What if your next “competitive edge” as a company wasn’t innovation or efficiency—but compassion?
In this eye-opening episode of The Flourishing Edge, Ashish Kothari sits down with David Shapiro to unpack how recovery-friendly workplaces are redefining what it means to truly support employees.
From mental health to substance use recovery, David reveals why inclusion, belonging, and psychological safety aren’t “nice-to-haves”—they’re the foundation of human flourishing at work. Together, they explore how stigma, stress, and hidden workplace norms silently fuel substance misuse—and how small cultural shifts can create massive change.
💡 Key Topics & Takeaways:
1️⃣ The Human Side of Workplace Health:
David’s journey from anthropology and family-friendly policies to leading the Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative.
How his personal story of recovery informs his mission to make work environments more empathetic, inclusive, and safe.
“My work matches my life”—the power of aligning personal purpose with professional service.
2️⃣ Understanding Substance Use & Recovery:
What substance use disorder really means—and why it’s a medical condition, not a moral failing.
The spectrum from low-risk social use to addiction, and how 30 million Americans live with diagnosed substance use disorders.
The ripple effect: for every person impacted, two to three others are affected at home or at work.
Why workplace culture and chronic stress can drive coping behaviors—and what employers can do differently.
3️⃣ Redefining “Recovery”:
SAMHSA’s inclusive definition: “a self-directed process of change.”
→ Recovery can mean abstinence, harm reduction, or simply the courage to seek help.
Why judgment—not lack of resources—is the biggest barrier to recovery.
“We rally around cancer, but we isolate addiction.” How empathy transforms stigma into connection.
4️⃣ Culture Shift: From Judgment to Curiosity:
Don’t label—listen. Describe what you see objectively before assuming impairment.
Replace words like “addict” with “a person experiencing substance use disorder.”
“Connection is the opposite of addiction.” – Johan Hari
Language matters: empathy and curiosity are the foundation for healing cultures.
5️⃣ Building a Recovery-Friendly Workplace:
David outlines the three pillars (the 3 P’s) of Total Worker Health®:
Policies: Shift from “zero tolerance” to “we care about you and want to help.”
Practices: Encourage leaders to model openness, empathy, and awareness.
Programs: Offer real support—Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), mental health resources, Narcan/Naloxone training, and flexible benefits.
💡 “If your policy doesn’t reflect how you actually care for people—it’s time to rewrite it.”
6️⃣ The “Frozen Middle” Problem:
Leaders may support recovery, but real culture change happens in the middle—among supervisors and managers.
Middle managers often feel overworked, under-supported, and hesitant to engage in sensitive issues.
Why equipping the “frozen middle” with empathy and training unlocks lasting change.
7️⃣ Practical, Low-Cost Shifts That Make a Big Difference:
Offer mocktails and non-alcoholic options at company events.
Avoid centering celebrations around alcohol—make inclusion visible.
Provide healthy alternatives in breakrooms (fruit alongside candy).
Reconsider payday timing (e.g., Tuesday instead of Friday) to support budgeting and reduce relapse triggers.
Equip first-aid kits with Narcan/Naloxone for overdose preparedness.
Encourage leaders to test their own EAP before recommending it—know what the employee experience is like.
8️⃣ Stories of Impact:
ODB’s Sandwich Shop (Denver): 60–70% of staff are in recovery. Alcohol still served—but the culture is care-first, not cocktail-first.
JHL Contractors: Supported an employee through opioid treatment and welcomed him back; he’s now a top performer.
Absolute Caulking & Waterproofing: Frequent conversations about recovery helped normalize help-seeking behavior.
State of Colorado: Now exploring recovery-friendly policies across public agencies.
9️⃣ The Bigger Picture: Flourishing Through Compassion
From fear to curiosity, from stigma to support—these are the building blocks of a flourishing workplace.
When businesses choose empathy over judgment, they not only retain talent—they redefine leadership.
If this conversation inspired you, share it with your HR team or leadership circle—because every workplace can become a recovery-friendly one.
Visit recoveryfriendlyworkplace.com to take the pledge, or explore how Happiness Squad can help your team build a culture of flourishing.
Subscribe to The Flourishing Edge Podcast for weekly insights on leading and living with more joy, health, love, and meaning.
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Happiness Squad Website: https://happinesssquad.com/
Ashish Kothari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashishkothari1/
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Transcript
Ashish Kothari:
Welcome to The Flourishing Edge, the podcast where we share weekly tips on making flourishing your competitive edge. I’m Ashish Kothari, your host, and each week we dive deep with flourishing experts, change makers, and executives to share best practices that help unlock higher performance through science-based interventions.
Let’s step together into the edge of what’s possible and live, work, and lead with more joy, health, love, and meaning.
It was my pleasure to host David Shapiro on the Flourishing Edge podcast today. David is the Assistant Director of Programs and Partnerships at the Center for Health, Work, and Environment, where he oversees signature public-health outreach programs, including the Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative—an effort focused on belonging, inclusion, and psychological safety at work.
David, it’s so great to have you on the podcast, my friend.
David Shapiro:
Thanks, Ashish. It’s great to be here.
Ashish Kothari:
All the work we do at Happiness Squad and on this podcast is about helping leaders create flourishing workplaces. And no workplace can truly flourish unless people feel included, that they belong, and that they’re psychologically safe.
When I first learned about the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative, it immediately spoke to me. I had never thought about recovery in this way before, and I’m excited for our listeners to learn about the work you’re doing and how they can integrate it into their own organizations.
Let’s start with your origin story—personally and professionally. How did you come to work at the intersection of workplace health, safety, and recovery-friendly policies?
David Shapiro:
My journey into this work has definitely bobbed and weaved.
I’ve been fortunate that for much of my career, my work has aligned with my personal life. My academic background is in cultural anthropology and African history, and early on I believed that to study culture, I had to travel overseas—to Southeast Asia, Africa, or South Asia.
Over time, I realized culture exists right here in the workplace. You don’t need to leave the room to find it.
That realization led me into family-friendly workplace initiatives. At the time, I was raising young children, and my work focused on how organizations could better support parents—paid family leave, childcare supports, and workplace flexibility.
From there, I began learning more about occupational safety and health. After working in nonprofit leadership roles, I joined the Center for Health, Work, and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health. I began advising organizations on health and safety programs and Total Worker Health approaches.
During the COVID pandemic, I was consulting with businesses on safety guidance—masking, ventilation, and exposure protocols. But what employers kept raising with me was isolation, mental health, and substance use.
Many companies were hosting virtual happy hours to keep people connected, and leaders started questioning whether encouraging alcohol use was healthy for everyone. That opened the door to deeper conversations about mental health, recovery, and substance use in the workplace.
artisan legislation passed in:I should also share that I’m a person in recovery. For me, recovery means abstaining from cannabis, which I previously used to cope with generalized anxiety disorder. My work aligns deeply with my lived experience, and that fuels my passion for this initiative.
Ashish Kothari:
Your journey beautifully illustrates how personal experience often mirrors collective experience.
Many people don’t realize how prevalent substance use is—especially alcohol, which is often normalized despite meeting clinical definitions of dependency.
Before we talk about recovery, can you help our listeners understand what substance use looks like on a spectrum and how common it really is?
David Shapiro:
Absolutely.
When we talk about psychoactive substances—anything that affects mood, behavior, or brain chemistry—that spectrum is wide. It includes caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, prescription medications, and illicit drugs like opioids and cocaine.
There’s prescribed use, lower-risk or social use, and higher-risk use that can lead to impairment or substance use disorders.
According to current data, close to 30 million U.S. adults have a diagnosable substance use disorder. About half fall into the mild category, with the rest split between moderate and severe.
And it’s important to remember that substance use disorders don’t just affect individuals—they impact families, coworkers, and communities. The ripple effect is much larger than the numbers suggest.
Ashish Kothari:
And given workplace stress, burnout, and chronic pressure, it’s no surprise many people turn to substances as coping mechanisms.
Let’s talk about what organizations can actually do. When you engage a company, what are the core components of becoming a recovery-friendly workplace?
David Shapiro:
We start with a baseline assessment—about 15 questions—to understand existing policies, benefits, training, and supports.
From there, we focus on three pillars of Total Worker Health: policies, practices, and programs.
Policies need to reflect how organizations actually operate—not just serve as legal protection. Many drug-free workplace policies are written entirely from a zero-tolerance lens, which discourages people from asking for help.
We encourage policies that start with care: We support your health and well-being. Here are resources. Here’s how to ask for help. Safety expectations still matter—but they don’t need to lead the conversation.
Practices involve everyday communication and leadership behavior. This is where middle management is critical. Leaders may set intentions, but supervisors determine how those intentions are lived day to day.
Programs include benefits, EAPs, training, and referral pathways. We encourage leaders to test these resources themselves—call the EAP, see what the experience is like—so they know what they’re recommending.
Ashish Kothari:
I love how much emphasis you place on the middle layer of organizations. That’s where culture is either reinforced or broken.
Can you share a story that brings this work to life—an example of a company that embraced recovery-friendly practices and saw real impact?
David Shapiro:
One example is a small Denver restaurant called ODB’s. Both owners are in recovery, and at any given time, 60–70% of their staff is as well.
They still serve alcohol, but they’ve intentionally created a culture where recovery is supported and not stigmatized. When someone experiences a return to use, the response is care and support—not punishment.
Another example is a construction company where an employee asked for help with opioid addiction. The company supported treatment, welcomed the employee back, and that individual has since been promoted multiple times.
We’ve also seen impact from small operational changes—like shifting payday from Friday to Tuesday. That single change reduced relapse risk for employees in recovery and helped them focus on budgeting and stability.
These are small shifts with outsized impact.
Ashish Kothari:
That’s powerful. It shows how open minds, open hearts, and open will can reshape entire systems.
As we wrap up, how can organizations get involved with the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative?
David Shapiro:
Organizations can visit ColoradoRecoveryFriendlyWorkplace.com.
The first step is a four-part pledge—committing to conversation, awareness, referral to resources, and partnership with the School of Public Health. Everything is no-cost and backed by the University of Colorado system.
One last thing I’ll add: every workplace should have naloxone or Narcan in their first aid kits—just like AEDs or fire extinguishers. Preparedness saves lives.
Ashish Kothari:
David, thank you for your leadership, your vulnerability, and your commitment to human-centered workplaces. This work matters deeply.
David Shapiro:
Thank you, Ashish. I appreciate the conversation and the partnership.
Ashish Kothari:
Thank you for joining me on The Flourishing Edge. If today’s conversation inspired you, share it with someone who’s ready to flourish. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected for more tools to achieve breakthrough performance through flourishing.
Until next time—keep learning, practicing, and growing into your fullest potential.
