Culture of Positivity: A Conversation with Seth and TommyCulture of Positivity: A Conversation with Seth and Tommy
The Elevate Experience
Tommy and Seth share candid stories about their own addictions and why they chose to build careers in recovery at Elevate. They talk about positivity, crises, graduations and the unique culture that supports both clients and staff in staying sober and growing as people.
1:03:16•20 Sept 2022
Stubborn Positivity and Purpose: Seth & Tommy Talk Elevate Recovery Culture
Episode Overview
- Choosing to work in recovery can transform years of addiction into meaningful service and a new identity.
- A stubbornly positive outlook helps keep challenges in perspective compared to the struggle of addiction.
- Staying with clients in crisis, even walking miles beside them, can keep them safer and connected to help.
- Graduation ceremonies and family letters highlight how far clients have come and reinforce ongoing support.
- Mirroring key recovery habits after treatment—mindfulness, exercise, community and personal growth—can support long-term change.
“I might even be a good person.”
Interested in the personal battles against addiction? This chat between co-hosts Tommy Lagan and Seth Provencio pulls you into the day-to-day heart of recovery work at Elevate Addiction Services. You’ll hear Seth talk about his “stubborn positivity” – a hard-won attitude forged in the chaos of addiction and strengthened through years in treatment.
He explains, “I don’t ever want to give up my fight with things… it’s never going to be as bad as it was trying to fight addiction,” framing sobriety struggles against the much darker days of using. Tommy and Seth swap stories about their own treatment attempts, failed escapes, and eventually choosing to make recovery their career.
They walk through how Elevate’s internship path lets former clients stay on, build a new identity, and turn years of addiction into something useful. Tommy saw it as a “living amends” to his family, while Seth describes Elevate as his second family and a key part of how he defines himself today.
The episode also lifts the curtain on the culture at Elevate: staff who train, work out, and grow together; a strong focus on self-awareness; and a refusal to be complacent. Seth shares intense moments walking miles with clients who want to leave, staying beside them to keep them safe and keep the door to change open.
They also talk about graduation ceremonies, reading emotional letters from families, and those powerful speeches where clients realise, “I might even be a good person.” Whether you’re recovery-curious, supporting a loved one, or wondering what working in treatment is really like, this conversation gives a grounded look at purpose, gratitude and staying positive in tough times. Could making recovery part of your daily life – not just something you finish – be your next step?
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