Hi, I’m Jamie Pettis. I’m the owner of The Freedom House.
The Freedom House has been a dream of mine for quite some time. I’ve dreamed of creating a space and environment that I needed 18 years ago when I was first getting sober and starting my recovery journey. It didn’t seem like there were a lot of options for people like me, that would benefit greatly from changing my environment and being around other like-minded women that wanted the same things.
I needed the time, space and tools to heal and to create the new habits, mindset and lifestyle shifts that were needed to truly transform my life. I needed help believing that it was possible for me and that my future could be wonderful.
That’s why I created The Freedom House!
See, I struggled with extreme alcohol addiction and a life that was totally out of control. I was in a major crash and burn situation! Believe me, I know what it feels like to live in hell. I had two competing internal desires, one that so badly wanted to be free from my addiction and yet another part of me wanting just as strongly to numb myself with drinking. It was as if two opposing energies were fighting for my life, one to take it and one to save it. I was mentally, emotionally and physically hooked on alcohol. I was obsessed, addicted, scared to death and I just kept running on that hamster wheel. (You know, the whole definition of insanity thing!). My life had become completely and utterly unmanageable and I just knew there had to be a better way. And, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t feel like I had any other options. This was life or death. In 2005, I entered treatment at The Freedom Center in Denver Colorado with Suzan and Laurence Freedom (The Freedom House is named in honor of Suzan and Laurence). At that time, I truly believed my only two options were to either keep drinking (and that meant to dangerous levels, putting myself and others at risk, physically, mentally, and emotionally) OR quit drinking and live a boring, lonely, sober life that sucked. :) That’s what I believed. My life was over!
Loooooong story short, with the help of a wonderful loving God, a supportive community and a ton of dedicated time learning and applying all the amazing tools, mindset shifts, strategies and wisdom I’ve curated and cultivated over the last 18 years, I’m so grateful to say that I have been happily alcohol free for many years now.
The cool part is, I was willing to experiment. I wanted to see if it was possible to create a third option for my life. One that didn’t involve alcohol and one that also didn’t involve thinking, wishing or wanting it. I stayed curious, open, and committed. As I asked for Divine help and guidance, I began to gain more awareness of the things holding me back and the things I needed to change, add and delete from my life, heart and mind. Along the journey, God has completely changed my life and I have found complete freedom from the desire to drink. Changing my mind, changing my beliefs, changing my habits, rituals and routines– this took time. And, this is what has completely FREED me from the desire to drink and put me into a whole new wonderful life that I’m so grateful for! This freedom has created a strong desire in me to share and help facilitate these changes with others that are struggling to find it.
In addition to my own recovery journey, I’m also a certified Life and Recovery Coach and I help women identify and remove the mental, emotional, and physical blocks that are keeping them from realizing their true potential for joy, inner peace, and freedom in all areas. To be on the other side now, knowing how difficult it can be to struggle with something that was literally poison for me, my life experience is night and day. I am passionate about helping as many women as I can to find the same freedom from addiction that I have. It’s possible! And, it’s SO WORTH IT!!
