2025 Annual Report

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At Boulder Crest, we believe that struggle — met with the right training, support, and community — can become the foundation for profound strength and growth. Not just recovery. Growth.

In many ways, 2025 was our Year of Growth.

We trained a record 45,000 people through programs like Warrior PATHH, Struggle Well, Family Rest & Reconnection, and PTG Certification for licensed mental health professionals. Since 2014, we have served more than 180,000 service members, veterans, first responders, military families, clinicians, and helping professionals. They didn’t just attend a program. They gained skills, found language for hard-to-name experiences, and discovered new ways to make meaning, strengthen relationships, and move forward with clarity and confidence.

That is Posttraumatic Growth in real life.

This year also marked a defining chapter for Boulder Crest. We opened Boulder Crest Texas and received the extraordinary gift of a 207-acre ranch in Wyoming — our fourth campus, expanding access to growth in rural communities where the need is great. A landmark Baylor University study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, reinforced what we see every day: this work transforms lives, with effects that endure.

Today, we are no longer focused solely on demonstrating that Posttraumatic Growth works. We are building the infrastructure to make it available to all who need it — through four campuses, a growing network of partners, digital tools that extend engagement beyond our programs, and trained clinicians carrying PTG into their communities.

None of this happens without you.

Your generosity fuels every program delivered, every guide trained, every study published, and every life changed. Because of you, Boulder Crest meets people where they are — and walks alongside them toward something stronger.

Our ambition is simple and audacious: to redefine trauma — from a life sentence to a catalyst for growth, from limitation to possibility. Thank you for standing with us as we build that future.

Be Well. Do Well. Struggle Well. 

Josh Goldberg
CEO, Boulder Crest Foundation

2025 KEY accomplishments:

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE US ALL

  • Brought Posttraumatic Growth to more than 45,000+ individuals across all Boulder Crest programs
  • Exceeded Struggle Well goals by 20% — bringing highly-effective, growth-focused training to more communities than ever

SCALING PTG TRAINING

  • Launched PTG Qualification for healthcare, education, and peer-support professionals
  • Continued growth of PTG Certification for licensed mental health professionals, including the provision of continuing education credits
  • Delivered live PTG trainings for key organizations and associations

BOULDER CREST WYOMING

  • Gifted a 207-acre ranch in Wyoming from Navy veteran Al Ellis
  • Established the future home of Boulder Crest Wyoming, expanding access across rural communities

INVESTING IN EXCELLENCE

  • Launched the Master Guide Academy and expanded Guide Continuum Training
  • Strengthened the quality, consistency, and expertise of program delivery

ADVANCING THE SCIENCE

  • Published three books in the Routledge Posttraumatic Growth Book Series: Posttraumatic Growth: Theory, Research, and Applications; Psychological Growth After Trauma: Insights from Phenomenological Research; and Working with Bereaved Parents: A Practitioner’s Guide
  • Published six peer-reviewed research articles strengthening the PTG evidence base

SELECT GRANT AWARDS

  • Awarded continued support from the Department of Veterans Affairs SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, DAV, Veterans United Foundation, and the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation

SOCIAL AWARENESS & STORYTELLING

  • Created 20+ Stories of Transformation designed to normalize struggle and illuminate growth
  •  Reached new audiences through three short films: The Hanoi Hilton POW Story of PTG, Ripcord, and Burdens Shared: The Weight of the Shield
  • Reinforced a core truth: struggle can be a catalyst for meaningful, positive change

We will never forget this experience. The space. The slowness. The way our hearts reopened to each other. Thank you Boulder Crest — you gave us the gift of presence that doesn’t fade, and we carry it home with us forever.

FAMILY REST & RECONNECTION PARTICIPANT

Wyoming Man Donates Llama Ranch As Sanctuary For Veterans, First Responders

Right before Christmas, Navy veteran Al Ellis donated his 207-acre llama ranch in Sublette County as a sanctuary for veterans and first responders. “We want other people to enjoy this — people who deserve it, people who we owe something to,” Ellis said.

Llama expert, Navy veteran, and former commercial abalone diver Al Ellis imagined his 207-acre Sublette County ranch would one day become a sanctuary for veterans.

That vision is now taking shape after Ellis passed the deed for his property to the Boulder Crest Foundation just before Christmas.

“We want other people to enjoy this space — people who deserve it, people who we owe something to,” Ellis told Cowboy State Daily from the living room of his two-story log home.

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BCF Wyoming Gift

“I came here carrying the weight of war, loss, addiction, and regret. I’m leaving with hope, tools for continued growth, and a deep belief that I have the power to transform my pain into purpose. I am not the same man who showed up a week ago — and I never will be again.”

WARRIOR PATHH PARTICIPANT

Stories of Transformation

At Boulder Crest, we witness transformation every day. Stories of those forged in the fires of their struggle. Stories of triumph. Stories of inspiration. Stories of Growth. Here are a few of them.

Jesse McQueen - Better From Here

From 9/11 to Boulder Crest, Jesse McQueen’s journey is proof that even in the hardest battles, growth and purpose are possible.

Alex Sachs — The Power of Human Connection

After surviving a life-altering accident, Alex Sachs found renewed purpose through Boulder Crest’s PTG approach—transforming traumatic loss into strength, connection, and service, and now guiding others on their growth journeys.

Andy Riise: Rise Up

After two decades of military service — including time in Special Forces and as a leader in Sport  and Performance Psychology — Andy Riise seemed to have it all. But beneath the surface, the battle was far from over. In this powerful story of transformation, Andy shares how grief, transition, and personal struggle led him to Warrior PATHH and a renewed sense of purpose.

“This course should be mandatory at the beginning, middle, and end of our careers as first responders. After serving more than 20 years as a police officer, this knowledge would have benefited me so much and there would have been less suffering. The things that happen in this career – it’s a heavy burden to carry for so long without help.”

STRUGGLE WELL PARTICIPANT

Honor Roll of Contributors & Volunteers

With deep gratitude, we recognize the partners who made — and continue to make — our mission possible. Thank you for standing with us.