His Life With Karma; Travis SackettHis Life With Karma; Travis Sackett
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Former police officer and powerlifter Travis Sackett shares how a back injury, painkillers and crime led to jail, brain injury and deep loss, as well as the faith, relationships and routines that helped him rebuild. His story highlights the hidden cost of addiction, the impact of trauma, and the quiet power of honesty and connection in recovery.
51:08•18 Apr 2022
From Badge and Barbells to Brain Injury and Healing: The Travis Sackett Story
Episode Overview
- Tolerance to prescribed pain medication can build quickly, even when taken exactly as directed, leaving people desperate when support is suddenly withdrawn.
- Chronic pain, loss of athletic identity and work stress can combine to push someone toward risky sources of relief if they feel they have no other options.
- Functioning addicts can appear fine at work while life outside is chaotic, making honest conversations and checking in on colleagues especially important.
- Even after serious legal consequences and relapse, recovery is possible through treatment, faith, structure and small daily steps like walking a dog.
- Radical honesty and transparency with others, including partners, can ease shame and guilt and make long‑term recovery more sustainable.
“Once I started being transparent, once I started being real, things started to get easier.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and former police officer and powerlifter Travis Sackett packs in hard truths, gut‑wrenching setbacks, and a surprising amount of hope. Travis shares how a serious back injury during his peak powerlifting days led to prescribed oxycontin, rapid tolerance, and a slide into dependence.
He explains how he went from protecting the governor of Wisconsin and supervising campus security to clock‑watching his meds, then turning to vet‑grade pills and even horse bute just to get through the day. As Coach Blu points out, Travis “was doing what [he was] told to do, and it was working until it didn’t,” underlining how quickly a medical pain solution can twist into addiction.
Things escalate as Travis talks about stealing credit card information to fund his habit, being arrested in uniform, and facing 13 misdemeanours in the very county where he once worked. No drama is spared as he recalls walking out of jail alone, his marriage collapsing, and trying to survive on sheer will.
The most harrowing part comes with his relapse after almost a year sober: a night of drinking, a crashed car, a violent assault with a maglite, and a traumatic brain injury that left him unable to write his own name. He describes learning to write again in jail, letter by letter, and finding faith while sitting in solitary with a Bible and not much else. Yet this isn’t just a story of loss.
Travis talks about his rescue dog Karma, the long walks where he confessed cravings out loud, and how caring for her helped him care for himself. He also shares how he eventually wrote his book *My Life with Karma* despite memory problems, and how honesty and transparency with his now‑wife Vanessa gave him a second chance at love and life.
If you’re wondering whether recovery is possible after you’ve lost almost everything, Travis’s journey might make you rethink what “rock bottom” and “starting again” can actually look like.
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