Take Your Mark! Jason Gonzalas Building Community and Hope in Tooele CountyTake Your Mark! Jason Gonzalas Building Community and Hope in Tooele County
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu talks with Jason Gonzalez about his decades-long addiction, repeated incarceration, and why gratitude, service and integrity now drive his recovery. The conversation centres on building a new Addict II Athlete chapter in Tooele County and creating hope for others seeking life after addiction.
50:17•13 Jul 2026
From Prison Sentences to Finish Lines: Jason Gonzalez Builds Hope in Tooele County
Episode Overview
- Gratitude toward the judicial system and detention staff can shift recovery from "us versus them" to a shared effort against addiction.
- Embracing emotions, including sadness and tears, is presented as a key part of mental health rather than a weakness.
- Integrity and accountability – doing what you say you’ll do – become central pillars of Jason’s ongoing sobriety.
- Volunteering at events like the Top of Zion Ultra brings a sense of belonging, purpose and "life-changing" impact for both athletes and volunteers.
- Launching a local Addict II Athlete chapter offers people in Tooele County a balanced recovery path built on movement, community, and mutual support.
“I turned my pain into a power, you know?”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and recovery coach Jason Gonzalez shows exactly that, with Jason sharing a raw, honest look at addiction, incarceration, and rebuilding trust in his community. Across 35 years of addiction and about a decade locked up in jails, state and federal prison, Jason describes hitting a pivot point where he refused to "surrender to addiction" and chose a different path.
He talks about how the judicial system unexpectedly became a lifeline, saying if he hadn’t been pulled over he might not be alive today, and how he now shows up to drug court every Monday just to let the judge see he’s still doing the work. You’ll hear powerful moments of gratitude, like Jason shaking the prosecuting attorney’s hand to say thank you, and buying pizzas for staff at the Tooele County Detention Facility to recognise their support.
He shares, "I turned my pain into a power," explaining how his history with fentanyl, incarceration, and mental health now helps him relate to others who are struggling.
The episode also dives into the emotional side of recovery: childhood abandonment, generational trauma, being told men shouldn’t cry, and learning instead that "we are allowed to have depression… we’re allowed to cry." Jason’s focus on integrity and accountability shines through as he talks about being a man of his word and showing up for others at 2am if needed.
Listeners get a front-row seat to how volunteering at the Top of Zion Ultra and joining Addict II Athlete changed Jason’s life, and why he’s launching a new chapter in Tooele County to show people there is life after addiction. By the end, you might find yourself asking: what could your own "pain into power" journey look like, and who could you stand beside on theirs?
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