Gary serves as a dedicated Life Skills Coach in Houston, TX who brings both professional training and powerful lived experience to his work. His personal journey through mental health and substance use recovery allows him to connect authentically with individuals navigating similar challenges, offering hope, understanding, and practical guidance grounded in real-world resilience.

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Gary is certified as a Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS) and has completed core training as a Recovery Support Peer Specialist (RSPS), with advanced certification in progress. His approach is rooted in trauma-informed, person-centered care, with a focus on empowering individuals facing substance use disorders, incarceration and reentry transitions, suicidal ideation, homelessness, and crisis stabilization needs. He is deeply committed to helping people build sustainable pathways to recovery while strengthening their connection to community resources and support systems.

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With more than 25 years of experience in customer service, operations, logistics, and team coordination, Gary offers strong organizational and communication skills that enhance his peer support work. He has held roles ranging from Field Service Technician and Heavy Haul Operator with the City of Houston to Operations Manager and Logistics Coordinator in private sector industries. Across these roles, he developed strengths in team leadership, scheduling, data tracking, field coordination, and client relations—skills that translate directly into effective advocacy and client support.

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Gary’s professional toolkit includes database and documentation systems such as Salesforce, Netsuite, and Microsoft Office, along with experience in service coordination, dispatch, and administrative support. He is also experienced in group facilitation and recovery community engagement, with participation in multiple 12-step and peer-led recovery models.

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Known for his empathy, integrity, and non-judgmental presence, Gary fosters trust through active listening, cultural humility, and respectful communication. His mission is to walk alongside those in recovery, using both his lived experience and professional training to inspire change, restore dignity, and help others rediscover purpose and connection.