Exploring Life & Business with Leron Konowiecki of Zion Sober Living

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leron Konowiecki.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story is one I never thought would have a happy ending. For 20 years, I was deep in hard drug addiction — and everything that comes with that life. Homelessness, crime, prison. That was my street, my world. I couldn’t see a way out, and honestly, for a long time I wasn’t looking for one.

Almost three years ago, everything changed when I got sober. What followed was something I didn’t expect — incredible connections, a renewed sense of purpose, and the realization that my calling in life is to help people. My past wasn’t a dead end. It was actually the thing that qualified me most for what I do now.

When I decided to open a sober living home, I looked around at what was available and saw a real gap. There are plenty of luxury sober living facilities in Los Angeles — beautiful places with great amenities — but they come with price tags that people who come from backgrounds like mine simply can’t afford. The people who need help the most are often priced out of the safest environments.

So I made a decision: I was going to open an accountable, structured sober living home in a good area of LA, at a price that underserved people can actually afford. Because everyone deserves a safe place to rebuild their life — not just those who can pay for it.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was far from a smooth road. Finding an affordable property at the price point I needed — in a good area of LA — felt nearly impossible. The first house I found seemed perfect. I was going to take over the lease, but the owner didn’t have confidence in my vision. Being a first-time sober living operator, he wasn’t comfortable taking that chance on me. That rejection stung.

After that, every property I looked at was either asking too much or the owner didn’t want a sober living on their property at all. Door after door closing. I kept pushing, but eventually I hit a wall. I was ready to put the idea on pause entirely.

Through all of it, my wife Rachelle was the driving force behind me not giving up. She had my back completely and kept pushing me to press forward when I was ready to walk away. I can’t overstate how much that meant during those moments of doubt.

I also told my very close friend Ray — who is now my operations manager — that I needed to put the idea on pause for a while. A few hours later, Ray called me back with an incredible property, great price, great neighborhood. Exactly what I had been looking for the whole time.

What kept me going through all of it was a simple belief — if this was something I was truly supposed to do, the universe would make it happen. My only job was to be ready to pull the trigger when it did. And that’s exactly what I did.

Sometimes you have to almost let go of something to realize it was always meant to find you.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Zion Sober Living is a structured, accountable sober living program for men in recovery, operating across two houses in the Mid City area of Los Angeles, near Washington and La Brea. Together we house 30 men, and we’ve been open since November 2025.

What we do is simple but intentional. Every resident must be sober and actively working a program — that means having a sponsor and attending meetings. We also require that everyone is moving forward in life in some meaningful way, whether that’s holding a job, going to school, volunteering, or participating in an outpatient program. On top of that, residents are responsible for keeping their personal space clean, completing house chores, and respecting mandatory curfews during the week, with a little more flexibility on weekends. Structure isn’t punishment — it’s the foundation that recovery is built on.

What sets us apart is our price point and our heart. At $750 a month, we’re making safe, structured sober living accessible to men who come from backgrounds like mine — people who genuinely need this environment but can’t afford the luxury options that dominate this space. And we go beyond just the number. If someone comes in a little short on rent or needs time before their next paycheck, we work with them. We rarely turn anyone away. Because at the end of the day — what’s the point if we’re not actually helping people?

What I’m most proud of is the culture inside Zion. We take all walks of life. Different backgrounds, different stories, different journeys — but everyone is in recovery and everyone is trying to improve their life. That common ground creates something really special. The connections and bonds that form between residents are genuine, and that sense of brotherhood is something you can’t manufacture.

What I want readers to know is that Zion Sober Living exists because there was a gap that needed to be filled. Recovery shouldn’t be a luxury. Everyone deserves a safe, structured, supportive place to rebuild — and that’s exactly what we provide.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Mentorship has been everything for me — both in my recovery and in building Zion. I’ve been fortunate to have a few key mentors along the way, and what made those relationships work was trust and honesty. Real mentorship means being able to hear the truth no matter what, even when it’s not what you want to hear. If you can find someone who will tell you the truth and you’re willing to listen, that relationship will change your life.

When it comes to networking, I built my connections the old fashioned way — through meetings, word of mouth, social media, and connecting with other operators in the recovery space. But honestly, the most powerful networking tool has been the work itself. When you offer a safe, accountable, and structured environment, the results speak for themselves. People talk. Families talk. The recovery community is smaller and more connected than people realize.

My biggest piece of advice is this — don’t count anyone out. In recovery we have a saying, and I live by it personally. I wouldn’t be sitting here today if someone hadn’t given me a chance when I probably didn’t look like a safe bet. Some of the most valuable connections I’ve made came from people others might have overlooked. Keep an open mind about who your next mentor, partner, or ally might be. You never know who is going to be the person that changes everything — for me that’s been proven time and time again.

Pricing:

• $750 a month

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zionsoberliving.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zionsoberliving?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==