I was exposed at a very early age to the unique challenges that addiction can pose to families. For over four generations, I witnessed the cyclical – and often predictable – negative effects of addiction on my own family. And in a lot of ways, to me, the strife and stress caused by addiction felt both personal and inevitable.

My early life experiences – and the insight and knowledge I have acquired both personally and professionally along the way – have shaped my life and led me to the one singular calling of starting COR Family Consulting. My journey to that point includes 25 years of professional experience as a financial planner, along with extensive personal experience working with mental health and addiction issues. I understand how these challenges inextricably affect a family’s goals, values, and future.

I am passionate about helping families who are desperate for education and guidance in moving forward from addiction. I am happiest when serving families, helping them restore lines of communication and working with them to create a generational family plan that aligns with their values.

I hold designations of CFS, PPC, BFA, and CPFS.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to make a difference in the world, help others, and in some way give back.

From a very young age, I brought home anything that was hurt or wounded and I vowed to bring it back to health… and then it would love me. This desire and need to fix others developed into a very unhealthy cycle for me. I always put others’ wants and needs before my own, which in turn led to addictive and self-destructive behavior that continued into my late 30’s. I was living in shame and fear without integrity.

I decided I needed to change, and the only one who could make that change was me. With the help of my family and support system, I began my personal journey into recovery – physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Even now with 12 years of sobriety, I continue to work on myself daily.

When I first became sober, I thought the only one I could count on was me. How my views have changed! I am now a firm believer that family members must also be engaged and have a recovery plan of their own. The importance of family and/or a support group is monumental in one’s recovery, and it is vital to lasting success. In my experience, when the family heals alongside – but individually and independently from the addict, that is when the necessary change happens and the true healing process begins.

I want to help and show others how to live their lives in a way that is true to themselves, to not be afraid to take chances, and to reach beyond their biggest hopes and dreams towards personal success and fulfillment.

I am a Certified Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) with over 12 years in active recovery. My passion is working within family systems to help bring families together in an environment of love, harmony, and support.

I am the oldest of four siblings who have all found recovery from addiction. My family history of alcoholism and addiction travels through generations and carries deep wounds.

I completed two addiction treatment programs, and I know that a family aftercare plan would have been very beneficial to my sobriety as well as educational to my immediate family. When a loved one goes off to treatment, the family is often left behind and not given any tools to deal with the issues that surround their loved one’s disease.

As it were, I remained in the cycle of relapse, stuck in a pattern of dysfunctional relationships and co-dependency until I finally realized the insanity I was living needed to stop. I made the changes necessary and received the support I needed to sustain sobriety. I have been sober since 2018, and it is my passion to share my story of healing with others.

I genuinely love working with families and guiding them through the healing process. I am a trained and certified recovery coach. I have previously worked with adolescents with substance abuse disorders, and I hold a degree in Psychology from the George Washington University as well as a Certified Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS).

I had been looking for ways to find success and more money in my fitness business of 14 years. While I had found some success, it always felt like I was hitting a ceiling. Then I experienced a turning point.

In 2015, my wife Kirsten was pregnant with our amazing daughter, Nia. Everything seemed to be going fine until my wife’s blood pressure suddenly spiked and we found ourselves in the hospital nearly two months before her delivery date. After the initial prognosis that my daughter’s and my wife’s lives were in danger, I felt like I was suddenly in a pit of despair, spinning with no way to fix the situation.

My daughter was born six and a half weeks early and spent a month in the NICU. And I still found myself stuck, trying to carry the burden of being strong for my family. My business suffered as did my enjoyment of life, even after knowing that my family was healthy. The one thing I stayed consistent with was my own health and fitness, as it had always kept me going in dark times.

It was during a bodybuilding show in 2018 that I knew I had to do something drastic to get “unstuck” and gain some momentum back in my life. I did very well at the show, and as I hoisted the 1st place trophy, I realized it was because of the love and support of my wife, friends, and coaches as well as my commitment to myself. And that realization sparked something in me.

Immediately after the show, I committed full-time to my coaching business, which I had been neglecting for a few years. This led to my current path of helping others who share a powerful vision for their businesses and for humanity. It also led me to realize the success and happiness that I had been yearning for, which turned out to be in coaching and helping others.

I am honored to join Cor Family Consulting as its contract Clinical Director. Its mission is one that I wanted to be a part of because my work and my passion is in developing effective programs to help people in real and practical ways. I have worked in the mental health field for over 25 years, focusing on addiction, trauma, and co-occurring disorders.

I also serve as the CEO of Valiant Living, an organization that I founded to provide expanded recovery support for men suffering from addiction and intimacy disorders. I founded Valiant Living and was also drawn to Cor Family Consulting because I understand the profound importance of addressing the impact of addiction on all aspects of life.

Prior to founding Valiant Living, I served hundreds of patients at the Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation (CeDAR) for over ten years by designing and implementing key components of its clinical programming, including the Primary Program, Extended Care Program, Professionals Program, and Intimacy Disorder track.

Having become an author, international trainer and mentor for substance abuse counselors along the way, I also enjoy presenting at industry conferences across the United States.

I have been married to my beautiful wife Jill for 20 years, and we have two children in high school. I love outdoor adventure, travel, and spiritual development.

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Boston College and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Formation Program for Spiritual Directors, Vincentian Spirituality Institute, 1998
• LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker #992263), 1999
• CACIII (Certified Addictions Counselor, State of CO), 1997
• CSAT (Certified Sexual Addiction Counselor) #2009C-0850, 2011
• CMAT (Certified Multiple Addiction Therapist) Work and Financial Disorders #2009C-8050, 2014
• EFT trained
• IFS Level III trained

I am excited to bring half a century of spiritual guidance experience to Cor Family Consulting and its clients. I have spent a lifetime working with families, couples, individuals, and teams to help them discover the truth about their challenges and develop practical plans they can feel confident in. I am the first to admit that I do not have all the answers – In fact, I might be better at asking the right questions, but what I do have are the tools to help you find your answers.

In 2015, I created my firm Melton Leadership to offer one-on-one leadership advising, strategic consulting, and team workshops. It was a natural transition from years of spiritual guidance into coaching others on principles of group dynamics and effective leadership.

Previously, I served as a pastor leader in full-time ministry for 40 years. Having first served as the regional director for Young Life, a global youth para-church organization in California, I then became an associate pastor at a mega-church in Denver before founding and pastoring Greenwood Community Church.

After starting Greenwood Community Church, I helped grow the congregation from 25 people in 1991 to several thousand in 2013. It became one of the largest churches in the United States at the time, with national and international influence through a “people-empowering” approach.

Having personal experience with addiction and the toll it takes on the individual and family, I maintain a deep commitment to helping others heal, and this was my inspiration for joining Cor Family Consulting.

I am married to my wonderful wife Jill, and we have three adult children and two grandchildren.

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, as well as a Master of Arts, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.