Coach Blu on the Staying Fit ODAAT PodcastCoach Blu on the Staying Fit ODAAT Podcast
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu Robinson talks with Migs about his journey from a chaotic, abusive childhood and addiction to founding Addict II Athlete, a movement-based recovery community. Their conversation covers trauma, education, 12-step experiences and how running and team support can help people reshape their identity and story.
1:24:49•27 May 2022
From Addict to Athlete: Coach Blu’s Journey of Healing Through Movement
Episode Overview
- Movement, especially running, can help process trauma because “motion releases emotion” and encourages more honest conversation than a traditional office setting.
- Identity matters; seeing oneself as more than an addict (for example, as an athlete, parent or student) can shift behaviour and expectations.
- Education and recovery are possible even after dropping out, particularly with support, honest self-assessment and proper recognition of learning difficulties.
- 12-step principles can be powerful, but they work best alongside other supports such as therapy, community and service rather than as a paid treatment product.
- Setting firm boundaries with unhealthy family members can be essential to protect one’s own sobriety and to build a healthier environment for the next generation.
“If you’re going through a hard part, congratulations, you’re in the middle. Your story’s not over yet.”
How do individuals from all walks of life battle addiction? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and Migs from Staying Fit ODAAT pulls you straight into that question with a mix of raw honesty, dark humour and plenty of sweaty trainers. You’ll hear Blu sketch out his childhood of chaos, abuse and constant moving, and how that background made drugs and alcohol feel almost inevitable.
He explains how working with troubled teens in a treatment centre quietly pushed him towards sobriety, education and eventually qualifying as a dual-licensed mental health and substance misuse counsellor. His “fake it till you become it” years, as he calls them, include lying about a high school diploma, going back to adult school, uncovering a learning disability and, against all odds, completing a master’s degree. The heart of the episode sits in the birth of Addict II Athlete.
Blu shares how a simple couch-to-5k experiment with court-involved clients turned into a full-blown recovery community, built on running, movement and team spirit. On those early runs he noticed that “motion releases emotion” and people opened up in ways they never did in his office.
Stories like Janice realising she always quits with more “left in the tank”, or an athlete slowing down so he wouldn’t win because “people wouldn’t believe” an addict could, show just how deep the metaphors of sport can go. Blu talks respectfully about 12-step programmes, why he still teaches the principles, and where he sees gaps that movement-based recovery can fill.
He challenges anonymity, arguing that shame thrives in silence, and urges anyone struggling to remember that “if you’re going through a hard part, congratulations, you’re in the middle” – your ending isn’t written yet. If you’ve ever wondered whether lacing up your trainers could help you rewrite your story, this chat might be the nudge you’ve been waiting for.
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