Teré is based in Denver, Colorado, with deep roots in Tucson, Arizona, and Bossier City, Louisiana. As a poet, educator, and certified life and recovery coach. Tere was battling personal struggles with trauma and substance use disorder when he began his journey into recovery. Teré’s lived experience has shaped his commitment to guiding others through the complex path of healing, particularly young people, as well as LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.

As a Certified Life and Peer Recovery Coach with over 10 years of experience in advocacy, youth work, and the performing arts, he brings a wealth of knowledge and personal insight to his coaching practice. His career is rooted in empowering others through recovering loudly, using creative writing as a tool for vulnerability, and youth advocacy as an accomplished educator. Currently, he is pursuing an MFA at Antioch University, is a Marsha P. Johnson Institute Fellow and National Arts Strategies alum, and was a Rocky Mountain Regional Emmy nominee.

He jokes that HardBeauty “found him” during a time he was struggling to get free. This ultimately led to him combining his creative writing practice, experience in education, and commitment to recovery, to support others who are navigating substance abuse through coaching development, workshop facilitation, program development, and poetry performance. For Teré, recovery is not just about survival but about fostering growth, purpose, and joy.

Recovery is a patient powerful truth, that is lived one step at a time. Every step forward in our sobriety is a testament that joy is coming or has been waiting for us this entire time.