Today we’d like to introduce you to Brook McKenzie.
Hi Brook, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Ten years ago, my life looked very different. My wife, Tracy, and I were living in Southern California — no kids yet, one dog, and a quiet sense that life was about to change. What began as my own recovery journey slowly became a calling: to understand not just addiction, but the family systems that struggle to heal around it.
In 2017, our first son, Maxwell Evans, was born — and shortly after, in 2018, his brother, John Briggs, joined us. Becoming a father deepened my commitment to helping parents who feel trapped in the cycle of loving and losing their addicted loved one. I began to see my work not only as professional, but personal — a calling to guide families toward honesty, structure, and lasting change.
In 2021, we set our eyes on Texas when I accepted the role of CEO with Burning Tree Programs. We moved to this great state shortly after, and it’s where my work truly deepened. Burning Tree is the nation’s only long-term treatment system built specifically for individuals who chronically relapse — a vision made possible by the philanthropy, generosity, and unwavering foresight of its founder, David Elliott. His commitment to creating a program that doesn’t compromise on time, truth, or transformation continues to inspire everything we do.
Over time, I realized that the same truths I was teaching inside treatment needed to reach families long before a crisis call. That insight became the foundation for my book, You’re Waiting on You. It was written for parents who love their children deeply but feel powerless to change the outcome — a guide to reclaiming clarity, boundaries, and peace amid chaos. My focus remains simple: to help families find freedom through truth, and to remind them that real change always begins within.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road — but I don’t think it’s supposed to be. Most of the growth in my life has come from discomfort and failure. Early in my career, I was driven by the need to prove myself — to fix, to manage, to control outcomes. I had to learn the hard way that leadership, like recovery, isn’t about control. It’s about alignment.
There were seasons of doubt, exhaustion, and self-confrontation — times when I questioned whether the work was making a difference or if I was simply trying to hold everything together. But those same challenges became the teachers that shaped how I now lead and live.
The truth is, our hardest moments have a way of stripping away what’s false. Every setback has deepened my faith, sharpened my clarity, and reminded me that peace isn’t found in success — it’s found in integrity.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I serve as the CEO of Burning Tree Programs, a family of nationally recognized treatment centers headquartered here in Texas. Our flagship program, Burning Tree Ranch, is the only true long-term residential treatment center in the country dedicated exclusively to individuals who chronically relapse. That distinction matters — because we don’t focus on short-term stabilization; we focus on lasting transformation.
Our work centers on helping families and professionals understand the deeper, more complex reality of addiction — not as a momentary crisis, but as a long-term illness that requires time, structure, and truth. I’m known for bringing families into that process with honesty, compassion, and a clear sense of direction.
None of what we do would be possible without the extraordinary team that leads our programs. People like Jesse Earwood, our Executive Director, who ensures our day-to-day operations run with precision and heart. Meghan Bohlman, LPC-S, our Clinical Director, whose leadership and clinical vision set the tone for excellence. Dr. Leslie Secrest, our Medical Director, who brings decades of experience in psychiatry and addiction medicine. And Angie Buja, LPC-S, who directs our Family Program and helps parents rebuild trust, boundaries, and connection. Their commitment — along with so many others across our campuses — is what sustains the integrity of our mission.
What I’m most proud of isn’t a title or a milestone; it’s the hundreds of families who have rebuilt trust and stability through our programs. What sets us apart is our willingness to stay in the process for as long as it takes. At Burning Tree, we don’t measure success by how quickly someone gets better — we measure it by whether they stay free.
That same mission inspired my book, You’re Waiting on You. It would not exist without the vision of our founder, David Elliott; the dedication of our staff; and the courage of the families who have trusted us with their stories. Truthfully, any success I’ve experienced is because of the people I work beside every day — the clinicians, leaders, and mentors who continue to teach me what integrity, humility, and service really look like. The book, my career, and the work I get to do at Burning Tree are simply reflections of their wisdom, their faithfulness, and the countless lives that have shaped mine.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I read and listen widely, but I keep coming back to the same few themes — truth, leadership, and spiritual integrity. Books like The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, The Servant by James Hunter, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield have shaped the way I think about discipline, calling, and resistance. I also draw deeply from the Twelve Steps and the writings of people like Richard Rohr and Viktor Frankl — works that remind me that growth begins where comfort ends.
I’m not much for noise or trends, so I don’t consume a lot of podcasts or social media. My best insights come from real people — the staff I work beside every day, the families I serve, and my own wife and children, who constantly remind me what matters most.
At this point in my life, I’m less interested in new information and more focused on integration — living what I already know to be true.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.burningtree.com/
