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Gregg Champion, a TEDx speaker and former branding expert, spent the first 15 years of his career working with top consumer brands (Gap, Mattel, Doritos, Pokémon, Nike), major television networks (NBC, FOX, Fox Sports), and professional sports teams.
Today, he focuses his energy on selective startup ventures as an entrepreneur, advisor, educator, and recovery coach. Over his career, Gregg has mentored more than 100 Millennials and Gen Z professionals, helping them successfully land their first jobs and internships in the “real world.” Drawing on his extensive experience with Fortune 500 brands, running his own companies, and fostering relationships with young people at colleges and universities nationwide, he developed a purpose-driven framework for landing, keeping, and thriving in your dream job.
In June 2015, Gregg was named Mentor in Residence at USC’s Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurship after co-teaching a 400-level undergraduate course on Venture Management within the Marshall School of Business. He currently sits on the Leadership Council for Arizona State University Alumni (Los Angeles) and serves on the advisory boards for BOSS (Boulder Outdoor Survival School) and Miriam’s House.
In the mid-2010s, sensing a shift in the economy and media industry, Gregg’s intuition told him he needed to pivot. He came up with a mantra that he repeated to his wife and the universe every day:
“I want to get paid for being me.”
What came of that daily prayer—and the patience of his loving wife—was an opportunity to bring his authentic self into drug treatment facilities, sober living centers, and intensive outpatient programs, where he could facilitate, teach, and coach others through his version of recovery. In 2016, with over 20 years in recovery himself, Gregg brought clients “chapters of life experience” that he had already lived through and emerged from, with hard-won lessons ready to share. Over time, his role expanded to working for several different treatment centers. He was finally doing what he was meant to do, and it became clear it was time to take his curriculum and build something of his own. The curriculum that had helped so many clients now had a name: The Recovery Playbook.
Today, Gregg brings unequivocal expertise, visibility, and credibility to recovery coaching. Policymakers, media personalities, and addiction experts recognize him as a highly valued and trusted voice in the recovery community.
In the fall of 2017, Gregg and his friend and business partner Jeffrey Vann opened START UP RECOVERY, a one-of-a-kind transformational living center in Pacific Palisades, built on Gregg’s vision of “Shifting Addiction to Passion.” The program is known for its sober mentor program, exceptional 12-step meetings, and an entrepreneurial spirit that is instilled in each client.
Recognizing the need for longer-term aftercare solutions, Gregg and the START UP team launched START UP APARTMENTS in 2020, providing clients with a structured transitional apartment community as they rebuilt their lives. Then, in 2023, seeing significant growth potential in the wellness space, they expanded further with START UP WELLNESS, bringing clinical care, Eastern modalities, and frequency medicine under one roof to access a broader audience seeking personal growth and life optimization.
Today, The Recovery Playbook is used across all START UP programs, taught in workshops nationwide, and available through a certification process for professionals who want to integrate it into their own practices and businesses. Gregg continues to facilitate high-energy groups, panels, and recovery retreats, and families regularly call on him to serve as an interventionist.
Gregg lives in Pacific Palisades with his wife, Jennifer, and their three daughters: Elysse, Annabelle, and Charlise.