One on One with Coach Blu: Just Listen

One on One with Coach Blu: Just Listen

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and stand up for something bigger than themselves? This chat between Coach Blu Robinson and athletic director Marissa Robinson zeroes in on learning to be your own advocate in recovery and in everyday life. You’ll hear them bounce between serious advocacy and light-hearted banter about races, weather and even pickleball, but the heart of the episode is about courage.

Using the story of “accidental activist” Ed Bisch, who fought Purdue Pharma after losing his son to OxyContin, they show how one determined person can chip away at a giant system over time. Blu is still furious at the injustice, but turns that anger into a challenge: stop waiting for someone else to fix things. As he puts it, “The troops aren’t coming.

We are the troops!” The conversation speaks directly to people in addiction recovery who feel too ashamed or small to speak up. Marissa points out how shame convinces you your opinion doesn’t matter, while Blu pushes the idea that after treatment “you’re the professional in your recovery” and have a responsibility to use your voice.

They break advocacy down into doable steps: start with self-awareness, educate yourself about meds and systems, take small but steady actions, stay calm when attacked, and focus on facts rather than getting lost in raw emotion. Along the way they call out corrupt big pharma practices, pressure on doctors to chase good patient reviews, and the way people with records struggle to find housing and work.

The tone is relaxed, occasionally funny, and very straight-talking, making this ideal for anyone in or around recovery who wants practical encouragement to stand up for their health, their rights and their community. It might leave you asking: where in your own life do you need to stop waiting for “the troops” and step up yourself?