Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathie Coe Sipe.
Hi Cathie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I remember witnessing women graduate from addiction treatment programs, beautifully celebrated for their courage, hard work, and accomplishments. They were surrounded by those of us that had come to love each and every one of them, encouragement, recognition, and hope for their futures. It was a wonderful moment of celebration, but something deeply troubled me.
What happened for each of them after the celebration?!
These courageous women had completed addiction treatment, but they were essentially being sent out to navigate the overwhelming challenges of rebuilding their lives on their own. They still needed relationships, encouragement, accountability, practical resources, and someone willing to walk alongside them as they took their next steps. The current process was pulling the rug right out from underneath them and leaving them to slip back into the ways they “know” how to do…survive instead of thrive…also known as recidivism!
At that time, peer support was not widely understood or recognized as the essential part of recovery that we know it can be today.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that disconnect. How could we celebrate these women for what they had accomplished and then leave them without the ongoing support they so desperately needed?
“That revelation and wrestle became the beginning of New Each Morning (NEM).”
For more than 40 years, I had the privilege of working with women as a professional hair designer. What I came to realize over those decades was that my work was about so much more than hair. It was about relationships, trust, listening, and creating a place where women felt seen, heard, and valued. We call it “Hair-apy”. I so loved the moment when I would hand her the mirror to look at how beautiful she was…if for only a split second…she actually “saw” herself…it was all worth it. That moment became the desire of my heart for every woman. Looking back, I see the hand of God preparing me for something I couldn’t yet see.
In 2019, I began volunteering for the Dress for Success organization in Portland, OR. I would travel over once a month and do haircuts for the women they served as well as help with their personal shopping. I remember being SO full of life on my travels back to Bend for 3 hours. Once again…I had no clue that this was part of the great orchestration of what was to come.
The nudging and wrestle continued and I knew I was being called to step into something entirely different…but was it really that different! I had no background in nonprofit leadership, no roadmap, and certainly no idea how much this calling would stretch and grow me. But I knew something was being placed on my heart that I couldn’t ignore.
In 2020, “New Each Morning” was launched with a mission to bridge the critical gap between addiction treatment and independent living through relationship-based peer support, mentoring, life skills, community connections, and practical resources. When I tell people that we launched then there are many times a gasping response as it was in the middle of a time we knew nothing about. We now know that isolation is not good for anyone and especially when one is facing a whole new way of living a life they may have never known. Divine timing I would say.
In the process of creating all of the policies and procedures to launch an organization, I remember a very specific moment when I was so frustrated and at the point of giving up while trying to learn so many new things, I remember hearing the still small voice say, “I want you to remember this very moment and how you are feeling. This is exactly how the women you are being called to work with will be feeling in their new identity and sobriety!” It was a moment that has stayed with me for over 8 years now and it is absolutely true.
In 2023 I took the very first Peer Support Specialist class at our local college, COCC. This was the beginning of a completely new chapter for NEM. I knew that our volunteers would need this training in order to be better equipped to work with the women we served.
In completing the training I once again had another vision surface…what if NEM became a Peer Support Specialist (PSS) training center…?! Well sure enough, that vision came to reality and there were 5 of us trained to be facilitators for the Fundamental of Peer Support training. We partnered with Rogue Retreat in Medford, and the funding for the training was provided by The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation. Meant to be I would say! To date we have trained over 80 men and women in Central Oregon to increase the addiction recovery workforce with PSSs. And who would have ever guessed…we loved facilitating the trainings. lol. You just never know what’s ahead! With us operating a training center we are able to train all of the women who volunteer and…clients that want to use their lived experience for greater good. Beautiful.
One of the many things I have learned is that addiction does not discriminate. It impacts grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. And while completing treatment is an incredible accomplishment, recovery doesn’t end at graduation. In many ways, that’s when an entirely new set of challenges begins.
As our work grew, we became increasingly aware of another critical need: safe, stable housing where women could continue their recovery journey in a supportive and accountable community. This became the number one ask from clients. I knew it was part of the bigger vision, I just had no clue as to how it would come into fruition.
In the latter part of 2025 this part of the bigger vision went into motion and then came into reality on 12/26/26. “The Juniper House”, our transitional recovery home for women in Central Oregon. Today, what began as a vision has become a working reality. Women now have a place to call home where they can continue rebuilding their lives, develop essential life skills, and prepare for independent living.
Looking back, I am amazed at how God has orchestrated the vision, opened doors, brought the right people alongside us, and provided opportunities beyond my wildest imagination…with so much more to come!
This journey has required great faith, courage, perseverance, and a willingness to keep learning. I’ve discovered that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about listening, surrounding yourself with people who bring strengths different from your own, and remaining faithful to the mission you’ve been entrusted with.
Today, I have the privilege of serving as the Founding Director of New Each Morning, surrounded by a growing community of people who believe in us, believe in the work we are doing, and believe in the opportunity for women to rebuild their lives with dignity, purpose, hope, and a firm foundation for a future beyond addiction.
My greatest joy is seeing courageous women begin to actually see themselves for the first time and begin to believe in themselves for the very first time, enabling them to recognize that their past does not have to define their future.
And while I am incredibly grateful for how far we’ve come, there is so much more to this vision that has yet to come to fruition. New Each Morning and The Juniper House are part of a much greater vision to equip women with the relationships, resources, skills, and opportunities they need to move forward with confidence and purpose. We are continuing to build on the foundation that has been established, trusting God in His faithfulness to open the doors for what is still ahead.
What began with one simple but troubling observation at a graduation has grown into something far beyond what I could have imagined.
Yet at the heart of it all remains the same conviction:
“We cannot simply celebrate a woman’s recovery and then send her out alone. We must be willing to walk alongside her as she builds the life she has worked so hard to reclaim.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road?! Oh my goodness, absolutely NOT! LOL!
I often wonder that if God had shown me everything this journey would require from the beginning, would I have believed in myself enough to say yes? I know I would have because of being called to step into my purpose…my purpose of helping women believe in themselves enough to say yes”yes”! Again, so beautiful.
I stepped into nonprofit leadership after more than 40 years as a professional hair designer. While I had decades of experience building relationships, listening, understanding people’s needs, and running a business, I had absolutely no experience starting or leading a nonprofit organization.
Suddenly, I found myself learning about nonprofit governance, board development, policies and procedures, fundraising, grant writing, budgets, compliance, and an entirely new language of acronyms! There were many days when I wondered what in the world I had gotten myself into. My joke on these days was about the “job application I kept in my back pocket for a local fast food restaurant! lol
And then, of course, we launched New Each Morning in 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic. Talk about unexpected timing!
One of the greatest challenges has been learning to lead something that is continually growing beyond my own knowledge, abilities, and resources. Just when I think I’ve figured something out, another opportunity or challenge appears that requires me to grow all over mom again.
Fundraising has certainly been one of those challenges. When your heart is focused on serving women and you see firsthand the difference your work is making, it’s difficult to accept that financial resources can determine how quickly you can respond to a need. I’ve had to learn that inviting people to financially partner with us and the vision isn’t simply about raising money. It’s about giving others the opportunity to become part of something that can genuinely change lives.
Another significant learning opportunity has been learning the art of “giving space” to clients, to needs, and to what is generally presented as a crisis. I tend to be someone who sees a need and wants to do something about it. Time is both a commodity and a tool. I’ve discovered that having a vision and seeing that vision come to fruition requires time and space. It is most beautiful when we enjoy the journey and “opportunities” along the way.
The Juniper House is a perfect example. We knew safe, stable housing was one of the greatest needs for the women we served, yet for years we didn’t have the property or financial resources to make it happen. There were many conversations, prayers, closed doors, and moments of wondering how it could ever become a reality.
And then, in God’s divine timing, doors began to open.
I found myself once again at another moment in the vision needing to commit to another “yes”…stepping into the process of acquiring a home. This was only the beginning of the next stage in the journey! Establishing a residential program brought an entirely new set of responsibilities, from financing and staffing to safety, policies, resident accountability, and creating a healthy community environment. It has stretched our leadership team and taught us so much about the importance of having the right people in the right roles.
Perhaps one of the most personal challenges has been learning that I cannot do everything myself. When you are the founder of an organization, the vision is deeply personal. In the early days, you wear every hat because there simply isn’t anyone else to wear them! But as the organization grows, you have to learn to release responsibilities, trust others, and recognize that different strengths are necessary to move the mission forward. That hasn’t always come easily for me! I am learning to lead and there is much grace around me.
I’ve also learned that serving women rebuilding their lives after addiction treatment is not always a simple or predictable journey. Recovery requires tremendous courage, and progress doesn’t always happen in a straight line. There are setbacks, disappointments, difficult conversations, and times when someone makes a choice you wish they hadn’t.
Those moments can be heartbreaking, especially when you’ve come to know and care deeply about the women you serve.
But one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that we cannot do the work of recovery for someone else. We can walk alongside her, encourage her, equip her, and create opportunities, but ultimately, she must choose to take the steps.
And perhaps that has been one of the greatest lessons in my own leadership journey as well.
I can’t control every outcome. I can’t make every door open. I can’t carry every responsibility.
What I CAN do is remain faithful to the calling, keep learning, surround myself with wise and capable people, and take the next step that’s in front of me.
There have been tears, frustration, sleepless nights, difficult decisions, and more than a few moments of wondering if I’m really equipped for this assignment.
But there has also been extraordinary provision, incredible people, unexpected opportunities, answered prayers, and the privilege of watching women discover possibilities for their lives they once believed were out of reach.
I’ve come to understand that the challenges aren’t necessarily signs that we’re on the wrong path. Usually, they’re the very experiences God uses to equip us for the next chapter.
And if there’s one thing this journey has taught me, it’s that I don’t have to know how the entire vision will unfold.
I just have to remain willing to take the next faithful step.
And believe me, there are still plenty of those steps ahead!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve always considered myself a creative at heart! For more than 40 years, I worked as a professional hair designer, and I absolutely loved the artistry of what I did. But what I loved even more were the relationships I had the privilege of building with the women who sat in my chair.
I discovered early on that I had a natural curiosity about people. I wanted to know their stories, what made them who they were, what brought them joy, and what challenges they were facing. I loved listening, asking questions, and sometimes helping them see something in themselves they hadn’t recognized before.
I often say that I spent 40 years doing “Hair-apy!” LOL!
Looking back, I realize that what I was most passionate about wasn’t necessarily the hair. It was the woman sitting in my chair.
I think that’s what I’m known for: building relationships, listening with intention, and seeing possibilities in people that they may not yet see in themselves.
When God began calling me into founding New Each Morning, I had absolutely no idea how to build a nonprofit. But what I did know was how to connect with women, listen to their stories, recognize needs, and come alongside them with encouragement and practical support.
And wouldn’t you know it, those were exactly the gifts I would need!
I’ve also learned that my creativity extends far beyond hair design.
Today, I get to be creative in developing programs, building relationships, bringing people together, finding solutions to challenges, and imagining possibilities that don’t yet exist.
I love dreaming about what “could be” and then figuring out how to help bring it to life. Usually the vision seems much bigger than anything I know how to accomplish. But I’ve learned that I don’t have to have all the answers before taking the first step.
One of the things I enjoy most is connecting people. I love recognizing the unique gifts and talents someone brings and seeing how those strengths might fit into something bigger. There is such joy in watching people come together around a shared purpose!
I would say my greatest strengths are listening, building trust, recognizing needs, and having the courage to step into something unfamiliar when I believe it’s what I’m being called to do.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I always know what I’m doing! Far from it! This journey has challenged me to become a student all over again, and I’ve had to learn that surrounding myself with people who have strengths different from mine is not a weakness. It’s one of the most important parts of leadership.
What am I most proud of?
Without question, it’s the fact that we have had great impact in many lives, that we are still in motion and the progress we have made over that past 8 years.
I’m proud of the trust that women and the community have extended to me (us) over the years, both behind the styling chair and now through New Each Morning. Trust is something I never take lightly.
I’m proud of the courageous women we serve who are willing to do the difficult work of rebuilding their lives. There is nothing quite like watching a woman begin to believe in herself, recognize her value, and discover that her future can be different from her past.
And I’m incredibly proud of and grateful for the community of people who have come alongside the vision of NEM, beginning with my incredibly supportive husband, family, and friends. People who believe in us, believe in the work we’re doing, and believe in the opportunity for women to rebuild their lives with dignity, purpose, hope, and a firm foundation for a future beyond addiction.
I think what sets me apart is a combination of my relational nature, my creative spirit, my faith, and my willingness to keep learning. I don’t necessarily approach things from a traditional nonprofit leadership perspective. I approach them through relationships, curiosity, and a desire to understand what’s really needed.
At this stage of my life, I never imagined I would be leading a nonprofit organization, helping develop a Peer Support Specialist Training Center, or opening a transitional recovery home for women!
But here I am, in my mid-sixties and I absolutely love what I have the privilege of doing.
I still consider myself an artist. The tools have changed, the canvas looks very different, and the work is certainly more complex, but the heart behind it remains the same.
I want every woman to have the opportunity to truly see herself, recognize her God-given worth, and discover the possibilities for the life she has yet to live.
And perhaps what excites me most is knowing that God is not finished with this vision, or with me, yet!
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Hmmm…this is a tough one for me as I, in all transparency, don’t have many…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.neweachmorning.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neweachmorning2020/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neweachmorningbend
