Love and LossLove and Loss
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu talks with mother and advocate Amber Baum about her daughter Kenzie’s heroin addiction, overdose, and organ donation, and how that loss pushed her into public advocacy. The conversation focuses on stigma, grief, practical support for families, and choosing “less judging, more loving.”
1:03:43•15 Feb 2019
Love, Loss and the Opioid Crisis: Amber Baum Shares Kenzie's Story
Episode Overview
- Shame and fear of judgement can stop parents from asking for help, even when they sense something is wrong.
- Many signs of heroin use can look like normal teenage behaviour, which makes early detection difficult without open conversation.
- Statistics such as 144 opiate-related deaths per day represent real families whose lives are changed forever.
- Events like International Overdose Awareness Day give families a place to honour loved ones and connect with others who understand their pain.
- Parents of addicted children are encouraged to set boundaries but focus on loving their children, rather than adding to the self-hatred many already feel.
“"Less judging, more loving."”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation on Addict II Athlete brings together coach and therapist Blu Robinson and grieving mother-turned-advocate Amber Baum for a raw, honest look at addiction, love, and unbearable loss. Amber talks candidly about her eldest daughter, Kenzie, whose heroin use began after years of pill misuse and a long history of anxiety and separation issues.
She shares how easy it was to dismiss early warning signs as "typical teenager behaviour" and how shame and fear of judgement kept her from asking for help. One of the hardest moments she recalls is picking up Kenzie's childhood doll and watching "a whole bunch of needles" fall from under its dress.
The episode highlights the brutal scale of the opiate crisis – Blu reminds everyone that "144 families are going to wake up" each day to the kind of loss Amber lives with – and how that statistic has since worsened. Amber explains how her daughter's overdose in 2013 pushed her into public advocacy, including organising an International Overdose Awareness Day event at the Utah State Capitol with speakers, balloon releases and a 144-candle display.
You’ll hear Amber’s mix of heartbreak and fierce compassion as she talks about organ donation, reading Kenzie’s journals, and the loneliness of grief when people don’t know what to say. Her simple plea is hard to forget: "Less judging, more loving." She urges parents of struggling children to set boundaries but "love them" because "they already hate themselves." This episode will resonate with parents, families, and anyone affected by addiction who wants honesty rather than sugar-coating.
It’s heavy, but it’s also full of small, practical reminders about showing up, asking about loved ones who’ve died, and refusing to let shame keep people silent. Who in your life might need that extra bit of love instead of another layer of judgement today?
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