SHAIR 101: "Recover PERIOD" with Torrance Johnson, Wear Something That Means Something.SHAIR 101: "Recover PERIOD" with Torrance Johnson, Wear Something That Means Something.
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Torrance Johnson shares how he went from crack addiction, prison and broken relationships to building a faith-based recovery routine and his clothing brand Recover Period. Omar Pinto adds his own reflections on fear, faith and fellowship, giving the story extra depth for anyone early in sobriety.
1:28:27•17 Jan 2017
Recover Period: From Prison and Crack to Meaningful Threads and Solid Sobriety
Episode Overview
- A recovery routine built on daily prayer, spiritual reading, meetings and light exercise helps Torrance maintain his conscious contact with a higher power.
- Recognising and walking away from enablers was crucial for him; as long as he had somewhere easy to fall back to, he kept using.
- Working the 12 steps, especially admitting unmanageability and making amends, marked his real spiritual turning point.
- Creativity and self-education in design and printing gave him a constructive outlet and led to his business, Recover Period.
- Short, memorable ideas like “tighten it up every chance you get” and rejecting a “poor mentality” keep him focused on growth instead of fear and failure.
“A guy used to tell me in prison, tighten it up every chance you get. If you see room in your life for improvement and somebody’s giving you a suggestion, take it.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This episode of The SHAIR Recovery Podcast follows Torrance Johnson, founder of the recovery clothing brand Recover Period, whose slogan is “Wear Something That Means Something.” It’s aimed at anyone in early recovery, people affected by addiction, and those who like practical, no-frills stories of change.
You’ll hear Torrance trace his life from a chaotic childhood in Harlem and Chicago, through gangs, crack addiction, meth, repeated jail sentences and painful family relationships, to finally finding a foothold in recovery. He talks openly about abandonment, feeling “like lost baggage,” and the moment he realised how much his addiction hurt others, like when he stole from his aunt and later confessed during his 12‑step amends. The conversation also shows the day-to-day reality of staying clean.
Torrance shares his current routine: morning prayer, reading scripture, workouts, and hitting Narcotics Anonymous meetings at least four times a week. Omar adds his own 2017 theme of facing fear through more meetings, prayer, meditation and fellowship, making the episode especially relatable if you’re wrestling with anxiety or self-will. One of the standout parts is how Torrance turns pain into creativity.
Frustrated with fashion that didn’t reflect his values, he taught himself design and vinyl printing, slowly building Recover Period while still under three years clean. His mantra, learned in prison, sums up the spirit of the episode: “Tighten it up every chance you get.
If you see room in your life for improvement and somebody’s giving you a suggestion, take it.” The tone is raw but often funny, with Omar and Torrance swapping lines like “Don’t have a poor mentality… to pass over opportunities repeatedly.” If you’re wondering whether change is possible after prison, relapse, or years of chaos, this story might make you rethink what’s still possible for you.
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