Recovery Advocate Brings a Message of Survival, Forgiveness, and Healing to Connecticut Women’s Group

The Junior League of Greenwich, founded in 1959 and dedicated to perpetuating social change by empowering women and providing valuable leadership training, held its second annual Women’s Conference at the Townhouse in Greenwich on March 28, featuring speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities for local women.

They invited actor and author Mackenzie Phillips to align with their theme of “Every Woman. All Things,” meant to give scope to the many roles women play in society while focusing on their families, overall health and wellness, and burgeoning careers.

Phillips’s journey to the conference stage builds on her early fame: as a teenager, she starred as Carol Morrison in George Lucas’s “American Graffiti” (1973), then later as Julie Cooper Horvath on the sitcom “One Day at a Time” (1975–1984). Other credits include Disney’s “So Weird” (1999), Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black” (2013), as well as stage work.

"As women, we do everything for everyone ... the roles that we carry with regard to our family, our career, and in the community, and then certainly that impacts your mental health," Junior League of Greenwich Executive Vice President Tiffanie Gray said. "Part of what today is building that community and making it OK to share all the things that we're all going through."

Phillips life has been marked by drug addiction struggles, including sexual abuse from her father, the late musician John Phillips. Speaking to this group of women in Greenwich was important to Phillips because of her “deep personal connection” to the area, having lived with her father and stepmother in Old Greenwich. She recalled when her half-sister, Bijou Phillips, was born at their house during a major snowstorm.

Actor Mackenzie Phillips speaks at the Junior League of Greenwich's Women's Conference at Townhouse on March 28. Joseph Tucci / Hearst CT Media

"I passed out the mashed potatoes. I was 20 years old, and I don't think these people really understood what was going on in our house because they were so pure," Phillips said. "It took forever for the ambulance to get there. Genevieve and the baby, and my dad got into the ambulance. The ambulance broke down. They got it going again. Got stuck in the snow drift. It was just like whatever could go wrong did. She was in the NICU for three months. ... As I was arriving here (Friday) night ... I saw (Greenwich Hospital), and I was like, 'Whoa, this is the scene of the crime.'"

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Despite a difficult relationship with her father, Phillips said she forgave him, in part to "earn the right to speak about forgiveness" and help others. She added she can still appreciate his music, such as the hit "California Dreamin'."

"I said, 'Being your daughter has been magical in so many ways. It's been exciting. I've experienced things good and horrible that I never would have experienced otherwise, and I wouldn't take any of it away because if I did, I wouldn't be the woman who I am now, and I truly respect and honor the woman I am now," Phillips said. "It's the music; it's not the man who created it. The music is timeless. ... 'California Dreamin' will live on in the consciousness of this country, maybe other countries, forever."

These reflections echo themes from her 2009 memoir, “High on Arrival,” in which she detailed her tumultuous family history, including the alleged abuse by her father. Now, with nearly 18 years of sobriety, Phillips works as a substance use counselor and publicly addresses recovery, forgiveness, and healing.

She remains an advocate for survivors of trauma and is happy that support groups like the Junior League of Greenwich exist to help those who have struggled like her build self-esteem and overcome turning to substance abuse to mask their pain.

"These programs are incredible and important. 'Positively Me!' Who was I? I could have found out," Phillips said. "I just love the way that you show up for your community, for each other, for people who need you. You know you're already making a difference just by being here. I hope you take a moment to really begin to see that in yourselves."

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