Primal Freedom

Primal Freedom

Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of how running shoes, muddy trails and a tight-knit tribe can change a life. This conversation pairs Coach Blu Robinson with Alex Corbett from Primal Roots in England, and it's aimed squarely at anyone who's tired of traditional recovery and wondering if there’s another way. Alex talks through his early years on a rough council estate in southeast London, where boredom quickly turned into heavy drinking and cocaine use.

He shares how he built a successful career as an electrician while spending up to £100 a day on drugs, only to lose houses, relationships and freedom again and again. Prison became a revolving door, and he describes detoxing on a cell floor and the shock of facing his worst fears completely sober.

A turning point comes when a yellow prison library card slides under his door and a copy of Eckhart Tolle’s *The Power of Now* literally drops in front of him. From there, Alex leans into alcohol recovery work, NA and AA, and later connects with Primal Roots through probation. He swaps pubs for coastal paths, building sites for trails, and vodka for what he calls “the best buzz that money can’t buy”.

Alex explains Primal Roots’ mix of outdoor fitness, community and what he and Blu call “erase and replace” – swapping destructive habits for running, nature and service. You’ll hear how finishing his first 10k gave him a sense of achievement he hadn’t felt in years, and how watching other men from his prison days cross their own finish lines nearly brings him to tears.

With humour, honesty and zero fluff, this episode speaks to anyone who’s ever written themselves off and wondered if there’s still a different life out there. Could your next step be as simple as lacing up and heading outside?