Meet Jo Weatherford | Addiction Expert, Speaker and Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jo Weatherford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jo, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward, so rather than shy away from big opportunities, lean into their potential. For example, I co-owned a thriving martial arts school in 2020 and when we got shut down, it was a terrifying time. Instead of worrying what was going to happen, I leaned into the possibility of what “could” happen, and we sold everything (including real estate) at an all-time high and moved to Los Cabos. Everything going online allowed me to start a remote coaching business and focus on addiction treatment, which is actually my specialty. I had worked in the mental health field for 12 years and have a Tedx talk on overcoming addiction, not to mention I taught university courses on the subject and had to transfer my class online. Although I hated it at the time, I was preparing myself for what was to come. The skills I was forced to learn have become the foundation of my new business www.recoveryremix.com.

We talk a lot about resilience, which is a great attribute, but simply says “I can survive hard things.” The trick is to develop GRIT, which is not only surviving hardship, but enjoying it, knowing that challenges are your greatest opportunity to thrive. When you understand that life is happening for you, not to you, it becomes a game that is no longer personal. The confidence of knowing no matter what happens, you got you, is the energy we want to be in as we redesign our destiny.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Jo went from Playboy model to professor, and now her passion is to help others break free from addiction and live an epic life. In her 20s, Jo Weatherford was a drug-and alcohol-addicted model, partying with celebrities in Hollywood. After an arrest and failed suicide attempt, she knew it was time to get clean.
She went back to school to get her master’s degree in Human Development, and spent the next 12 years teaching courses on addiction at the University of Nevada. She’s now a renowned TedX speaker, addressing the root causes of addiction through non-traditional approaches to recovery.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in paradise! Los Cabos is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We would start the day at Viudas Beach, a private cove off the beaten path which is perfect for a morning swim. Then we would head to Cabo Yoga and Fitness for one of Coco’s to-die-for yoga classes followed by breakfast at farm-to-table restaurant Huerto. Next up would be a trip to Todos Santos, a gorgeous art community on the Pacific side, for a little shopping and oysters at beautiful restaurant Oystera. Assuming it was Thursday, we would head back through Cabo into San Jose for the art walk, where 100’s of vendors sell jewelry, paintings and clothing in the square.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Dr. Gabor Mate is my hero. His work on addiction has shifted stereotypes and transformed how we think about treatment.

Website: https://www.recoveryremix.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo.weatherford/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jo.harvey.547

Other: https://youtu.be/OJY4GkpRc7U

ted talk

Image Credits
@dreampilotfilms
@alicenerr.photography (yellow image only)