leadership

Elissa Hester was just 25 when she received a vision—a calling from the Lord that she would change thousands of women’s lives.

At the time, she had no idea what that would mean. She couldn’t have imagined it would take her through a 14-year battle with alcohol, two rehabs, two detox programs, the pain of divorce, the heartbreak of a son who sometimes hated her, and the loss of friends and family. And when that calling seemed unbearably heavy, she fought it, resisted it, and told God she wanted no part of it if this was the price.

Yet, even at her lowest—when it felt like there was nothing left—the vision remained. And now, on the other side of addiction, sober but frustrated, she sees the deep need for a place where women can recover in a way that truly speaks to them. She saw that need firsthand in rehab and detox, realizing that women think differently, feel differently, and often find themselves disillusioned with traditional recovery approaches.

So, she walked away from a six-figure career at UPS to create something new—a space where women can heal without judgment, without shame, and without the pressure to relive every mistake in order to move forward. A space where recovery isn’t about labels but about rediscovering self-worth, embracing love, and finding peace in who they are today—not who they were yesterday.

Like our lungs that have branches rooted inside our body to breath, women are deeply grounded roots, vital for the very breath of life, she now feels choked and withered. She struggles to draw in the clear air of sobriety, burdened by the lingering fumes of addiction, the toxic "gases of alcohol" that have poisoned her vital function.

Where once these roots ensured her body’s nourishment – the constant flow of life-giving oxygen – they now feel brittle and weak, barely sustaining the spirit within. The waste, the pain and regret of the past, clings to them, hindering their ability to cleanse and renew.

The protection they once offered, shielding the delicate respiratory system, has been compromised. Vulnerability and rawness remain where resilience once stood. The very essence of life, the easy, natural act of breathing freely, is now a conscious effort, a reminder of the damage inflicted.

Yet, the inherent strength of those roots, though tested and strained, holds a glimmer of hope. If she can find purchase again, if she can reach deep into the fertile ground of recovery, she can still give life – not just to the body, but to a renewed spirit, a reclaimed self, free from the suffocating grip of addiction’s gases. The journey is arduous, the healing slow, but the potential for those grounded roots to blossom again remains.