ABOUT
connecting through courage
At Connecting Through Courage we believe that erasing shame is the best path to finding courage
The mission that drives us forward towards ending stigma.
Connecting Through Courage empowers individuals, strengthens families, and
transforms communities by reducing the stigma surrounding substance use
disorders through education, evidence-based support, and advocacy.
We are equally committed to ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances,
has the opportunity to become a healthy, productive adult through evidence-
based primary prevention programs that build the life skills needed to reduce
risky behaviors, strengthen resilience, and promote lifelong well-being.
Our Vision
We envision communities where stigma no longer prevents people from seeking
help, families are supported with compassion, recovery is embraced, and every
child has access to the knowledge, skills, and opportunities needed to grow into
a healthy, confident, and productive adult.
Our Purpose
Connecting Through Courage exists to break the intergenerational cycle of
substance use disorders by changing the way communities understand
addiction, supporting families with evidence-based tools, and ensuring every
child has access to the life skills needed to become a healthy, productive adult.
We believe prevention, compassion, and education are the foundation of stronger
families and healthier communities.
Our Values
At Connecting Through Courage, our work is guided by the following core values:
Compassion
We approach every individual and family with empathy, respect, and understanding, recognizing the humanity behind every experience.
Education & Evidence-Based Practice
We believe accurate information saves lives. Our programs and advocacy are grounded in research, prevention science, and best practices.
Dignity & Respect
We honor the inherent worth of every person and reject shame, blame, and judgment as barriers to healing.
Connection & Collaboration
We believe meaningful change happens through strong relationships, community partnerships, and shared responsibility.
Hope & Empowerment
We foster hope by empowering individuals and families with knowledge, tools, and support to make informed decisions.
Integrity & Accountability
We act with honesty, transparency, and ethical responsibility in all areas of our work.
Our Founder
Kylie Komaridis
Founder of Connecting Through Courage
Kylie Komaridis didn’t come to this work through a textbook—she came to it through lived experience.
Growing up in a family impacted by alcoholism, and later facing her own struggles with substance use and a decades-long eating disorder, Kylie spent years asking the same question: Why?
Why do some people struggle while others don’t?
Why is help so hard to reach—and even harder to ask for?
In 2020, she began working at an adolescent girls’ treatment facility. It didn’t take long to realize something powerful—she saw herself in the girls she was working with. Their pain, their potential, their stories… they felt familiar. And for the first time, everything clicked.
This wasn’t just work. This was purpose.
Kylie went back to school, earned her degree in Alcohol and Drug Studies, and became a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She went on to work in prevention across rural Minnesota, determined to make a difference earlier—before people reached crisis.
But what she saw stopped her in her tracks.
The stigma was still everywhere.
People weren’t just struggling with substance use disorders—they were struggling in silence. Afraid of judgment. Afraid of being labeled. Afraid of losing everything if they asked for help. Families were overwhelmed, confused, and alone, with little guidance on how to support someone they love.
And the truth became clear:
Stigma wasn’t just part of the problem—it was driving it.
Kylie searched for a place that was actively working to change that—to educate communities, support families, and bring evidence-based approaches into real conversations.
She couldn’t find it.
So she built it.
