Peer Experience National TA Center (PENTAC)

Peer Entrepreneurship Program Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

Almost one year ago today, the Peer Support Coalition of FL, Inc. (PSCFL) launched its first National Peer Entrepreneurship Program. On Thursday, November 3rd, a dozen entrepreneurs from around the country were invited to join the one-year anniversary celebration hosted by our PENTAC Education Coordinator, Sherry Warner.

 Peers are individuals who have lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges, and who provide support and resources to help others on their paths to recovery.  The National Peer Entrepreneurship Program is open to anyone interested in running their own business. Over 55% of adults in the U.S. have started at least one business in their lifetime.

The Peer Entrepreneurship Program is comprised of a monthly Entrepreneurs Speaker Series and a 6 module Aspiring Entrepreneur workshop series. The workshop series walks peers through the entrepreneurial preparation process and provides strategies to maintain mental health as a business owner. While the speaker series allows peers the opportunity to hear stories from other peers who turned their career dreams into a reality while balancing their wellness. The National Peer Entrepreneurship Speaker Series featured guest speakers from across the nation including Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Nevada.

As we have just celebrated Veteran’s Day this year, we’d like to highlight one of our entrepreneur speakers, Major John G. Donovan. He is a person in long-term recovery with over 40 years of sobriety.  He is passionate about recovery and speaks and frequently lectures to audiences on substance use disorder and recovery therefrom. 

Major Donovan reminds us that "When life goes down, the recovery community shows up."

He frequently blogs on recovery; is a certified peer recovery specialist, and serves as an advisor to St. Cloud State  University’s Recovery Community. Additionally, Major Donovan co-founded and directs the  Recovery Community Network (RCN) in St. Cloud, MN. The RCN is a Recovery Community Organization devoted to advocacy, education, and providing peer-to-peer recovery services in Central Minnesota. Major Donovan holds a Master of Education degree from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University. He is a retired combat veteran with two tours to Iraq and his last duty assignment was as the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer for the Minnesota National Guard. Major Donovan draws heavily on his military training, tactics, and techniques to help others build recovery capital. His book on recovery was recently released and is entitled: “A Soldier’s Recovery Journey”.

PSCFL will run the next cohort of the “Aspiring Entrepreneur Workshop Series” in the spring of 2023. The Peer Entrepreneur Speaker Series, designed to showcase the successes of individuals living with mental health and or substance use in their pursuit of entrepreneurship and financial wellness, continues monthly.

Register to attend the next Peer Entrepreneur Speaker Series on December 1st, 2022 via Zoom from 12 - 1 p.m. ET and featuring none other than the Founder of Experience KZW, Kwadeidra Zhane’ Wilson. 

For more information about being a guest speaker of our Peer Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, email, sherry@peersupportfl.org.