Raising Visibility for Those in Recovery in an Effort to Build a Supportive Community

A conversation with Anne Bishop Shoup

The WorkLife Office was very fortunate to talk recently with Anne Bishop Shoup, Associate Vice President of University Advancement at MSU, about her 13.5 plus years of sobriety. Anne declared her recovery publicly for the first time with an article she posted to her LinkedIn profile in December 2021. Following the interview, you can read Anne’s powerful words reprinted with her permission.

How did you make the decision to come forward with your sobriety / recovery status?

[You can read about Anne’s inspiration in the LinkedIn article below.]

For a long time, it was, I’m an introvert and I’m private. It’s not so much that recovery was secret, it was private. The longer I was sober, the more brave and confident – and unapologetic – I became, and the more responsibility I felt to be visible. After posting on LinkedIn, I heard from many current and former colleagues in all stages of recovery who were so grateful that they are not alone in their experience. In an Instagram world where everything can appear perfect, we all struggle with that sensation of being alone, and that makes things even more difficult when you are struggling with a private issue that invokes a deep sense of shame. I felt a lot of responsibility to kind of scream from the mountain tops, You do not have to be ashamed! You have value! This fundamental sense of I’m not worthy that accompanies substance use disorder keeps people sick, and it can kill them. I’m responsible for what I say and what I don’t say—so what am I saying if I don’t stand up and own this?

What was your attitude toward your recovery status before posting this article? Were you open about it, just not in a public way?

I was open about it, but in a very narrow band of my world. Following my post, there were people who were absolutely stunned and astonished, who’ve been around me and worked for me, whom I’ve worked for, who had no clue. There are some days, I catch in my throat and think, I can’t believe I did that [post copied below], and I have to take a deep breath. But my guide was my conscience and my gut – I check-in daily with that core part of me – and yes, posting was the right decision. I am not at all sorry that I did. In many ways, it’s freeing. Sobriety is not something that I need to be self-conscious about, and I know that my words helped people, because they have told me that’s the case. That’s the ballgame in my view, that’s what I am here on this Earth for: to be of service and help to others.

Has disclosing your recovery status impacted your professional boundaries?

I think, in cases where somebody really needed to hear my story, it deepened the human connection. It has accelerated some relationships in a profound way. For some people who recognized my experience as something that they knew, there was a near instant kinship, even if their experience looked different from mine. I have seen no blow back at all—but being senior in my career, I think I am in a place of privilege. There are a lot of things that I have learned over time that make me valuable to an organization. That makes it somewhat less scary for me to speak out than for somebody who’s junior and starting out, or someone who is trying to get tenure—someone in those delicate and vulnerable places in their career. To help those colleagues in recovery feel more confident on their path, it may be time for those who can to show up more visibly.

Of the “13 things you’ve learned” through your time in recovery, which do you think brings the most value into the workplace? Are there any specific strengths people in recovery bring with them to the workplace?

#2 – Be present: see people and allow yourself to be seen.
#5 – “Keeping your side of the street clean” is a daily responsibility. When you screw up (which you will, you’re human), own it and apologize.
#6 – Remember that you have so much to learn from others. Listen closely; seek to understand.
#10 – When you show up authentically as yourself, you give others permission to do the same.

How does recovery show up in my daily work?

One example would be that when I am in a meeting, I try to be completely present. I don’t multi-task, so I can really hear what someone is trying to say, because we all deserve that level of focus. It might mean my email is a little out of control, but I try never to sacrifice that moment of face-to-face interaction with the person or people in front of me.

I hold myself to a practice of rigorous honesty, which also means I work to own and apologize for my mistakes. Why does this matter at work? Because creating an atmosphere of psychological safety where we’re human first is really important to me. When people feel safe, they feel more willing to try new and creative ideas. In a world that’s changing fast, we must be innovative just to keep pace, much less to get ahead! And yet when we try something creative, perhaps something that’s never been done before, we’re inevitably going to make mistakes. For me to show up and say – wow, that was the wrong call; sorry, I was missing that piece of information; ok, this is where we course correct – doing that in real time gives other people the permission to show up and do similar work. I think we have to be that nimble to perform our best in a rapidly changing environment.

Finally, really powerful workplaces are made up of diverse people with diverse experiences. The ability to look through so many different lenses only makes us better. I am going to offer a perspective and be curious about yours. Hopefully over time, as trust is built, other people also offer their perspectives and we all grow. But teams don’t get there immediately: you have to be present, honest, transparent and safe over and over and over again to build an environment where real innovation is possible. I have to do that anyway for my sobriety, why not do it out loud?

What are the biggest contributors to your resilience?

I just try to do the next right thing. I think that’s all we’ve got. I’ll often say to teams, you can start out in Los Angeles in the dark, not seeing any farther than what your headlights show. You don’t have to see all the way to New York to make it there over time: just do the next right thing. When you come to water over the road, make a turn and go around it. There may be many obstacles, but you can make it all the way to New York – by one road or another! – one good decision at a time. People in sobriety often talk about making the next right choice when something comes up. I have a friend who’s been sober for 35 years, and if he’s offered a drink at a party, he doesn’t say, “No, thanks, I don’t drink.” He says, “No, thanks, not right now.” He’s taking care of today, right now. Sometimes in early sobriety, that long-term vision is so overwhelming, you can hardly breathe. Giving yourself permission to call this minute, this hour, this day, this week a success is a shift in your thinking. And you have to stay really present with that.

What are some things that MSU can do to help support those in recovery? What is often overlooked and not considered?

It seems basic, but just recognizing that we are here, among the faculty, staff and students, even though we don’t talk about it. The demand for mental health services for students has gone up astronomically over the past few years. I understand the demand for addiction services has also increased. I haven’t heard numbers for faculty and staff, but just imagine adding the pandemic to the pressure of being on a tenure track with a young family at home… that you’re now trying to homeschool, while you’re trying to learn to teach remotely, while also maintaining the research and grants necessary to impress colleagues and secure tenure… If we were to look under the hood at how those pressures have accelerated substance use disorder among our faculty and staff, I think we would find numbers that astound and boggle us. These colleagues are present in our offices and in our community. And if they believe that reaching out for help will generate a negative or disciplinary outcome, people will stay hidden, which can make them sicker.

People are not their illness. As with any other illness, they need support. Somebody who is in recovery and doing their work is quite a beautiful human being.

There are a small handful of us who would like to create a peer recovery community on-campus for faculty and staff: a safe space for colleagues to get support, even if they don’t know where to begin, much like All Recovery Meetings and sober social events of the Collegiate Recovery Community support students. We would also like to raise the profile of sobriety to help destigmatize substance use disorder, making steps toward recovery and health easier to take.

If you identify as a person in, or desiring, recovery and you want to join a discussion about creating resources and community for faculty and staff, please email msuspartanrecovery@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

Anne Bishop Shoup – LinkedIn December 22, 2021

On December 22, 2021, I celebrate 13.5 years of sobriety. Adding energy to the wave generated on LinkedIn by Chris Anthony, and lifting one more voice publicly into the professional sphere, here are 13 things I’ve learned from others and on my own in 13 years of choosing this life:

Be kind.
Be present: see people and allow yourself to be seen.
Gratitude and service heal.
When someone trusts you enough to vulnerably ask for help, say yes.
“Keeping your side of the street clean” is a daily responsibility. When you screw up (which you will, you’re human), own it and apologize.
Remember that you have so much to learn from others. Listen closely; seek to understand.
Notice when the most profound insight comes from the person you were somehow inclined to dismiss. Allow that experience to change you.
Courage is both infectious and essential. In the words of Clarissa Pinkola Estés: “Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.” Endless gratitude to those who shared their light with me.
Taking a chance and doing the uncomfortable thing is hard. It may also be the only way through.
When you show up authentically as yourself, you give others permission to do the same.
You are responsible for the messages you send, including those you send by silence.
Shame and survival are incompatible, and silence can kill.
As with so many things, representation matters.

Though silence in recovery reinforces a culture of shame, it remains necessary for many who fear for their professional reputations, livelihoods, and careers. Yet when we don’t speak for ourselves, others speak for us. For those who can, it may be time to consider showing our faces.

For those questioning your relationship with substances or struggling with a substance use disorder:

You do not have a fundamental flaw. Your value is inherent. You are worthy.
Ask for help.
Recovery and sobriety are amazing!

For fellow Spartans in or desiring recovery:

Faculty and staff: join me for a new All-Recovery meeting with other Sober Spartans. Message me for more information.
Students: seek support and community via the MSU Collegiate Recovery Community here.

Finally, on the power of light…

On June 20, 2020, Chris Anthony celebrated 15 years of sobriety by posting publicly to LinkedIn. In January 2021, he spoke with Michigan State University’s Russ White and Dawn Kepler, coordinator for the MSU Collegiate Recovery Community, about the impact of that post and his decision to go public about his sobriety. In February, having heard the episode, I reached out to Chris for a conversation, which he graciously accepted. Today, I post. May my decision, in tandem with others, lift the load and improve life for someone else. Be well.