Out of more than eight billion people in this world, it was one picture of Danielle Nepus that made me stop.
I did not know Danielle then. I had never heard her voice or met her in person. I just knew there was something about her that I could not ignore. I cannot explain it any better than that. I only knew I wanted to reach out.
So I did.
I sent Danielle a message and told her I wanted to send her a white heart with four simple words: “I’m glad you exist.” That was the beginning. I had no idea then that the message I thought I was sending to her would become such a gift in my own life.
After that first message, Danielle and I just kept talking. One conversation became another, and before long we were sharing the real parts of our lives. Some people can take years to feel close to. With Danielle, it did not take years. Before we had ever met, I cared about her as though I had known her for so much longer. That may not make sense to everyone, but it made perfect sense to us.
Danielle is the co-founder of Found Recovery, which she created with Cainan Oliver. In 2023, she knew this was the next step in her life. She had bought her own condo at only 26 years old, something she had worked hard for and every reason to feel proud of. Then she made the enormous decision to sell it and invest what she had built into Found.
As a mother, that part of her story stays with me. I know what it takes to look at a young person you love and hope they will believe in themselves. Danielle did. She trusted the voice inside her that said people in recovery deserved more, and she was willing to put everything behind that belief.
Found offers trauma-informed outpatient mental health and addiction care, but those words alone cannot capture what Danielle and Cainan have created. Their work reaches beyond four walls and into nature, movement, creativity, and real life—through trails, beach walks, yoga, art, animals, and time beneath an open sky. It is a place where people can breathe, soften, and begin trusting themselves again.
When I see the moments they share—flowers being picked, trails being climbed, laughter around a fire—I see Danielle’s heart in all of it. She never wanted people to feel as though they were simply attending treatment. She wanted them to experience joy, connection, and possibility again. She wanted them to remember that life could still feel beautiful.
Danielle says her favourite moments are the simplest ones: genuine smiles, new friendships, and the light returning to someone who had felt completely disconnected. That tells me everything about her. She sees the person first, and she believes in who they can become.
Danielle is young enough to be my daughter, and perhaps that is why the love I feel for her carries such a motherly pride. I look at her and see someone who could have chosen comfort and security, but chose purpose. She could have held tightly to what she had built for herself, but instead she invested it in helping other people build their lives again.
How could I not be inspired by that?
Some time later, Danielle was travelling in London and planned to spend her final few days there on her own. Naturally, the mother in me was nervous. I said, “Please send me a note when you’re on your plane going home.” I just needed to know she was safe.
Then came her reply: “Oh, I’m not going home. I’m going to New York.” I wrote back, “No, impossible.” She answered, “What’s wrong with me going to New York?” I was not telling her not to go. I simply could not believe what I was reading because I was going to New York too, for another event. I remember looking at my phone and thinking, how is this even happening? It felt completely surreal. Neither one of us had planned it, yet New York was about to bring us together.
When we finally met in New York, we sat side by side. Our arms touched, and we both felt something immediately. It was not something either of us tried to create. It was as though a current passed between us and stopped us both for a second. We looked at each other, and there was no need for a big speech. Everything we had shared from a distance was suddenly real. We knew we were exactly where we were supposed to be.
It was our first time in the same room, but Danielle did not feel like a stranger. She was special—extraordinary, really. I cannot tell you exactly what passed between us that day. I only know we both felt it. I knew she was not someone who would simply pass through my life, and I knew I did not want her to.
Then Danielle came back to New York for the White Party, and she did not come for only one evening. She came for the whole weekend. Our first meeting had been incredible, but somehow the second was even better. This time I had more time with her, and I could watch the women I love discover what I already knew.
The moment Danielle walked into that room, everyone felt her presence. She did not need to be loud, and she never tried to make herself the centre of attention. That is not who she is. Danielle has a way of making people feel comfortable simply by being herself. She listened. She laughed. She spoke to every woman as though she mattered—because to Danielle, she did.
By the end of that weekend, Danielle had formed real connections with so many of the women in the room. Those connections did not disappear when everyone went home. They continued. They flourished. That meant everything to me because the White Party has always been about women showing up for one another and reminding each other that no one walks alone. Danielle did not simply attend that weekend. She became part of it.
I remember looking at her and feeling so proud. I had nothing to do with the woman she had become; I was proud simply because I knew her and loved her. That is Danielle’s essence. She brings a warmth with her that people feel, and somehow she leaves them more comfortable being exactly who they are.
I want people to be kind to her. I want them to be gentle with her heart. She gives that kindness and gentleness so freely, and I want it returned to her. I know she is strong. I know she is capable. But that does not change the part of me that will always want to protect her.
Danielle, I hope you know what your work is giving people. What you and Cainan have built is helping them feel at home in their own lives again.
But beyond everything you have accomplished, I hope you also know how much you mean to me.
When I think about how all of this began, I am grateful I did not ignore the feeling. I reached out because I wanted Danielle to know she mattered. I never imagined she would become so important in my own life.
I am proud of you. I am inspired by you. I love you. And I will always be grateful that I sent that very first message.
At 65, I know the future is in great hands because young women like Danielle exist. She is not waiting for the world to become kinder; through Found, she and Cainan are helping make it that way. There are so many people who need help, guidance, understanding and zero judgment. Knowing Danielle is out there doing this work gives me so much hope. She is creating a better world, one person at a time, and I could not be prouder of her.
Danielle, I am so glad you exist.
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Who is Danielle Nepus?
Danielle Nepus is the co-founder and admissions director of FOUND Recovery. She has personal and professional experience in recovery and has worked in addiction treatment, admissions, interventions and sober companionship.
What is FOUND Recovery?
FOUND Recovery is an outpatient mental health and addiction treatment center serving adults. Its programs combine clinical treatment with experiential practices that can include movement, creative expression, mindfulness and nature-based activities.
Who founded FOUND Recovery?
FOUND Recovery was co-founded by Danielle Nepus and Cainan Oliver. Nepus leads admissions, while Oliver serves as the organization’s executive director.
Where is FOUND Recovery located?
FOUND Recovery is located in Agoura Hills, California. It provides in-person outpatient programs and virtual treatment options for adults across California.
How did Kim Bellas and Danielle Nepus meet?
Kim first contacted Danielle after seeing her photograph online. She sent Danielle a white heart and the message, “I’m glad you exist.” Their conversations developed into a close friendship before they eventually met in person in New York.
