Rebuilding Identity with Spencer ClasonRebuilding Identity with Spencer Clason
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu talks with runner Spencer Clason about how a traumatic brain injury, addiction and treatment reshaped his identity, relationships and future. Their conversation highlights the role of honesty, family support and sober sport in building a life Spencer can genuinely feel proud of.
1:04:57•7 Jan 2025
From Brain Injury to Finish Lines: How Spencer Rebuilt His Life Beyond Addiction
Episode Overview
- A traumatic brain injury in adolescence radically changed Spencer’s life, contributing to depression and a hidden addiction that began with prescribed pain medication.
- Spencer reached a breaking point by writing a detailed letter to his parents, admitting his substance use and asking them not to let him out of their sight until real help was found.
- Treatment at Provo Canyon and Cirque Lodge showed him that recovery can include fun, challenge and community through activities like ropes courses and rock climbing.
- Early recovery involved hard work repairing family trust, facing consequences at university and being completely honest about his past, including with the woman who became his wife.
- Running, climbing and engaging with sober active groups help Spencer stay grounded, reminding him that, as he says, anything good in life tends to come from doing something hard.
“It was one of the first times that I realised I was worthy of love.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and runner-in-recovery Spencer Clason packs in hard truth, humour, and a lot of heart for anyone wondering if life can ever feel full again after addiction. Spencer shares how a teenage wakeboarding accident led to a traumatic brain injury and turned his promising running career on its head.
A year of cognitive testing, constant migraines and depression left him feeling, in his words, that he had “lost my life”, and a well‑meant painkiller prescription quietly opened the door to addiction. From there it became years of hiding substance use, failed classes, broken relationships, and even getting hit by a car two weeks before a marathon he’d trained for while still using.
The turning point came when he wrote a brutally honest letter to his parents, listing his stashes and begging them not to let him out of their sight.
That choice led to treatment at Provo Canyon and Cirque Lodge, where he learned that recovery isn’t just talking about feelings – it can also be ropes courses, rock climbing, and laughing with people who finally nod and say, “Yeah, I’ve felt that too.” Spencer talks openly about rebuilding trust with his family, returning to university with a wrecked GPA, and the scary work of dating in recovery.
His description of telling his now‑wife his full history – and realising “it was one of the first times that I realised I was worthy of love” – will hit home for anyone who’s ever felt like damaged goods. He ties it all back to movement and service: running, climbing, and getting involved with sober active communities as a way to heal and give back.
As he puts it, “anything good comes from doing something hard.” If you’re wondering whether your own middle chapter is too messy to rewrite, could this be the nudge to keep going?
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