Nearly 350 votes came in from across our community, and the decision is clear: Recovery Outside is the winner of our 2026 Storytelling Grant.
When we launched this campaign, we asked a simple question: which Austin nonprofit deserves the megaphone? You answered with conviction.
Recovery Outside is a young nonprofit focused on something many recovery programs don't prioritize: getting people in addiction recovery outside—hiking, paddling, and moving through nature together.
In those moments, something shifts. Confidence starts to return. Connection rebuilds. Hope finds its footing again.
Their nomination highlighted a real challenge: as a small team launching an ambitious mission, they don't yet have the capacity to consistently capture and share the powerful personal stories emerging from these experiences—stories of resilience, transformation, and hope that deserve a wider audience.
That's exactly the gap we help close.
Recovery Outside excels at creating meaningful outdoor experiences, but their limited bandwidth makes it hard to document what's happening on those trails. Stories of people overcoming barriers. Stories that reduce stigma. Stories that help others find the resources they need.
You saw an organization doing important work—and recognized that more people in Austin need to hear about it.
What Happens Next
Over the next few months, our team will partner with Recovery Outside to do what their small team doesn't have time to do: capture the stories that prove their model works.
We'll create a full strategic video campaign designed to:
- Attract funding and support so they can scale their impact
- Reduce stigma around addiction recovery by showing real transformation
- Reach people who need help but don't know this resource exists
This includes:
- Deep strategy sessions to identify which stories will resonate most
- Professional production capturing their programs in action
- A finished campaign film built to drive measurable results
We'll be documenting the journey and sharing behind-the-scenes updates as we go. This isn't just about one organization—it's about showing what's possible when a mission-driven team gets the storytelling capacity they've been missing.
To Everyone Who Participated
If you nominated an organization, voted, or shared this campaign—thank you. You reminded us why we love this city and the people fighting for it.
To Open My World and Louder Than Silence—being finalists means something. The exposure, the community support, the conversations that started because of this campaign—those don't end here. If you're looking for ways to support either organization, we encourage you to reach out to them directly.
And to Recovery Outside: we'll see you on the trail.
Let's get to work.
James Headrick
Founder, StoryChef Media
hello@storychefmedia.com
(512) 877-7827
P.S. Want to follow along as we create this campaign? We'll be sharing the process on Instagram and LinkedIn. And if your organization needs video marketing that drives results, let's talk.
