Lee Yaiva, Hopi LeaderLee Yaiva, Hopi Leader
Recovery On-Air
Hopi leader and CEO Lee Yaiva shares how he went from childhood trauma, dealing drugs and a motel suicide binge to long-term recovery and leading a major treatment centre. He talks about mentorship, lived experience, serving Native communities and building services shaped directly by the people who use them.
1:01:06•23 Apr 2026
From Motel Rock Bottom to Hopi Leadership: Lee Yaiva’s Recovery Story
Episode Overview
- Repeated trauma, poverty and early incarceration can push someone into addiction long before they understand what recovery is.
- A simple, honest plea for help can mark a turning point, even after serious suicide-level substance use.
- Consistent, genuine care and unconditional support from mentors can make recovery stick after many failed attempts.
- Lived experience of addiction and homelessness can become a strength in building effective, compassionate treatment programmes.
- Culturally specific services and brave leadership are crucial for addressing addiction and loss in Native communities.
“When people know that you care, they're willing to change.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This conversation with Hopi leader and CEO Lee Yaiva gives a raw look at how far a person can come from the depths of trauma and homelessness. Lee talks about a childhood marked by sexual abuse, domestic violence, poverty and early incarceration on the Hopi reservation, and how his first drink at 13 opened the door to meth, cocaine and years of dealing drugs.
He shares the harrowing motel binge where he tried to drink and use himself to death, right up to ripping open baggies and drinking the dregs from bottles filled with cigarette butts, before breaking down in front of a mirror and saying four words that changed everything: “Please God, help me.” From there, you’ll hear how treatment finally stuck after 11 attempts, thanks to mentors who showed him “unconditional love and respect and support” and “miyagi’d” him into recovery.
Lee explains why he rejects the idea that people in recovery must change “everything”, choosing instead to redirect the ingenuity that once turned light bulbs into pipes into meaningful work and leadership. Now leading Scottsdale Recovery Center, Lee talks about growing the organisation from a small private facility to a large service with detox, residential, outpatient, GED support, grants, and state-funded beds, all built directly from client feedback.
He’s candid about protecting clients from shady operators, staying fully hands-on as a CEO, and insisting that “when people know that you care, they're willing to change.” He also reflects on painful family losses to addiction, his efforts to create sober living and culturally specific services for Native communities, and the tension between tribal sovereignty and real action.
Anyone who’s ever felt worthless, stuck in shame, or unsure their past could mean anything good may find themselves asking: what if lived experience is actually the strongest qualification you’ve got?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.