For nearly 20 years, Dani lived in addiction and felt completely lost. But today, she’s five years clean and sober. During her addiction she shut out her family and believed the people on the streets were her only support. She was homeless most of that time, often staying in casino hotel rooms that she and others earned by gambling. Dani said, “I never thought I’d be at the place where I am right now. I’ve completely turned my life around.”
Her turning point came when she was arrested and sent to prison in Idaho.
There, she saw clearly that none of the people from her addiction were there for her—only her family answered. When she was released, she moved in with her mom and began going to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and NA (Narcotics Anonymous). Those programs helped her see how she had hurt others in her addiction and helped her understand why she had turned to drugs in the first place.
Dani worked hard. She got her recovery coach certificate and started helping others who were facing the same struggles she once did. She said, “I love that I am able to show compassion to other people and help people who are where I used to be.”
After a car accident forced her to leave a job in Yakima, she looked for work closer to home. That’s when she found Goodwill. The manager advocated for her to be hired, and Dani says this job changed everything. She finally felt like she was where she was meant to be.
At Goodwill, Dani helps people who are at their lowest points. She shares her story, so they know change is possible. Many ask her to go with them to AA or NA meetings when they’re scared to go alone, and she always shows up. She gives rides to classes and community court and stays by their side as they rebuild their lives. She says people often come in at their worst, but she gets to help them see who they can become.
Recently, Community Court honored her for achieving five years sober, and Dani said, “It was great. I felt seen for who I am, not just what I do for people.”
She says it doesn’t feel like five years because she has done so much work on herself in that time. She’s found compassion, grace, and real connections—things she lost in addiction.
Her relationships are healing. She now has close friendships with women, a strong relationship with her mom, and she was even able to help her daughter get a college loan. She said she stays clean because her sister, who passed while Dani was in jail, would have wanted that.
Dani is proud of her life today. She said, “I love myself, and I never thought that would happen.” And she is deeply grateful for her job at Goodwill. “I feel that Goodwill showed their mission even in hiring me—giving me the chance to keep changing my life and change others’ lives too.”