Take It From Us with Kent Johns
Jul 30, 2026 · 33 min · 14 segments
Blain Collinge was once the reason his parents started Red Door Recovery — refusing help, deep in addiction, with "no desire to change." Over a decade…
Justine HamillGuestBlaine CollingeGuest
Kent JohnsHost
Blayne, what's the best way or what's the way that you lean into when it comes to understanding someone's story?
And I have huge understanding of why the behaviors they started to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, right? It wasn't no one, I don't believe any child is born a drug addict.
I believe through childhood experiences that It shapes our path, and not every single person that's had a hard childhood is going to turn into a drug addict or an alcoholic.
So as soon as I get no judgment, I can listen, I can look them in the eyes, I can... give them hope in a way that like my life at times and our life in the past year, especially has been incredibly difficult, incredibly difficult, probably the hardest year, you know, of, of my life, but it's still far better than ever being back in active addiction.
So I don't, if I'm, if I'm having a hard day or, uh, There's things going on in my life.
Without dumping my stuff on them, I will explain to them what I am doing to stay clean and get through that season or that period.
So I just try to stand in my mana and show them it can be done and lead as an example.
as a male role model for a lot of our, especially our male clients and for our wahine to show them what a safe male can be as well.
Justine, a whaiora looking... to be shown the way? Are they really interested in your stories to help them with theirs?
And they often verbalize, they appreciate when we share from our own experience because it helps them feel connected to us.
So it's not about sitting there and just like Blaine said, dumping your stuff on them.
It's about coming from a place of I've been through that and here's how I managed it and that sort of thing.
And they feel seen and not judged if we're honest about things that we've done.
Blayne, what's the best way or what's the way that you lean into when it comes to understanding someone's story?
And I have huge understanding of why the behaviors they started to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, right? It wasn't no one, I don't believe any child is born a drug addict.
I believe through childhood experiences that It shapes our path, and not every single person that's had a hard childhood is going to turn into a drug addict or an alcoholic.
So as soon as I get no judgment, I can listen, I can look them in the eyes, I can... give them hope in a way that like my life at times and our life in the past year, especially has been incredibly difficult, incredibly difficult, probably the hardest year, you know, of, of my life, but it's still far better than ever being back in active addiction.
So I don't, if I'm, if I'm having a hard day or, uh, There's things going on in my life.
Without dumping my stuff on them, I will explain to them what I am doing to stay clean and get through that season or that period.
So I just try to stand in my mana and show them it can be done and lead as an example.
as a male role model for a lot of our, especially our male clients and for our wahine to show them what a safe male can be as well.
Justine, a whaiora looking... to be shown the way? Are they really interested in your stories to help them with theirs?
And they often verbalize, they appreciate when we share from our own experience because it helps them feel connected to us.
So it's not about sitting there and just like Blaine said, dumping your stuff on them.
It's about coming from a place of I've been through that and here's how I managed it and that sort of thing.
And they feel seen and not judged if we're honest about things that we've done.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.