198 Action-Oriented with Jesse Simpson198 Action-Oriented with Jesse Simpson
You're Sober! Now What?
Former Marine and firefighter Jesse Simpson shares how childhood pain, burnout and suicidal thoughts pushed him to reshape his life through action, travel and plant medicine. The conversation focuses on healing root-cause trauma, dropping shame and building a purposeful life beyond simply staying sober.
44:44•2 Apr 2022
Action Over Excuses: Jesse Simpson on Healing, Purpose and Life After Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Taking action is a conscious choice to move out of victim mode and create a different life.
- Unresolved trauma and feelings of not being good enough often sit underneath substance use and mental health struggles.
- Addressing root causes, rather than just numbing symptoms with substances or medication, is crucial for lasting change.
- Integration after peak experiences or retreats is where long-term growth and pattern-breaking actually happen.
- Community, openness and dropping the shame around asking for help are key parts of healing and recovery.
“I knew I did not want my life to be about being a victim to all these things that were happening to me. I wanted to take action to see what I could do moving forward.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation with transformational coach and retreat facilitator Jesse Simpson is aimed at anyone in recovery who feels stuck, restless, or hungry for something more than just staying sober. The chat has a relaxed, honest vibe, with Jesse sharing how a troubled childhood, service as a US Marine, and a dream career as a firefighter led him to a breaking point.
He describes being named state firefighter of the year while secretly “smoking weed at work and having suicidal thoughts”, and realising he was having the same thoughts at 28 as he had in seventh grade. That stark awareness pushed him to ask: stay a victim, or take action? You’ll hear how a volunteer trip to Peru, two years backpacking, and powerful plant medicine ceremonies in South America shifted his perspective on purpose, trauma, and healing.
Jesse explains how his Colombia retreats combine adventure, community and sacred medicine to help people “heal from their past, connect with their hearts, and find their purpose”, while stressing that the real work starts afterwards through integration. The episode also tackles the stigma around addiction and mental health.
Jesse speaks candidly about losing a best friend to a heroin overdose, responding to overdoses and suicides as a firefighter, and his frustration with systems that medicate symptoms but don’t address root-cause trauma. He argues for dropping the shame around asking for help and finding approaches that reach the underlying pain. Recovery fans who love practical action, spiritual growth and raw honesty will find plenty to relate to here.
If you’ve ever thought, “I’m sober…now what?”, this conversation might nudge you towards your own next brave step. What action could you take today, however small, to move closer to the life you actually want?
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