We recently connected with Melissa Mouton and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

One of my favorite stories in working with teenagers who are recovering from substance use happened during the summer of 2020. It was after midnight–closer to 1:00am–on a Saturday night when I got a call from an unknown number. Something told me to answer the call, so I did. It was the Denver police, who had caught two teenagers sneaking up on the roof of the high school I founded. The school was to help teenagers learn to live life without the use of drugs and alcohol, and to graduate with the skillset and momentum towards a career that would provide a fulfilling, meaningful life–without the need for substance use to cope. The cop said that the teenagers claimed to know me and, sure enough, they were two students at the school–one who had just graduated and one who was a rising 10th grader. The cop wanted to press charges for trespassing, but I asked him what they were doing there. They explained how they climbed onto the roof of the place where they had first met, in order to reminisce about how far they had come and discuss their plans for the future. They had so much gratitude for their new lifestyle free of drugs, that they wanted to celebrate it and make a joint decision to continue their journey to lifelong health. The graduate was a mentor to the 10th grader, and he was leading the younger student in the recovery ritual of combining gratitude and commitment to stay the course. I pleaded with the cop to not press charges and he agreed to let it slide. I love this story because it perfectly demonstrates the beauty and brilliance of teenagers in recovery. They will push boundaries, rage against the machine, and defy authority–but they now do it in a way that’s positive and inspiring, and not for harm. Teenagers crave meaningful experiences, and they will expend incredible energy and ingenuity to create these experiences. When we help teenagers realize that life without drugs can be infinitely more meaningful and intoxicating than drugs can ever be, then we unleash infinite potential for them to create genius and brilliance in this world.

Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In 2013 I met a 16 year old who was celebrating six months free from heroin. I was shocked and amazed that someone so young would use heroin, much less devolve to a place where he needed recovery from his substance use. I asked him how he had successfully not used heroin for six months. He said several things that he had done, but he emphasized that the thing that “really made the difference this time” was that he dropped out of school. As a former educator, this shocked me? He explained that school was where he got his drugs and all of his friends there used drugs daily–he simply couldn’t get away from it while at school. I didn’t know it at the time, but this chance meeting would change the trajectory of my life. Just over a year later, I felt so compelled from his story that I quit my career in medicine and decided to launch a high school to help teens recovery from substance use. The school, 5280 High School in Denver, opened in 2018 and is now one of the largest–if not the largest–recovery high schools in the world. It grew from 9 students in recovery on Day 1, to more than 120 students within 4 years. The school is a safe, drug-free environment for students to finish their diploma and learn how to live substance-free. The foundation of youth recovery is peers helping peers, and a strong sense of community and belonging exist at the school. We don’t sweep difficult issues under the rug, but rather face them head-on. Youth learn to deal with their emotions and build positive relationships with others around them. The vast majority of them are drug- and alcohol-free, and graduates successfully transition to university, a trade or apprenticeship program, or a full-time job. They also have more than 100 friends they can hang out with and reach out to for help when life gets dicey.
Now, in 2024, I am entering a new phase in my career by scaling the recovery high school model across the state of Colorado. I’m working to create a small network of similar high schools so that up to 90% of Colorado youth who need help with substance use can access these services. The new organization is called 2.0 Schools Colorado and we are currently launching schools in Aurora and Colorado Springs. I also consult with school districts and other organizations hoping to launch a similar school in their community.
I never planned to be doing this work; it literally came out of nowhere. But I have never forgotten that 16 year old kid who planted the idea in my head years ago. I’ve never seen him again to this day, and he probably has no idea of the impact he has had on hundreds of Colorado families so far. I am so grateful for meeting him, and I was able to find my true purpose in life. Thank goodness I had the courage to quit medicine!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Two things immediately come to mind for how I built my reputation. First, I am relentlessly focused on high-quality outcomes. No matter what you do, you will have the option to be either mediocre or to be superb. We only get one life to live, and I want to spend my life making a true difference in the world. Mediocrity doesn’t impact the world; it’s not very exciting either. But being truly excellent in your work, and having strong outcome data to prove it, has the power to change the world forever. Relentless pursuit of excellence in all things that truly matter in your organization is important. This keeps me inspired and motivated as well. Having great outcomes in your field will build a positive reputation in your market. The second thing that helped me build my reputation is a high standard for integrity and ethical practices. I am overly honest and transparent about everything I do, including the struggles and challenges I am experiencing in the work. This has created a reputation for strong fiscal integrity and trustworthiness in data reporting. This reputation helps me raise more money and gain trust from people across the sector. People who trust your judgment will give you more freedom and flexibility to whatever it is that your vision leads you to do–this trust is hard-earned but well worth the effort.
One of my favorite quotes is from Matthew McConaughey: “Conservative early; liberal late.” What he means by this is to be very disciplined to learn your craft and the standards of your profession early in your career, then once having mastered them, you can exercise more creativity and freedom later because you have demonstrated that you know what you’re doing and have an understanding of what freedom and creativity and taking license truly require. “Create structure so you can have freedom…Learn to sail before you fly…Map your direction so you can swerve in the lanes… Creativity needs borders. Individuality needs resistance. The earth needs gravity. Without them, there is no form. No art. Only chaos.” I love this concept. I see some entrepreneurs who start out with a reckless and undisciplined approach; failing to create a strong foundation to be creative with, they fail to ever get off the ground.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I am incessantly on the look out for great people to work with. Having the right people in your sphere makes all the difference. In a service field like mine (education and substance use recovery), our success is primarily determined by how well our staff can connect with our students to inspire them to make changes in their behavior and lifestyle. Training and knowledge have very little to do with how effective an adult is in connecting with teenagers, so it’s critical that I recruit and retain people who are outstanding in this skill. I can train them and build their knowledge, but I can’t turn someone into a teenager-magnet. That is a gift that has to come pre-installed. I’m constantly on the lookout for these people and if I look for them, they will appear. Constant recruitment of potential rock stars to work with is something I’ve learned to do. If I keep my eyes open, I always seem to find the right people I need at the right time. This also means that I actually have to get out there and meet people. Being engaged in different social circles and communities helps me expand my ability to find and attract high performers. Finally, these people are super fun to work with. It’s inspiring to work towards the vision I have, but doing it with people who I love and trust makes it 1,000 times more enjoyable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.2-0schools.org
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mouton/
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
None–sorry I don’t have access to more pics approved for publication right now.