I can do it, they ABSOLUTELY can too. I also tell it to help educate others. Especially family members.
On my YouTube channel, I really deep dive into addiction and life after. I’ve developed a really amazing community on social media. My videos really break down what it’s like to be in recovery. I try to support people and let them know recovery is work. Just because we get sober, doesn’t mean life gets perfect.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My entire life is a story of resilience. I came from a very mentally and emotionally abusive childhood. That led me down a trauma-filled path and ultimately to my substance use.

After decades of struggling and never getting the help or support I needed for my disease, I finally got incarcerated for the last and final time. It was during this time that something really changed for me. I got tired. But not like yoy think. I was sentenced to 3 years in prison with 2 years post-release supervision. I lost my child. I lost my home. I lost myself.
I started to do work on myself in a way that I never had before. I wanted to change. I just didn’t know how to. After a year and a half in regular state prison, I decided to go to SHOCK. SHOCK is a military boot camp style program. It is a 6 month program. It shaved a year off my sentence. It was the single most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life. But yet, it was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I learned so much about myself. I learned I am far more capable then I’ve ever given myself credit for. That I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. That program taught me things I still practice till this day.

Any advice for managing a team?

In this industry, it’s very easy to get compassion fatigue. We see the same type of things days in and day out and it’s easy to become jaded. Self-care is key. Days off are key. Boundaries are essential. Without these, burnout is inevitable.

Contact Info:

• Website: Jencutting.com
• Instagram: @Jlcutting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JCSqurd/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-cutting-crpa-carc-public-speaker-b38995240
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/JenCutting
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jencutting1?_t=8WocQ3WRq0I&_r=1

Image Credits
All where taken by me.