A conversation with Anji Dickson on integrating people, planet, and prosperity in business.
Anji Dickson, the COO – Chief Operating Officer at Steps to Recovery Homes and Konnect Wellness Center, is a purpose-driven leader working at the intersection of recovery, community well-being, and sustainable systems change. With a career that spans executive leadership and a deeply personal journey through recovery, she brings a unique perspective on how people, planet, and prosperity can be balanced within a single, regenerative model. Through her work, Anji is redefining sustainability beyond environmental action alone—centered instead on healing, access, and long-term resilience for individuals and communities alike.
1. How do you incorporate sustainability defined as a holistic approach to balancing environmental, social, and economic needs into your business?
We embrace sustainability through a model rooted in three pillars—people, planet, and profit—balancing environmental, social, and economic well-being. Our mission is to provide access to recovery for individuals lacking financial and social resources. By delivering cost-effective, preventative, and holistic recovery services, we reduce long-term societal costs of untreated mental health and substance use challenges. Through accessible care and integrated healing, we foster balance, stability, and well-being, empowering individuals to reallocate resources toward housing, education, employment, and family stability.
2. What sparked your AHA Moment?
That “aha” moment came during my own recovery journey. I realized the lifestyle I had been chasing—the drive for perfection, monetary achievements, and my idea of “success” was the opposite of what I truly desired. It created separation from the community, the earth, and myself. Through helping others in recovery, everything shifted. I embraced people, planet, and profit, and today I help lead a sustainable model grounded in balance, accessibility, and restoration.
3. In your experience, how does a female-led perspective uniquely shape the way a company approaches environmental responsibility?
From a young age, I felt called to help “save the planet,” picking up trash in parking lots and recycling at college parties. For 35 years as a female executive, my career centered on power and profitability. Now, working in recovery, I lead with empathy, conscious collaboration, intuition, and a focus on long-term well-being. I believe business can be regenerative—restoring, uplifting, and inspiring—and that profitability and responsibility are partners. Legacy is measured not only in wealth but in the condition of the world we create. I see stewardship as strength and leadership as care for the communities we build, honoring the interconnectedness of people, planet, and prosperity, choosing long-term impact, making wise decisions, and empowering my team to use their strengths.
4. What is the most significant sustainable milestone your business has achieved recently, and what did it take to get there?
One of our most significant sustainable milestones has been building financial, environmental, and social sustainability simultaneously rather than treating them separately. Securing loans and grants through the United States Department of Agriculture allowed us to invest in long-term infrastructure, including solar energy. Navigating these systems required persistence and education. The shift lowered operational costs, reduced our carbon footprint, and aligned our spaces with our healing philosophy. We also expanded Miracles Happen, our resale store, into an environmental and workforce development initiative that repurposes donated furniture, reduces landfill waste, provides affordable goods, and equips clients with practical skills, confidence, and purpose.
Launching Konnect Wellness, our outpatient center, provides affordable, accessible care while integrating alumni ownership and leadership opportunities that foster purpose and economic stability. Most recently, The Connection Room, an event center rooted in biophilic design, emphasizes nature, light, and connection, with revenue supporting our mission. These milestones required vision, collaboration, and resilience, marking our evolution from a recovery organization into a regenerative ecosystem that restores people, community, and the environment.
5. What is one common misconception about going green in your industry that you are actively working to debunk?
A common misconception about “going green” is that it only means improving office facilities. While energy efficiency, solar, lighting, and water conservation matter, true sustainability is about restoring people and recognizing the interconnectedness of human and environmental health. Mental health, family stability, and strong communities are essential to environmental responsibility, and caring for both creates a regenerative model. Sustainability means accessible wellness so financial strain does not prevent care, creating spaces with natural light, outdoor areas, and elements that support nervous system regulation, while teaching clients to reuse resources, reduce waste, and build life skills. Social sustainability strengthens families, rebuilds relationships, and helps individuals move from isolation to belonging, employment, and community contribution as we work to end cycles of trauma and economic instability.
6. What advice would you give to the next generation of women entrepreneurs who want to build a business that prioritizes both profit and the planet?
My advice to the next generation of women entrepreneurs is to create with courage, act with purpose, and believe in yourself. Lead with passion, trust your intuition, never let fear interfere with your goals, and surround yourself with a supportive tribe of women.
