Taking Back Your Power: with Jordan Walls

Taking Back Your Power: with Jordan Walls

What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Here, finance director and long-time Elevate team member Jordan Walls chats with host Tommy Lagan about what finally helped him get clean and stay that way. Instead of focusing on war stories, their conversation centres on a simple but powerful shift: moving from feeling powerless over substances to seeing yourself as the one in charge of your choices.

Jordan explains how traditional “powerless” approaches kept feeding his victim mentality and gave him endless excuses to relapse. What really changed things was a modality that said, in his words, “I’m the powerful, not powerless,” and that meant taking full responsibility for both good and bad decisions. You’ll hear the two compare early meeting experiences, chip ceremonies and relapse stories, and how those environments sometimes made long-term sobriety feel impossible.

Jordan’s analytical mind warmed to a different style of treatment, one that emphasised personal responsibility, options beyond a single path, and practical tools like exercise and mindfulness to handle stress, guilt and everyday adult life. There’s also a lighter side as Tommy ribs Jordan about his old nickname, the “buddy counsellor”, and they talk about the value of making people feel safe enough to talk like friends rather than patients.

By the end, Jordan boils his message down for anyone in addiction or loving someone who is: stop waiting for the perfect moment and do something. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the same cycle, asking why nothing changes, this relaxed, honest chat might be the nudge that helps you re-think your own power in recovery. What one action could you take today that future you would be proud of?