We were lucky to catch up with Travis Sackett recently and have shared our conversation below.
Travis, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My resiliency stems from building upon small victories to generate momentum and eventually overcome great hurdles. I have faced countless hardships in life, the most challenging arose when I suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2013.
At the time the injury occurred, I lost my ability to write and was severely struggling with speech. Instead of simply giving up, I devoted countless hours to relearning how to form letters. After several weeks of agonizing practice, I was able to write short sentences. Eventually, those sentences grew into paragraphs. Roughly nine months after the injury, I was effectively writing short papers.
Several years after the brain injury, I wrote and published a best-selling memoir titled, My Life with Karma. The book details my story of recovery and has helped countless others overcome obstacles they are facing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My professional career began in law enforcement, where I served as a Dignitary Protection Officer for two of Wisconsin’s governors. While working in law enforcement, I also became heavily involved with powerlifting. When I wasn’t at work, I was likely at the gym, which I considered my iron sanctuary. While training for a national powerlifting competition, I initially injured my lower back. The injury, which was of a structural nature, only got worse as time went on. Ultimately, I tried to work through the injury, only to be betrayed by back spasms and a complete lack of mobility. When I finally saw a doctor, I was to the point where I was having difficulty with basic functions, such as tying my shoes and using the bathroom. The doctor informed me that I had two herniated discs that would likely need surgery. He referred me to a specialist and sent me home with a prescription for three different medications. One was to help with sleep, the other to mitigate the spasms, and finally Oxycontion for the pain. This is where my relationship with Oxycontin began.
Within the next few months, I became hooked on the addictive opioid pain medication. As my tolerance to the medication grew, I found myself consuming my prescription at an alarming rate. Once I ran out of the prescribed medication, I began seeking alternatives to alleviate my pain. In my quest for relief, I started working with a drug dealer. Before I knew it, I had developed an extremely costly habit, and was spending thousands of dollars on veterinarian grade pain medication being imported from Canada.
Eventually, I began stealing to support my habit. After approximately seven months of living in a destructive cycle of theft and addiction, I got caught. After being arrested, I lost my career in law enforcement, my wife, our new home, and basically everything I had worked to create.
Addiction forced me to be humble and rebuild from rock bottom. The process of finding recovery and maintaining sobriety ultimately became my primary focus in life. Slowly, with time and transparency, I was able to retake control over my life. Through the power of connection, I also built relationships with individuals who had similar struggles. These associations became the foundation of my recovery.
Today, I utilize my lived experience to serve as an advocate for those seeking recovery without a voice.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three most impactful areas of growth that helped me move forward with my recovery were connection, transparency, and learning to be comfortable with change.
Connecting with others, especially those also struggling with substance use disorder, made me feel less terminally unique. I discovered that I was able to learn from what others had already experienced without suffering the same hardships. Connection also provided pathways to new opportunities which helped me move forward in life.
Practicing transparency, or simply being truthful despite feeling of shame and guilt, helped mend broken relationships. Being honest, and asking for help when I needed it, also provided the assistance I needed to make progress. Without transparency, others would not have known what I needed or how they could better assist me. By implementing a policy of transparency into my daily life, I found the path to becoming my authentic self.
Finally, we can all agree that change is hard. By embracing change, as opposed to continuously fighting against it, I was able to procure small victories. Once I saw that a pattern of encompassing change equated to additional success, I became less reluctant to participate in the process. Becoming an active participant in my outcomes empowered me to want to do more with the time I’m given.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Writing and publishing a book of my own has proven to the most rewarding and cathartic experience. Composing My Life with Karma exposed some areas of my life that once carried extreme feelings of shame and guilt. However, after receiving feedback from many readers, I realized these topics also connected individuals that were struggling to my journey.
Ultimately, people were able to relate to my battles and find hope that if I “made it out,” they could as well. In My Life with Karma I wrote, “by responding with grace, we can treat one another with equality and justice. Through the act of providing undeserved love, we can change one’s outcome, and potentially their individual narrative moving forward.” I believe that just one moment of kindness can make all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637304544
- Instagram: www.linkedin.com/in/travis-sackett-92495755
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travis.sackett.1
