The Phoenix

What it is

The Phoenix is a national nonprofit organization built around peer-led recovery and community connection. Founded in 2006 by Scott Strode, the organization has evolved from in-person sober events to a sprawling recovery ecosystem that now includes NewForm, a digital platform formerly called The Phoenix App that brings together recovery and mental wellness resources from dozens of partner organizations. The mission is to build a sober active community that fuels resilience and harnesses the transformational power of connection so that together people rise, recover, and live. The organization operates under the banner #riserecoverlive.

Unlike clinical services or telehealth providers, The Phoenix is built by and for people in recovery, prioritizing peer connection and community belonging over medical intervention. The organization has impacted hundreds of thousands of individuals through its free and low-cost programming.

The NewForm App and event discovery

NewForm is the digital gateway to The Phoenix ecosystem. The app, available on both Google Play and the App Store, functions as a community hub and event discovery platform. Users can register for hundreds of daily in-person, virtual, and on-demand experiences across the partner network. Every partner organization has a dedicated page within the app, letting users explore that organization's events and communities without bouncing between separate apps or websites.

The app excels at helping users find recovery resources tailored to their interests and location. With dozens of partners contributing programming, users can search by activity type or location-based communities to filter through options and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Whether someone is drawn to run clubs, yoga sessions, or community groups for plant lovers and sober parents, the search tools are designed to match them quickly.

Within the app, users can join interest and location-based communities, connect with other members, and participate in the tracking and milestone features. NewForm reimagines how individuals thrive by providing a single platform to access tailored resources, join empowering communities, and take part in free programming across the behavioral health spectrum. The company describes it as a community of communities, creating a nurturing space where users can chart their path toward lasting recovery support and mental wellness, wherever they are on their journey.

In-person and virtual events

The Phoenix's original strength was in-person sober events, and this remains central to the organization's work. The site showcases hundreds of weekly activities across categories including arts, bicycling, climbing, group fitness, hiking, meditation, meetings, mindfulness, music, outreach, running, social events, team sports, crossfit, water sports, winter sports, and yoga. Most events are in-person, but the organization also offers live stream options for people who cannot attend in their location or prefer remote participation.

Events happen every day across the country. The organization lists upcoming activities by region: Ferdinand, Indiana hosts a Recovery Ruck on Saturday mornings, Potomac, Maryland has a run club, Boston hosts a Phoenix Run Crew, online meditation is available daily, Wichita hosts an open gym, and Pepperell offers functional fitness classes. The diversity of offerings means someone in recovery can find something that fits their personality and interests, whether they are a competitive athlete, a creative person seeking art-based recovery, or someone who prefers quiet meditation.

Participation is free or low-cost, removing a financial barrier that might otherwise keep someone from attending. The emphasis on accessible, welcoming events positions The Phoenix as a space where people build friendships and have fun while recovering, not a clinical space defined by diagnosis or treatment status.

On-demand content

For people who cannot attend live events due to schedule, location, or preference, The Phoenix offers on-demand classes, meditations, and podcasts available anytime, anywhere. The site showcases examples including guided meditation (20 minutes), total body yoga flow (25 minutes), and fitness tutorials like how to do pistol squats (20 minutes). These materials are free and can be accessed whenever someone needs support or motivation.

Volunteer pathways and the peer model

The Phoenix emphasizes volunteer involvement as core to its model. The organization does not position recovery as something that happens to people, but as something people do together. The site mentions volunteer pathways, allowing people in recovery to step into leadership roles within the community. This peer-led structure means the people running activities and building community are themselves in recovery, modeling the possibility of active, thriving life in sobriety and deepening connection through shared experience.

Who The Phoenix serves

The Phoenix is built for people at any stage of recovery, whether they are days, months, or years into sobriety. The emphasis on community connection, free activities, and no-judgment entry points suggests it fits someone who wants peer support first, who is not seeking medical treatment, and who values the social and recreational aspects of recovery.

It serves people with geographic flexibility or who live in or near areas with Phoenix programming. The organization's focus on location-based communities and in-person events means access depends on whether events are happening where someone lives or whether they can travel to them. The virtual and on-demand content mitigates this but does not fully eliminate the geographic dimension.

It fits people who thrive on peer connection and community belonging, who want volunteer opportunities and leadership roles within recovery, and who appreciate the peer-led, non-hierarchical structure. It fits people who want recovery that includes fitness, art, music, adventure, and fun, not just abstinence-focused meetings or clinical appointments.

The Phoenix partners with other recovery organizations, meaning someone accessing NewForm can find resources aligned with many recovery philosophies and approaches: AA, SMART Recovery, faith-based programs, sober social groups, harm-reduction communities, and more. So a person can use The Phoenix as a hub to discover a variety of pathways and find what resonates.

What The Phoenix does not provide

The Phoenix does not provide clinical care, medication-assisted treatment, psychiatry, or therapy. If someone needs medical treatment for opioid dependence, mental illness, or withdrawal, The Phoenix is a complement, not a replacement. It does not offer crisis support or emergency services, and its own site does not publish a crisis line, hotline number, or emergency contact path anywhere on the pages captured here, only general "Contact Us" and "Reach Out" links. Someone in an active crisis needs to look outside The Phoenix for that kind of help.

The organization does not charge for most of its programming, but participation and engagement are voluntary and entirely self-directed. There is no intake process, no care coordinator assigning people to resources, and no one checking in if someone stops showing up. This means the model empowers autonomy but also puts responsibility on individuals to seek out what they need.

The organization does not provide housing, employment services, legal aid, or other social services beyond community and connection. Someone needing help with basic needs or practical barriers to recovery would need to pursue those services separately.

Who it does not fit

The Phoenix does not fit someone in active crisis or experiencing medical withdrawal, who needs immediate professional intervention. It does not fit someone geographically isolated from Phoenix events and without reliable internet for the app. It does not fit someone who prefers or requires clinical treatment, psychiatric medication, or therapy as their primary recovery support.

It may not fit someone who prefers anonymity, since in-person events and community involvement mean potential social overlap and visibility within a community. It does not fit someone who needs care coordination, professional case management, or clinical oversight of treatment.

The organization's structure and leadership

The Phoenix has a national board of directors, a senior leadership team, and formal annual reporting on finances and operations. Annual reports for 2021, 2022, and 2023 are published on the site, allowing transparency into the organization's operations and funding. The founder, Scott Strode, found hope at the top of a mountain and has been inspiring that hope in others since founding the organization in 2006. The leadership team brings diverse expertise in community building, addiction research, social justice, and technology.

This structure and transparency position The Phoenix as an established, accountable organization rather than a small startup or informal meetup group. For someone evaluating whether to invest time and trust in a recovery community, the organizational backbone and published reporting offer confidence that the work is sustainable and mission-driven.