About me
If you like your advice pat, your answers easy and your truth sugarcoated you’ve probably come to the wrong place.
But if you want straight talk from someone who genuinely knows of what he speaks, someone who exchanged the lonely vision of addiction for the broad landscape of recovery, someone who’s committed to living authentically and passionately and helping others do the same, someone who believes in making a difference instead of making excuses, who offers true hope to parents and real support to young adults struggling with tricky transitions, let me introduce myself.
I’m Danny Conroy. Over 20 years ago, I co-founded AIM House – a residential mentorship program in Boulder, Colorado — where we help young people discover their strength, find their purpose, reinforce their relationships, claim their independence, and live the lives they’ve imagined. Along the way, friends, colleagues, participants in our program and their families have encouraged me to share my insight and outlook with as many other professionals, parents and young adults as possible. I created this website to do just that.
Living proof that life goes on
How did I come to be so passionate about helping young people through transitions? My bio lays out all the facts. But there’s more to the story.
First
I was raised between southern California and Boulder, Colorado. This because my parents divorced when I was eight. I understand broken families. Mine could be labeled that way. But I also know that as Leonard Cohen sings: “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” I focus on that.
Next
I empathize with people who feel hopeless because I’ve been there. I’ve survived trauma, abuse, all sorts of creative and destructive methods to self medicate and find an escape. By amazing Grace and through the love of others, I no longer live alone in darkness. Recovery is more than just letting go of substances and addictive behavior. It’s about owning our life. We actually get to choose the life we want to live. I however, could not do it alone. I tried desperately to get better by myself and nothing worked. Through genuine connection with others, I have been able to heal slowly but surely. I like to pass that on to others whenever and wherever possible.
Plus
My wife Mae and I lost our first born daughter Mclaine when she was 16 days old. As anyone who has ever experienced the death of a child knows, a wound this deep never fully heals. But scarred as I am, I’m not a victim of this loss. It’s true that no matter how many years pass since McLaine took her last sweet breath, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wonder what might have been. I hear the perpetual whisper of her name. But I learned so much about love from my first born in her oh-so-short life. About the ephemeral nature of existence. About being present. About joy in the midst of pain. I’m blessed to share that with the four children that followed her into our family – and with every other parent’s child I encounter.
THE STRAIGHT FACTS
HERE’S THE DEAL
I’m not a physician. I’m not a clinician. I wasn’t even a psychology major in college – in fact, my bachelor of arts from the University of Colorado happens to be in humanities. But for the better part of my life, I’ve been working in some capacity to help bring out the best in young people. Through years and years of real-world experience, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the challenges they face today. And I’ve had great success in helping them find their way through the often difficult transition to adulthood.
HERE ARE THE DETAILS
As a college student, when I worked with Boulder County’s EXPAND program for emotionally challenged children. After graduation, I moved on to the prestigious Sierra Tucson treatment center, where I held the position of Intake Counselor and eventually, Alumni Coordinator. Next I worked as the Admissions Counselor, Admissions Director, and Director of Professional Relations at CEDU in Running Springs, California. Finally, in 1999, building on the knowledge I’d gained at these treatment centers and therapeutic boarding schools, I created our highly respected and hugely successful mentorship program at in Boulder, Colorado. So far, over a thousand participants have successfully been through the program.
THAT’S NOT ALL
Witnessing the empowering impact AIM House makes in so many young people’s lives is a privilege that’s beyond fulfilling. One that’s inspired me to expand on the program’s principles and philosophy through a host of complimentary ventures including:
- Madelife creative accelerator program that my wife Mae and I started in 2013 that provides AIM House participants with intensive mentorship from professionals in graphic design, music, video, film, photography and other creative digital businesses.
- The CU Collegiate Recovery Center, which I founded in 2013 to give students in recovery a safe and supportive space in which to maintain their sobriety. I was also instrumental in creating recovery housing for the university.
- Speaking engagements at national conferences on the topic of adolescents, young adult transition, and parenting.
- I am Vice Board Chair and founding member of the new Renee Crown Wellness Center at CU
AND THERE’S MORE
As a volunteer I created The Butterfly Program for terminally ill children at Children’s Hospital in Denver, now part of Centura Health. I have served as board chair of Boulder’s Horizon’s Elementary School and as a soccer coach for the Boulder County YMCA. Finally, I was honored with an Alumni recognition award in 2019 at CU.
I’m an avid hiker and skier. And most important, with my wife Mae Martin, I am the proud father of four children: Quinlan, Gracie, Devlin and Ronan. They teach me something new every day.
Read, watch, or listen to learn about the ways I’m working helping people like you and those you love by reviewing the and section of the site.