TRUCKEE, Calif. — Truckee resident Jordan Brandt is a self described active person, an MMA/fighting coach dedicated to sober recovery and overall health and he’s made it a mission to help others find their roadmaps to a better life. 

Brandt came to the decision to be of service after he felt there were a lack of resources available in the Lake Tahoe Basin for those who wish to get, and stay, sober.

“This is a true passion project; it’s something I think is genuinely needed and I would be happy to help start it,” Brandt said. “There is a sober living community in South Lake Tahoe but there is not one in the northern part of the basin.”

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A GoFundme was announced Oct. 1 to help with the investment outreach the board and Brandt are currently embarking on. 

According to the website, “The funds from this campaign will be will be immediately deposited into a local bank account and monitored by a board of local professional advisors to be used solely to offset startup costs and for the initial down payment to purchase of the property for The Ranch.” 

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“The startup cost to buy the property and start this business will be $3 million,” said Brandt. “I have a business plan that is being reviewed by the board which is composed of a real estate agent/business advisor, Grant Writer, and a previous administrator of a medical facility.”

Once that is done Brandt said he is going to take this to make the pitch for an investor. He wants to show that he has the dedication to put in what he calls “sweat equity.” 

The last four weeks have been filled with research and writing the business plan for the ranch. He has also spoken to psychologists and nutritionists in the area to bolster the support provided in house. 

The sober living house to be opened, Crows Nest Ranch, is named after the horse ranch he grew up on in Oregon. 

“The name Crow’s Nest Ranch comes from the property I grew up on, where it got its name from my mom, Deanna Brandt. My mom recently passed from aggressive breast cancer, a byproduct of her overconsumption issues,” he said. “I hope to provide a place where others can succeed in their sobriety, equipped with the level of confidence my mom instilled in me during my upbringing.”

The goal is to produce an activity based lifestyle S.M.A.R.T recovery. While he said a traditional 12 step program helped him to find his recovery he has used a variety of recovery tools. 

To gain a following Brandt is challenging his friends and others on social media to follow the type of routine he said he’s been using on a daily basis to stay sober. Follow Sober October for Sober Living on Facebook to join the October challenge. 

Sober October month challenging followers no alcohols, no drugs, no processed sugar, no processed carbs, learn something new or take an instructed course to hone in on a skill, meditate three times a week, attempt to work out once a day plus a few other specifics to help each individual in the focus on overall wellbeing. 

The next month starts The Ranch’s season of giving. 

Ashleigh Goodwin is a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune, a sister publication of the Sun. She can be reached at agoodwin@tahoedailytribune.com.