About

About Dave and Susan Kenney

Imagine meeting someone after you’ve given up on romantic love. Someone who sees life as you do and shares your values, sense of humor, and passion for uplifting humanity. Someone so compatible with you that they finish your sentences and seem to live in your head. Dave and Susan Kenney experienced that when they met, making their joint mission to uplift others even more powerful.

Team Kenney are not just soulmates; they have birthed a movement. Their story is a love story, but when they met, they had no way of knowing that their shared outlook on life would extend to the healing of thousands of people and their families.

Educators Pioneering Recovery

Dave Kenney, then the Director of Admissions and Leadership team member at a leading private school, and Susan Kenney, a transformative educator, leading health and wellbeing practitioner, and a successful entrepreneur, discovered their passion for helping others most unexpectedly. Students would gather in Dave’s office and their home on the weekends, confiding in them about everything from hopes and dreams to struggles with pressure, learning challenges, depression, anxiety, homesickness, and substance use issues. This spontaneous coaching environment set the stage for something much bigger.

Dave and Susan started asking a question that no one in the recovery space seemed to be asking. What if addictions have nothing to do with a lack of willpower or a character defect? What if the issue is “just a brain thing?” That led to the question, “Can we change a brain?”. This thinking was revolutionary, taking guilt and shame out of the equation. Upon delving into scientific research, they discovered they were right. Addictions, ADHD, depression, and anxiety, even learning challenges are indeed “a brain thing.”

Launching Emergo

Driven by their groundbreaking insights, Dave and Susan Kenney created a residential recovery program focused on rewiring the brain. With a 20k line of credit and a 10k credit card, they started their residential recovery program without waiting for investors. It became an overnight success, tripling in size every year for three consecutive years, creating a vibrant, heart-centered team of twenty-eight professionals.

Expanding the Scope of Recovery

Their work extended beyond addictions, addressing crises such as divorce, loss of a loved one, depression, panic, and other significant disruptions that people seek help to navigate. Their approach was so successful that it led to Emergo Recovery, a private residential recovery and wellness center. Here, they specialized in Actualized Recovery®, an integrative brain-first approach to lasting Recovery and thriving.

The Science Behind Actualized Recovery®

Actualized Recovery leverages a brain-first methodology to uplift people from a state of crisis and chaos to thrive. This integrative solution has five core pillars: physiology, psychology, spirit, connections, and lifestyle. This holistic method has helped thousands of individuals reclaim their lives after struggling with addictions, anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, and other debilitating challenges.

Certifying the Next Generation of Coaches

Now, Dave and Susan Kenney are on a mission to impact 1 million people who are in pain and crisis to live a life of joy and freedom. Their passion and legacy are educating, mentoring, and certifying 1,000 people as Crisis and Recovery Coaches through their intensive virtual program, Emergo Academy, leading them to work with 1,000 clients, impacting over 1 million people. Their coaching program is delivered in just eight weeks, and graduates from Emergo Academy become Internationally Certified Crisis and Recovery Coaches.

Dave Kenney’s Professional Background

Dave is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at Emergo Recovery and Emergo Academy. He has dedicated over thirty years of his career to human development. With a master’s degree in education from Northwestern State University and as a PhD candidate in philosophy at Canterbury University focusing on neuroscience and psychology, Dave has the academic background to support his innovative and proven evidenced-based methodology.

He is also a certified Brain Health Coach through the Amen Clinics, a master’s certified Brainwave Optimization Technician, and a certified Life Coach. He holds numerous other certifications in addiction recovery and coaching.

Susan Kenney’s Professional Background

Susan Kenney is the Co-Founder and Director of Therapeutic Wellness at Emergo Wellbeing, another venture focusing on brain-first approaches to wellbeing. With a rich background in nutrition, functional medicine, education, brain health, and positive psychology, he is a certified Brain Health Coach from Amen Clinics, has studied and is certified with Harvard’s Medical School’s Culinary program, and is a certified Health and Wellbeing Coach. Susan oversees Emergo Wellbeing’s therapeutic wellness programs.

She co-created Actualized Wellbeing, which leverages various methodologies to restore mind-body health and inspire the spirit. Susan is expanding her expertise by studying Professional Plant-Based Cooking through Rouxbe Online Culinary School and Functional Medicine with Chris Kresser of the Kresser Institute. She is expanding her impact as a certified Intuitive Health Coach.

From Pandemic Closure to International Bestseller

The pandemic led the Kenneys to close their highly effective residential Emergo Recovery program. Viewing this challenge as an opportunity, they embarked on a professional sabbatical to author their transformative book, “Actualized Recovery – It’s Not About 12 Steps. Recovery Is A Brain Thing.” This book quickly became an international sensation, achieving bestseller status in the USA, Canada, and Australia across five different categories. It was also named Best New Book in nine categories. The Kenneys’ groundbreaking approach continues to impact the recovery industry deeply, helping thousands more on their journey to lasting Recovery.

A Love Story that Uplifts Humanity

The Kenneys’ story is not just a love story; it’s a story of dedication, innovation, and compassion. Their work has transformed more than five thousand lives and has paved the way for future generations of Crisis and Recovery Coaches. Through their shared vision, Dave and Susan have created a legacy of healing and empowerment that continues to grow.
Join the Movement.

Are you passionate about helping others and making a real difference? Join Dave and Susan in their mission to revolutionize Recovery. By becoming an internationally certified Crisis & Recovery Coach, you can help others release guilt and shame, rewire their brains, and realize their unlimited potential. Start your transformative journey today and make a lasting impact on the lives of those who need it the most.

For more information on how you can get involved, visit emergoacademy.com. Connect with Dave and Susan Kenney on LinkedIn to stay updated on their latest initiatives and success stories.