EPISODE 11
When you first meet Al Richards, you feel it—the grounded energy, the laugh that fills a room, the way he looks you in the eye like what you’re saying matters. But what makes Al unforgettable isn’t just the warmth; it’s the way he owns his story.
For eight years, Al lived what he calls a “weekend addiction” to alcohol and cocaine. He’d work hard Monday through Friday, then party hard every Friday and Saturday, clean up on Sunday, and repeat. Eventually, that life cost him a 24-year career. What it gave him, though—after a lot of honest work—was a mission: help people see addiction differently and discover the strength they already have.
Today, Al is the host of The Other Side of Addiction podcast (launched March 2021), co-founder of the Healing Utah Success Summitounder of the Addiction Resilience Collective (ARC) networking group, and an internationally certified crisis and recovery coach who uses a “brain-first” approach. His message is simple and powerful: recovery is possible, purpose is real, and the path forward is yours to choose.
From Telling Her Story to Telling His Own
In the early days, Al mostly told his wife’s story of alcoholism—what it was like to live beside addiction, to hold it together, to navigate chaos. People appreciated the honesty, but something wasn’t landing. Then, two moments cracked everything open.
Moment 1: The Confrontation.
At a meeting with Dave Durocher (The Other Side Academy), Al asked for tips on public speaking. Dave rolled his chair forward, looked Al in the eye, and said:
“You want to be a powerful speaker? Start telling your effing story—not your wife’s.”
Al felt his ego flare—walls up, defenses on. But he’d asked for honesty. So he listened.
Moment 2: The Empty Chair.
That same day, Al’s podcast guest no-showed. Rather than cancel, he handed the host mic to his friend Robin and put himself in the guest seat. For the first time ever, Al told the truth—his truth—about weekend alcohol and cocaine use, the job he lost, and the man he was becoming.
When the recording ended, Robin hugged him:
“I watched the weight leave your shoulders.”
Even his (then) wife, watching from the studio, was stunned: “He’s finally telling his own story.”
A few months later, Al’s oldest daughter called with the line that sealed the shift. She’d supported the podcast, she said, but not him—because he’d been playing the victim. Then she found an episode titled “Own Your Own Shit.”
“Dad, I’m proud of you.”
That’s the day the work got real.
Ego, Surrender, and the “Message in the Mirror”
For Al, the turning point wasn’t just a new narrative—it was a new relationship with ego.
“Ego can protect us—but most of us use it the wrong way.”
He started noticing when the “old ego” wanted control, credit, or a way out. He practiced pausing: Is this strength—or defense? He asked better questions. He read, hiked, journaled. He looked for the message in the mirror:
- What role did I play?
- What is this here to teach me?
- What pattern am I repeating?
He learned to surrender—not as giving up control, but as letting life happen for him instead of to him. That meant fewer power struggles, more honest listening, and a willingness to be uncomfortable. He jokes that life still throws “dog-shit piles” in our path. The difference now? He looks down, learns what he needs to learn, and keeps moving—lighter.
The Healing Utah Success Summit: Telling the Truth, Not Sugarcoating It
The Summit started like many good things do: a nudge, a conversation, a “wait—you’re thinking it too?” Al and co-founder Mallory Roosh picked a date, found a venue, and asked for help. Sponsors stepped up. Speakers told the realtruth—no gloss, no euphemisms.
A man from the audience stood during Q&A and said,
“This is the first recovery event where you told the effing truth.”
That’s when they knew they had something. Since 2022, the Summit has hosted 100+ attendees each time, adding elements like vendor time and even a short sound bath to introduce people to complementary tools like breathwork and meditation. Each year, more people ask to speak. This year, Al and Mallory are stepping back from the stage to host—and make room for new voices.
ARC: Addiction Resilience Collective
ARC grew from a simple question: What if we connected more of the puzzle pieces?
Traditional recovery centers do important work, but they’re not a fit for everyone. ARC gatherings bring together recovery providers and “whole-human” modalities—yoga, meditation, nutrition, brain-based therapies, and newer supports like NAD—so families and individuals can see the full landscape of help.
It’s not about labels. As Al says, if you haven’t had a drink in a year, repeating “I’m an alcoholic” can become a story that keeps you stuck. ARC points people toward identity beyond addiction and practical options that support it.
Coaching “Brain-First”: Beneath the Waterline
Al’s coaching centers on a brain-first method he learned from practitioners in Canada. Think of the classic iceberg: the part you see (the use, the behavior) is the smallest piece. The real mass lives underneath—unmet needs, unprocessed emotion, protective strategies.
So Al doesn’t start with the substance. He starts with questions that loosen what’s below the surface, helping clients discover their own answers. One client working in the sex industry broke down mid-session and said:
“All I ever wanted was to be seen.”
When that truth surfaced, the path forward did too.
Why it works:
- It targets drivers, not just symptoms.
- It honors personal agency: you’re not broken—you’re patterned.
- It reframes relapse and “bad days” as data for the next right step.
The Everyday Practices That Keep Him Grounded
- Movement: Decades after a bodybuilding stint, Al still hits the gym five days a week. Strength isn’t just about muscle; it’s how he resets his mind.
- Hiking (aka Church): The Wasatch Mountains are where ideas land, prayers get answered, and the next breadcrumb appears.
- Quiet + Breath: Formal meditation comes and goes; what stays is the habit of closing his eyes and breathing—even for a minute.
- Family & Friends: He curates his circle. “Black sheep” energy welcome.
- Faith: Losing his job ultimately brought Al back to God. That relationship anchors the rest.
- Feeling It All: Sad, mad, afraid, hopeful—he lets emotions run their course. The rule: feel it, learn from it, don’t live in it.
Five Takeaways to Put Into Practice
- Own the mic. Telling someone else’s story can be safe. Telling yours is where healing starts.
- Watch for ego tells. Defensiveness, blame, the need to be right—signals to pause and ask better questions.
- Let life happen for you. Control is a stress loop. Surrender turns messes into messages.
- Look beneath behavior. Ask: What is this action protecting me from feeling or facing?
- Let emotions complete. Feeling is not failure. It’s a nervous system finishing a cycle.
If You’re in the Thick of It
Maybe you’re the one using. Maybe you love someone who is. Either way:
- You’re not alone. There are more resources than you think—traditional and alternative.
- Your identity is bigger than a label. You are more than your worst day.
- The next step is usually scary. That pit in your stomach? It’s often the sign you’re heading the right way.
Start with one honest conversation—with yourself, with a friend, with someone who’s been there. Repeat as needed.
CONNECT WITH AL RICHARDS
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/al.richards.921
- YouTube: The Other Side of Addiction
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/al_connects_/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alrichards76
If you’re building resources, sponsoring the next Healing Utah Success Summit, or looking to share your story on The Other Side of Addiction, reach out. Al’s door—and mic—are open.
Al’s life is proof that purpose doesn’t arrive once everything is perfect. It arrives when we stop outsourcing our narrative, step to the center of our own stage, and say the line that changes everything:
I own my story.
