A Cup Of JoeA Cup Of Joe
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu Robinson and Joe Mortenson share stories of sport, injury and comeback, linking endurance training to the mindset needed for addiction recovery. The conversation focuses on starting small, rejecting limiting labels, and using positive routines and clear goals to build a balanced, purposeful life.
1:03:13•13 May 2024
From Broken Ankles to Big Goals: Joe Mortenson on Grit, Running and Recovery
Episode Overview
- Start far smaller than you think you should and build a running or fitness base gradually, even if it means half a mile and walk–run intervals.
- Question limiting statements from others; one doctor’s prediction does not have to become your future.
- Treat failure as part of the process rather than a verdict, asking what you can learn and how you will come back.
- Set clear short-term, medium-term and long-term goals in every role you play—health, family, work, and sport.
- Protect your mental "algorithm" by feeding it positive books, audio, people and daily practices like gratitude and visualisation.
“If we look for the positive, we will find the positive. If we look for the negative, we will find the negative. Be careful what you look for, because you're going to find it.”
Curious about how others handle setbacks, self-doubt, and big goals all at once? This chat between Coach Blu Robinson and endurance athlete Joe Mortenson brings together sport, mindset, and recovery in a way that feels both practical and surprisingly funny. Joe shares how a life of sport started in a tiny Canadian town, moved through hockey rinks and business travel, and eventually landed him in endurance racing.
A snapped clavicle and a doctor warning, "chances are you're not going to do many weights anymore," could have sidelined him. Instead, Joe started running hotel to hotel across the globe, proving to himself that health had to sit alongside career and family, not behind them. The big story here is Joe’s brutal ankle break just weeks before a full-distance triathlon. The surgeon told him he'd probably never do another marathon, let alone an Iron-distance race. Joe's response?
Find a coach, a physical therapist who believes in him, and start again with half a mile on a treadmill. One year later, he returned to the same race and finished it faster, running with the names of deceased colleagues on his shirt to keep his purpose front and centre. Throughout, Coach Blu links Joe’s experiences to addiction recovery: starting small, ignoring labels, and refusing to let past mistakes define identity.
Joe talks about building a "positive in" routine—books, audio, friends, and habits that feed belief instead of fear—and sums it up with, "If we look for the positive, we will find the positive. If we look for the negative, we will find the negative.
Be careful what you look for, because you're going to find it." Anyone rebuilding life after addiction, injury, or burnout will recognise the message: start where you are, set real goals, and ask yourself honestly—what are you planting in your mind today?
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