Life and Work with Alisa Dunker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Dunker.

Alisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always had a great passion to help others in all aspects of my life. I was kind of thrown into treating the substance abuse population and when this happened I discovered a great pleasure in assisting others to walk through their grief and trauma to relieve some of their pain. The story behind this is that my father was a Vietnam vet and alcoholic. If he had received the help he had asked for so many times, maybe he may not have died alone in prison, and maybe he would have had a better relationship with his children. He truly needed to walk through his trauma and grief he went through with war.

I have 16 years of experience in the behavioral health field. I have worked outpatient, inpatient, residential and in a home. I started out my business as a behavioral health professional in group homes providing individual and group counseling and completing intakes.

I had a great mentor who pushed me beyond what I thought I could do. His name was Dan Wheeler. I had several roadblocks throughout this journey and he always encouraged me to keep going and I will NEVER forget that. He taught me with his poker face and slight smile when I thought I could not do something I absolutely could! Because of this, I learned what perseverance was all about!

I also had Eric Sims who helped me develop professionally. He was always very blunt and often times hurt my feelings, but hindsight, he was actually grooming for the business world as it can be quite brutal at times. He taught me how to run 24-hour residential group homes. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. He really didn’t have to, especially because most people would see me as competition and steer clear of me rather than help me. For this, I will forever be grateful for what he did for me despite times I got upset with him (which was a lot), but what grows doesn’t come with a little pain?

Then there was Dr. Sideman who was one of my professors in my master’s program. He also taught Ethics and I learned so much with him. He gave us real situations to prepare us for the gray areas of this field. He also was always so open to questions and when I started my business I called him about forms and he took out the time to assist me. He may have forgotten about this but I am where I am because of him. Truly, I am where I am today both professionally and personally because of these people! The point is that you can’t make it far without a TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More). I am grateful for my team!

My longest standing mentor and supporter is Dondra Campbell, 13 almost 14 years strong! He has been my mentor since I was the tender age of 24. He molded me to be a business owner and start my own business. With his expertise, honestly, I would not be where I am today. He continues to guide me in my current businesses. Dondra has always taught me the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people including other business owners. He has always encouraged me to be authentic and never allow anyone to change me despite anything people do or say to me. He has owned his own businesses for more than 15 years and until this current day, I continue to learn from him! Dondra Campbell is a true definition of a mentor (patient, encouraging, honest, direct, and always ready to assist).

I can’t forget my mom (Vickie Mims) and dad (Anthony Mims)-the one who raised me through thick and thin. My brothers whom we will not embarrass them but they know who they are thank you for your support and encouragement. To sum it all up there would be no me without them and their support. They have believed in every dream and aspiration I have ever had. Whether they could see it or not they always believed in me and my crazy goals when others told me I would fail or plain just didn’t believe in me. I am blessed to say they still support everything I do. Their favorite lines are if anyone can do it we know it could be you to do it!

As you can see, I was set for success from the beginning with those around me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely has NOT been a smooth road! I have had many struggles and hard lessons along the way. I truly try to help others starting their business to avoid the “hard lessons,” I went through. When I first started my first business, I kept that one for four years before it did not work out. I had to take a year to reflect and I restarted in 2012. This time, the business was VERY successful and with that came a $15,000 debt from the IRS because I had no idea what I was doing in regards to taxes!! I’ve lost tons of friends and connections with family due to lack of support, jealousy or lack of understanding of being an entrepreneur. I have gone through the adoption process while still working. I have gone through a divorce, dealt with medical issues including having to have a hysterectomy, gallbladder removal, and ACL surgeries. I have had to close two different businesses, very limited support and still learning the balance of being a single mother, work and self-care. So, as a woman, I have been through a lot, and I only hope to empower other women to NEVER QUIT! The true key to success as a young woman starting your own business journey is PERSEVERANCE! No matter the obstacle, never let it stand in your way, support another woman struggling and with that, we ALL achieve anything as a T.E.A.M.(Together Everyone Achieves More)!

Please tell us about Dunker Enterprise and Freshstart Recovery.
I have two companies. I will start with Freshstart Recovery. Freshstart Recovery is a 24-hour residential group home for adults 18 and up. We provide evidence-based practices to treat residents with Co-Occurring disorders such as mental health, substance abuse, and minimum personal care. We treat our residents as a family because most do not have a family. It is our mission to create an environment that provides treatment catered to each individual’s needs while maintaining a “family” and “home” feeling. Our evidence-based treatment approaches inspire independence which assists each resident with transitioning to a lower level of care. Our program offers coordination of care with all outside agencies including working closely with anyone apart of the resident’s treatment team such as case managers, PCP, Psych doctors, Probation, Parole, and more. We truly do care about our residents and truly invest in their success. We believe no matter their past, they deserve an opportunity to start over. We are all human and make mistakes and even in my personal life, I have started over. It is vital to keep each resident involved in their treatment process because at FRESHSTART RECOVERY we believe that everyone deserves a Freshstart to Recover!

I also have Dunker Enterprise which is a group home consultation company. At Dunker Enterprise we provide Behavioral Health Professional services (Clinical Services) uniquely tailored to each group home’s needs. We also assist in the licensing process including Policies and Procedures for Adult homes. We provide clinical oversight, clinical training’s, group and individual counseling, we assist with starting and maintaining adult group homes, provide policies and procedures, complete quality management inspections to ensure the home is running properly according to ADHS rules and Insurance companies. We are your One Stop Shop for running your group home. Our experience with running group homes first hand assist us with keeping the homes in compliance. At Dunker Enterprise we pride ourselves with Meeting Your Group Home Needs!

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
The most important piece of advice I could give a young woman starting their career is NEVER STOP, NEVER GIVE UP AND PERSEVERE! Support other women along the way. The biggest barrier I see in working with other women is the perception we have to be competition. BE A TEAM, not a competition, together as women we can accomplish ANYTHING!!! Do Not allow society or anyone else define who you are and what makes you happy. I am a mommy, an entrepreneur, a model, and a counselor. Break all ceilings they put on women and be fierce TOGETHER!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fsraz.org / www.dunkerenterprise.com
• Phone: 602-299-3545
• Email: adunker@fsraz.org / alisa@dunkerenterprise.com

Image Credit:
Sayacheese Photography, Intimate Details Photography, Photos Captured by Vince, Vince Lee Photo, Carnival Cruise Line, BYOH Productions

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