A woman pushes open the door to Roseman University College of Medicine’s EMPOWERED program with a newborn in her arms. Her eyes dart around the waiting room, a mix of fear and exhaustion on her face. At the front desk sits Amani Wilson. She smiles, stands up, and says softly, “You’re in the right place.” The tension in the woman’s shoulders eases, if only for a moment.
That first interaction is intentional. Amani remembers what it felt like to walk through those same doors three years ago, scared and desperate for help. Today, at 37, she is healthy, with three years in recovery, and working as EMPOWERED’s program coordinator, welcoming other women who are navigating substance use disorder during or after pregnancy.
“I’ve been in their shoes,” Amani says. “I know how hard it is to even show up.”
Growing Up in Las Vegas
Amani was born in Los Angeles but moved to Las Vegas in 1996 when her father, who was in the Air Force, was stationed here. She grew up with her parents and sister, both of whom still live in the city. In high school, she was outgoing and spirited, part of the very first graduating class at Spring Valley High School and even its first mascot.
She went on to earn a psychology degree from the University of Phoenix and worked as a substitute teacher. By all appearances, she was building a steady life. But at age 30, when a friend introduced her to methamphetamine, her world unraveled. Her son was only two years old at the time.
Substance use disorder led to periods of homelessness, incarceration, and overwhelming uncertainty about the future. “It felt like everything I had worked for, everything I had dreamed of, was gone,” she says.
Finding Her Way Back
In 2021, pregnant with her daughter, she turned to EMPOWERED. The program offered more than treatment. It gave her housing support, therapy, help with family court, and something she hadn’t felt in years: hope.
Her recovery wasn’t straightforward. She relapsed more than once. But EMPOWERED didn’t treat her setbacks as failures. Instead, the program’s peer recovery support specialists and therapists helped her understand her triggers and taught her how to cope with them. “That was the turning point,” she says. “I finally believed I could do this.”
This month, Amani celebrates three years of sobriety. She lives in a modest but comfortable Las Vegas apartment with her partner, her son, now 9, and her daughter, now 3. “It’s not fancy, but it’s home,” she says. “And that’s everything.”
From Client to Advocate
Amani started out taking temporary jobs at Allegiant Stadium and the World Series of Poker. But when a position opened at EMPOWERED, the same place that had carried her through her hardest days, she was hired as program coordinator. Now she sits at the front desk that was once on the other side of her story, guiding other women as they rebuild their lives.
She’s also become a public voice for recovery. Amani co-hosts EMPOWERED Voices: Recovery to Resiliency, a podcast she records with Dr. Farzad Kamyar, a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction medicine. Supported by the CDC and Southern Nevada Health District, the podcast has won awards and is about to launch its third season. She also speaks to the media and at events, sharing her story to break down stigma and encourage others to ask for help while promoting EMPOWERED as a safe, supportive place for mothers.
A Full Circle
The contrast in her life today is striking. Once she walked into EMPOWERED terrified of losing her children. Now she helps other mothers keep theirs. Once she felt silenced by shame. Now she shares her story publicly to remind others that relapse is part of recovery, not the end of it.
“I used to think I was too far gone,” Amani says. “Now I know that recovery is real. I get to show women every day that no matter how bad things look, they can get better.”
This month, as the country marks National Recovery Month, Amani’s journey is a reminder of what’s possible. It’s not just a story of survival. It’s about second chances, family, and the power of one woman using her past to light the way for others.