Growing Up & Moving Forward

Growing Up & Moving Forward

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on the Addict II Athlete Podcast offers a rare look at life inside a recovery-focused family, told through the eyes of someone who grew up in it. Host and mental health therapist Coach Blu Robinson chats with his daughter, 18-year-old Savannah Jade Robinson, who’s just graduated high school with an associate degree and is about to move away for university.

Together they talk honestly about the jump from adolescence to adulthood, what it’s like to grow up around a non-profit recovery team, and how service shapes a young person’s outlook. Savannah shares memories of early-morning 5Ks, aid stations on mountain trails, and late-night meetings that her parents stayed at long after everyone else had gone home. Instead of resentment, she talks about gratitude and how that constant service helped her choose a career in nursing.

She also explains why she refuses to label people by their addiction: “I don't view them as an addict... I hope individuals never feel like they need to define themselves by that kind of thing.” The chat also touches on identity, with Savannah describing how exercises from home and church classes helped her list dozens of things that define her beyond grades or roles.

That same sense of self is pushing her to move out, study at university, and test her independence while still staying connected to the team. You’ll hear updates about Addict II Athlete’s growth too, from the long-running emphasis on running and racing to new ideas like triathlon training, cycling, hiking, camping, scavenger hunts and more family-based activities.

If you’re a parent in recovery, someone raising kids around the recovery scene, or a young adult wondering who you are beyond your family’s story, this chat might get you thinking: what parts of your life do you want to define you?