Holly’s Story

 “I believe strongly that people should not have to hit rock bottom in order to get help and that women can become empowered leaders of their own recovery journeys.“ 

-Holly Wilson

Holly Wilson is deeply committed to supporting women in becoming empowered leaders of their wellness and recovery journeys. She is a recovering alcoholic, CEO and founder of her own company, and a champion for women. Holly grew up in Crested Butte, Colorado, and was a straight-A student throughout high school. During her college years she started drinking and partying which carried throughout her early 20s. She successfully masked the frequency of her drinking by switching up friend groups on nights she went out. She was highly functioning, had a job, and a loving family. She also had a real problem which was publicly documented over a few seasons on the reality TV series The Hills where she starred with her sister Heidi Montag. Looking back, she was using alcohol to cope with past traumas including the sudden death of her step-brother. Holly used alcohol to numb the pain and help her avoid grappling with her real thoughts and fears. 

One day Holly had a moment of clarity and decided to get help. She envisioned herself getting sober, getting in good shape, and then being able to resume going out with friends and having a glass of wine without getting out of control. Once she became sober, and really dealt with the personal demons which were the root cause of her drinking, she realized she didn’t actually want to drink anymore. Holly learned coping skills that replaced alcohol as the method to quiet her mind. She also realized that she wanted to help other women who, like her, were struggling with personal traumas and using substances to mask the pain. 


Once she found sobriety, Holly began a self-led education in the addiction recovery space, working and learning every position within substance use disorder treatment centers. She has worked in some of the most reputable treatment programs in the country in various roles. Through this experience, she found that most addiction treatment methods have been created by men with treatment methods that work best for men. Holly decided to create her own recovery center, Women’s Recovery, in order to create outpatient recovery programs that are tailored specifically for women and women’s unique challenges as they navigate their recovery journey.