One on One With Coach Blu: Let's TalkOne on One With Coach Blu: Let's Talk
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu and Marissa answer live questions about anonymity, seasonal depression, communication styles, and relationships in recovery. The conversation blends humour, real-life examples, and practical tools to help people handle difficult talks without losing their sobriety or their sanity.
1:07:24•24 Sept 2020
Core Conversations, Tough Love, and Real Talk With Coach Blu
Episode Overview
- Open recovery can reduce stigma, and some people find strength in publicly sharing their stories while still respecting traditions that prioritise anonymity.
- Seasonal depression is valid whether formally diagnosed or not; planning sunlight, movement, travel, supplements and medical support can make winter more bearable.
- Control talk and spite talk often trigger reactive listening and conflict, whereas open-ended ‘search talk’ helps people feel heard and leads to better outcomes.
- Serious conversations work best when there’s enough time, a focus on resolution rather than “winning”, and a willingness to ask, “Help me understand how you see it.”
- Setting boundaries in relationships, especially around a partner’s alcohol use, can protect personal recovery while still showing care and concern.
“I think in 2020 and beyond, I think anonymity equals death.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This live One on One With Coach Blu session gives you a front-row seat to real conversations about communication, relationships, mental health, and life in recovery. Coach Blu Robinson, a licensed substance use disorder counsellor and clinical mental health therapist, teams up with co-host and recreational therapist Marissa Robinson to answer live questions from the Addict II Athlete community.
You’ll hear them tackle big topics like anonymity in 12-step groups, seasonal depression, and how to bring up difficult issues with loved ones without turning every talk into an argument. One anonymous question sets the tone: how to move from fear and secrecy into openly owning a recovery story. Coach Blu explains why the team chose visible recovery (“in 2020 and beyond, I think anonymity equals death”) while still respecting other programmes’ traditions.
Another listener asks about seasonal depression and being dismissed as “attention seeking”, leading to a practical chat about vitamin D, light, exercise, planning winter activities and, bluntly, doing what helps even if family don’t believe you. A big chunk of the episode breaks down ‘core communication’ – small talk, control talk, spite talk and what Coach Blu calls search talk.
Through funny domestic examples (garbage duty, Alexa yelling at kids) and parenting stories, they show how fast control talk spirals into fights and how open questions can calm things down. A standout segment comes when caller Carly speaks about a new relationship with a daily drinker and her own “toxic trait” of passive-aggressive jabs.
Blu and Marissa gently connect her past, her strength in recovery and her current fears, offering to equip her with core communication tools rather than telling her what to do. If you’re juggling sobriety, family, or just trying not to blow up every hard conversation, this episode gives you practical language, some laughs, and a reminder that you’re far from alone. Which old habit in your communication style are you ready to retire first?
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