In this episode, we talk to Matt Morgan, a retired professional wrestler and currently a politician who uses his platform on issues he is most passionate about, and on the forefront, drug addiction. As a 16-year recovered drug addict, he truly has come a long way and is now helping others get recovery and help.
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Social Media Handle: @bpmattmorgan
Memorable Moments:
01:18 - I learned at a very early age that I had to work incredibly hard for something, and the more work I'm willing to put into something, the better results I'm going to see.
02:02 - I've gotten into 16 years of sobriety now under my belt from opioid addiction to doing what I feel the Lord has put me here to do. And that is to help as many people struggling with addiction as I did every single day.
02:34 - I do believe the Lord made me a wrestler, made me seven feet tall, and made me all these different things to use one day to get people's attention… My job is to use it as a platform to put a spotlight on important issues that I'm very passionate about. Drug addiction is at the top of them.
06:23 - The face of addiction is every color of the rainbow. It's every race, every creed, or every religion, short, tall, fat, skinny, funny, unfunny. It's an equal-opportunity butt kicker. And I think it's my job to get that message out there to show everybody that no, it's not the dude under the overpass on a floor with a needle hanging out of his arm, homeless. That's not a drug addict. It's so much more vast than that.
11:21 - My addiction specialist made the mistake of telling me he's never had somebody he's worked with who has never relapsed. It's a normal part of the process. If it happens, we just get back on the wagon. It's no big deal… But what stuck in my head because I'm weird, and I'm very competitive is that he's never had somebody that didn't relapse before. So I treat it like a sport and said I’d be this guy's first. So anytime I'd want to use after two or three days of not using, I wouldn't do it because I wanted to prove this guy wrong—that you can do it without relapsing.
12:16 - Everybody's different. It was a different story. Our struggle is going to be different. But if it gets to that point where it's so myopic, where you're flipping out, like I was in that intersection, because it's too stressful, calm everything down, slow everything down and say, “All I got to do is stay sober for just five more minutes.”
16:57 - I knocked on all their doors not once, not twice, but three times and talked to these residents to find out what their needs were, what they wanted to see done in the city that really wasn't too far off what I want for my own son—a safe community for him to grow up and prosper that has more special needs services in this community as well.
17:55 - Most of my support came from my community who wanted to see a change and wanted to see somebody that had no ties.
18:27 - Nobody could tell you what to do one way or the other.
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This podcast is hosted by Allison Walsh and Dr. Angela Phillips. It is produced by Allison Walsh, Savannah Eckstrom, and Nicole LaNeve. If you’re interested in being a guest on this podcast, please visit www.therecoveryvillage.com/dearmindyoumatter.
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Allison: 00:02
Hello and welcome to the dear mind, do you matter podcast? My name is Allison Walsh. I'm a longtime mental health advocate and vice president at Advanced Recovery Systems. On each episode I will be joined by my colleague and clinical expert, Dr. Angela Phillips. This show along with our mental health and wellness app, Nobu are just some of the ways we're working to provide you with actionable tips and tools to take really good care of yourself each and every day. So sit back, relax and grab your favorite note taking device, it's time to fill your mind with things that matter.
Angela: 00:36
Welcome to this week's conversation with Matt Morgan. Matt is a former WWE superstar former American gladiator two time mayor in the city of Longwood, and currently along with city commissioner and Advanced Recovery Systems Senior Community Outreach Coordinator in Orlando, Florida. welcome mat. I am so excited to welcome our guests this week. Matt Morgan. Matt, welcome to the dear mind you matter podcast? Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? And what got you to where you are today?
Matt Morgran 01:05
Oh my god. That's a loaded question. I was born with two learning disabilities. So my earlier childhood, a primary education was spent in special back then what was called Special Education. But learned at a very early age, I had to work incredibly hard for something and the more work I'm willing to put into something the results I'm going to see. So I was able to see that at grade one, grade two, and really work my butt off because I knew I had to outwork the other kids to get better grades. Long story short, that's been my mantra for my whole life. I might not be the smartest person in the room, I might not be the best person in the room. But I'll always be the hardest working person in any room I believe I walk into. And that's led me to so many different things. This led me to become a former WWE professional wrestler, it's led me to become an American Gladiator. It's led me to more recently become the mayor right now in the city of Longwood. Most importantly, I would argue, once I've gotten my 16 years of sobriety now under my belt, from opioid addiction, to doing what I feel the Lord has put me here to do. And that is help as many people struggling with addiction like I did, every single day. And now really hitting that pinnacle, if you will, in that space by working with the one the only advanced recovery systems, particularly Orlando Recovery Center, I think it was all that plant my job is to use my platform, in my opinion, of being what others would say is being a celebrity, you'll never hear me say that that's way too cocky. But I do believe the Lord made me a wrestler made me seven feet tall, made me all these different things, to use one day to get people's attention. You shouldn't look up to celebrities, you should look up to Mom and Dad, you should look up to your police, your fire your teachers, your nurses, people that are our everyday heroes, in my opinion. But I know that's how our society works, though. So my job is to again use it as a platform to put a spotlight Hello floodlight on important issues that I'm very passionate about. Drug addiction is the top of them.
Angela: 03:03
That's amazing, just so many things that you've accomplished, and that your story is so inspiring to so many. And again, congratulations on I think 16 and a half years of sobriety now. So tell us a little bit more about what that journey has been like for you. I'd imagine being in the throes of addiction, you weren't sitting there imagining the kind of position that you're in now. And even after that, you're just dipping your toes into so many different things, share what that's been like for you and how you got on that path and ended up where you are,
Matt Morgran 03:32
like 80% of all other opioid addiction, I should say, starts with a prescription pack, as we know statistics show. But even with that, I don't like saying that because that puts all the shade and the heat on the doctor. Whereas I know I'm an addict. So I know my personality. If it wasn't that it would have been something else. But I was a functioning addict was made it even harder to spot my entire tenure with WWE. I'm a functioning addict, you just can't tell. Because I'm functioning. It was harder for me to spot until a year into it. I would say my addiction, very blessed to eventually see the likes, yeah, I needed help, and finally reached out and got that help. And once I did, and I got out of treatment. The real work began on recovery in an outpatient setting where I could go screw up at any given minute and go use and I was really nervous about that I was had panic attacks and anxiety attacks over it. Until eventually our sobriety became a day or a week or a month. And I'll be honest, after maybe two years of my sobriety, it all feels like it was in my rear view at that point. I wasn't constantly being pulled in a direction to want to go, you know, use drugs, but very early on because I was the first active professional wrestler to come out and talk so openly. I got my career back on track wrestling and American Gladiators were lucky. And back then you didn't talk about your addiction because who would want to sign you to an expensive lucrative contract knowing it any given time you could relapse, people don't want bad PR. It wasn't at a place that it is today in society where you get that attaboy that pat on the butt, go get them. We're proud of you. Kind of like how today today is mental health is incredibly serious. Everybody wants to have a part in it. And it's very different back then 2007 was not like that. So I'm saying that because I went against the grain. And I saw a locker room full of other addicts, quite frankly, functioning as well, some not so functioning. And I felt like okay, there's a bigger calling here. And my dad kind of called it out before my father passed, my dad passed have a brain tumor. We had our last conversation together when he was still of mind, unable to communicate. And I'll never forget, he always felt that wrestling was like a vehicle. He didn't know what I was going to do with my life. But it was felt it was I'm supposed to be using it for something bigger. And we never put our thumb or finger on what that something bigger was because I definitely didn't think it would be politics or being a mayor. That's for sure. That was something good Lord, not even in the cards. But now it's helping others get recovery, get help, and also show the world that there's no such thing as the face of addiction. I hate when people say that there's no such thing as that. That's a corny cliche. When people you'll see commercials on the face of addiction on the face of addiction know, the face of the addiction is every color of the rainbow. It's every race, every creed or every religion, short, tall, fat, skinny, funny, unfunny. It's an equal opportunity. buttkicker. And I think it's my job to get that message out there to show everybody. It's so much more vast than that. And that's why it's a big problem. I feel like my dad was right, like wrestling is this sizzle, if you will gets people's attention, right? Oh, my God, you got action figure? That's so cool. Yes, I do. And did you know I'm a 16 year recover data? No, I did not. You know what I mean? So the stick behind this sizzle, obviously, is trying to get people out. It sounds
Angela: 06:55
like your dad was hitting the nail on the head wasn't quite sure where you're gonna go, but knew there was something special there and that something would come of it. So I'm sure you're just always thinking back to those moments and remembering what that meant and can kind of use that to propel you forward. Do you still feel a lot of connection to him? Or how does that resonate with you today?
Matt Morgran 07:15
Yes, not to be morbid. But when he did pass, he was pretty much. And I did take some of his actions and attach to them into my arms a very, very big part of me. But I will argue people like oh, it's pretty cool. You're a mayor and things like that. I'll argue right now that doesn't even hold the candle, in my opinion, doing the Lord's work and trying to help others get help. I really mean that. Because this is all fleeting. In my opinion, I mean, respect to my elected position, and those that voted for me, I want to be clear, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but the wrestling American gladiator to be in the movies, being on TV shows being on Celebrity Family Feud, video games, action figures, all these things, I'm probably sound really arrogant, saying right now, these are all very fleeting things. When I die, and I'm being buried, I don't get to take any of that stuff with me. And nobody's gonna care about any of that stuff. My job is to leave a lasting impression, maybe using some of those things as the vehicle to get there. But the real life changing things that I feel I was put here to do to help people with drug addiction is definitely the top of the hill for those for me.
Allison: 08:15
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or mental health issues, we encourage you to reach out to us today. Advanced Recovery Systems is a leading behavioral health care company with locations across this country. Don't hesitate, call us today at 855-409-1753. That's 855-409-1753 help is just a phone call away.
Angela: 08:40
So you've mentioned this period of time that so many people experience when they're struggling with addiction and recovery, you're really starting to make those incremental steps. So you just getting through hours, then you're getting through days, weeks months, can you share a little bit about what you feel like on retrospect really helped you get from sort of point A to B to C and just really continue on that path. Even when you felt like you know, the last thing that you wanted to do, what was the most helpful for you
Matt Morgran 09:09
going into rehab ended up being easier, and I thought it would be because again, I can't mess up. I'm in this huge structure of a setting where I can't use drugs. And obviously, I don't want to say cocky, but I got very confident that I've got this licked after two weeks of being in there. And then when I got out, I'm sitting in the middle of a four way intersection driving just like a normal day. And I remember having this huge panic attack. And I'm looking around to my wife like I don't know what's happening because I'm having a heart attack. I don't know why this is happening. I'm like it's as simple as a four way intersection. How hard is that? That's not hard. It's not stressful. But to be honest, it was something as basic and mundane is a four way intersection. Because I over the years have been doing what I've been numbing my brain and we scenario every four hours around the clock I was taking 80 to 120 on the upper end milligram hydro Roxy Coda I did that for five straight years. So there's no scenario you can create right now, which things aren't going great in your world. Let's say that I wasn't high four. So therefore num two on how to respond to that. So now that's a very basic setting four way intersection at a stoplight, and there's so many people around me, there's cars coming next to me, and I'm in the middle lane. But it was, it caused me to have a panic attack. I'll never forget it. It scared me going, this is going to be the new normal. How am I going to do this? I can't go through this every day. If I can't handle a four way intersection with lots of traffic, what am I going to do in the real world? At the time, Will I ever be able to back to pro wrestling? I remember thinking because I know I needed to take a break from it to not be around other addicts, because you get rid of people places and things, which I did. And then a little by little just started to add. Like I was saying earlier minute became an hour an hour became a day they became a month. And if you're in the moment, like I was somebody's watching this right now and you're struggling, and you don't think you can do it. Like yeah, you think you can do good, put the day together, maybe two days together. But I don't know it is for those of you watching this that might still be using but for me, I would try to sabotage myself, I would think, Okay, I'll do three days, three days, it's great. I don't ever break after three days, right? And go back and try to use again. But I wouldn't. I'll tell you why my addiction specialist made the mistake of telling me he's never had somebody he's worked with, has never relapsed. It's a normal part of that process. If it happens, we just get back on the wagon. It's no big deal. And I'm gonna be like, why would you tell me that now you just set me up to go relapse. Now you've rationalized it for me Don't do that. But what's stuck in my head because I'm weird, and I'm very competitive, very competitive, is he said he's never had somebody that didn't relapse before. So from there, that's what I put in my head. And so treat it like a sport, I'm going to be this guy's first. So anytime I'd want to use after two or three days of not using, let's say, on the fourth or third or fourth day, I wouldn't do it because I wanted to prove this guy wrong, that you can do it without relapsing. And I swear as God is my witness, I've never relapsed once. And never in touch this doc since teeth pulled since I've had major, major surgeries injuries have not touched it once, even for the real reason why it's put on the planet for it in the form of painkillers that is no. So again, everybody's different. It was kind of a different story. It was struggle is going to be different. But I swear to God is my witness that if it gets to that point where it's so myopic, where you're flipping out, like I wasn't for the intersection, because it's too stressful, calm everything now slow everything down and say, Oh, I gotta do is stay sober for just five more minutes, I can do five more minutes, pull the car over, breathe, and deep breathe out. Not everybody is a professional meditator. I know that. But if you can just catch your breath, and really see what it is, you'll almost feel ridiculous. Like, I know I did. Not that you should feel ridiculous for that. Because our brain is still reteaching itself, like mine was in that moment. But it also showed me just how much more work I still got to do, Angela, and because what am I going to do in the real world? If that made me flip out and really struggle mentally? What am I going to do if I'm taking on a job or just basic job duty? And I don't like what the boss tells me? And how can I handle that. So again, my advice is one I had amazing addiction specialists that I would talk to every day, five days a week, I have to go see him for an hour. And it worked. Because I was able to get all my stuff out. While my emotions out of why I was using to begin with, I was able to take his five minutes to turn to an hour and bigger and so on and put my recovery under my belt little by little.
Angela: 13:25
That's amazing. And I think obviously, being an athlete and having that background behind you, you probably are pretty good at figuring out things that motivate you to get the job done. Yeah. So it sounds like you immediately kicked into gear for you. And you said, okay, this person saying I can't do this, or this is typically what happens and I'm going to prove them wrong. And to your point, we all have to figure out what that thing is that works for us. But that was a great strengths based approach, I think that you use to really tap into okay, I know that this is and unbeknownst to you probably something that is a strength for me that I can figure out what's going to make me tick in the sense that I can come back and really make this a motivating factor to stay sober. And so I love that.
Allison: 14:11
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Angela: 14:39
In regards to some of these things that you've mentioned, that may not be your legacy, but certainly will be part of how you're remembered someday but obviously, who you are right now is politics and sort of how you're involved there. So what got you interested in to that in the first
Matt Morgran 14:55
place? I'm a father of a beautiful little nonverbal autistic eight year old son by then Name of Jackson Morgan. And it took us 12 years to have children were told we can't have kids, in fact, went to eat out of IVF with Ixy. If you know anything about that, that's super expensive. None of them worked. I was told I couldn't have kids by myself. Larissa, my wife was told she can't have kids by herself. So collectively, just negative percentage chance of having kids that was us. So 12 years into it. She naturally got pregnant and holding him for the first time that delivery room is January 7 2014. And never forget, that was the day clicked in my head. I'm done. I remember my wife being done with what like wrestling I'm doing. I'm retiring. And she's like, you're about to go back to WWE right now. And that is huge re debut and you character, Matt, that's a big contract. You sure? And I'm like, Yeah, I am. I just begged the Lord for 12 straight years to give me this blessing and areas in my hands. I'm now going to go on the road five days a week of every week of every month of every year to be away from him. No, no, no, no. So very quickly. Now that I'm a dad, I'm watching where our money goes fine. I'm now paying attention. I'm now watching the news for the first time, which is probably embarrassing for me, but that's the truth. And most importantly, how do I leave my indelible thumbprint on the community and world my kid is going to grow up and then you realize that's not so novel. Every parent has that feeling. And talking with my neighbors. They all one by one, like you need to run for office here in Longwood, you'd be perfect. We've had guys that have been doing this for 20 plus years. They're really a neutral. They're not as passionate about it. You really need to think about this. And I'm like, I hate politics. I hate politicians. I have nothing in common with them. Do nothing. I'm a big lunkhead. You know, things like that. Because I'm a former wrestler, right? All the stereotypes and negative stereotypes. So it was all about my son in the beginning. And I started at the door knock and knock on everybody's we live in a 16,000 residents city here in small little city of Longwood, I knocked on all their doors not once, not twice, but three times and talk to these residents found out what their needs were, what did they want to see done in the city that really wasn't too far off what I want for my own son, a safe community, for him to grow up and prosper, and also having more special needs services in this community as well. That's really how it started.
Angela: 17:06
That's amazing. And again, just finding things that are so personal and important to you as motivation towards leveling up going to that next thing that's really going to make a bigger impact. I think a lot of people similar to yourself, except for you took that leap. Just don't think that like you said either they have the experience. They're kind of standing in their own way. They may be self sabotaging, but you really just went for it. So it's such an amazing thing to just feel that you have the ability to do that. Would you say that there were people in your life that you really felt supported by that really helped you to do that? Or what was that feeling that you had that made it so that you felt like you could do that against all odds, it's sort of that self talk that you mentioned,
Matt Morgran 17:45
I think I'm more most of my support came from my community that wanted to see a change, they wanted to see somebody that had no ties. And I ran originally as a no party affiliate. So now I'm right in the middle, where I'm not tied down to a party at the time, this was back in 2017. And again, I started getting index cards in my mailbox posted notes that the sticky notes on my front door of people trying to convince me to run because I started hearing these rumors that I was thinking about it. And is the end all be all message was, look, nobody's hands are in your pocket. Nobody could tell you what to do one way or the other. They're exactly what we need. And that gave me confidence. Because they were on board for that. Yeah, he doesn't have experience. But he's trueblue. He's a great dad. And he's so he's just like us. And he's willing to take this risk of putting himself out there and something that he could lose and be embarrassed by potentially, and he's willing to do it because he wants to improve our community. Hell yeah, sign me up, I'll help him out. And that's what it started to become. And then I'm very blessed. I have almost a million followers on my social media that helped me a great deal about constantly when I would campaign making videos, if my opponent put out something negative about me or lying about me, I'd flip it immediately by taking my phone out putting the camera on me. And going over to me I learned like I don't know what this is about, and why he would post send this out to you guys. But if you got a lie that should tell you something, don't lie about this, what else are they gonna walk about? And I would just review anything, they will lie about me for the advantage of social media to help me in that regard. But mainly this community here.
Angela: 19:19
That's amazing. And so clearly that shows and says a lot about your character that you had so many people who just immediately or were behind you and wanted to support you. And I'm sure that was such an amazing feeling. Before we move on to kind of wrap things up, I wanted you to just throw out there. You've been through a lot. You've accomplished a lot. You're sitting where I think many people just look up to you so much. What do you have in terms of tips on just managing your mental health and wellness every day? Do you have a routine what's in that just give us some highlights of what's worked well for you to really maintain where you're at
Matt Morgran 19:54
previously before starting work for ARS, particularly Orlando recovery center, I wouldn't say it would have been the gym. I've always said this for many years, the gym is my shrinks couch, quote unquote, it really is. Because you're able to get so much angst out, you're able to get so much adrenaline out, or have it run for that matter, and endorphins, and especially those that are in recovery. Right now. Working out is a natural drug. It really is. But as a huge, but now what I liked most about ARs for the first time in my lifetime, this might show how old I am. Or how behind the times I may be, but very first time in my life ever heard the term? You need to have a self care day today? I'm like, what, what the hell is that? What is it self care that being all macho and tough guy and cool and non cool guy. And it was explained to me I'm like, hold on. So I think you guys will be super impressed. Because I've not missed a day of work. I have the most meetings the most inservices the most visits, the most calls, I'm crushing it right? Statistically, in my head, I'm thinking all these things. That's all well and good math, but none of its going to be any good. If you burn out. And you need to stop and smell the roses and slow down and take a self care day, they would have to like, force it on me. Because I'm super statistically driven, very statistically driven. And I love talking to people on the phone about getting them help. Like this seems like work to me what we do, I swear it doesn't ARS Long story short, my higher ups, both Ryan and Ryan and Joshua. But it all comes from my opinion, of really pushing that mental health component of even what we do. We're taking care of so many other people, we need to stop and be able to do it for ourselves too. And I learned I'm 10 times stronger, because I now will take that self care day. Because when I first heard that I'm like, What am I gonna do go get my nails done? Am I gonna go get my hair blow dry? What does that mean? It's me going to the gym, it's me hanging out with my son or my wife, it's me maybe going to Disney World that day with that, whatever it is, it's me not being pulled in the direction of the stress from work at times. And that recharges me so I can be 10 to 20 times stronger than I originally would have if I didn't learn how to check my ego at the door, and understand how important it is to take one of those days when I need one. And I took one finally, last week, and they were proud of me. They were proud of me for finally doing.
Angela: 22:21
We are so proud of you, man, you could take care of yourself care day, I think you bring up a really good point, though, is that for many of us, and sometimes this is gender specific, we have this idea of what a self care day means. And no matter who you are and what you subscribe to, it's whatever you need. And sometimes it takes a while to figure that out. But it is really important. It may be a day it may be a part of your day might be a part of your lifestyle. But I think a lot of people are finally getting into that headspace no pun intended where we really understand right what that means for us. And we can kind of whether we call it self care or not, we can give ourselves what we need. And sometimes that's just a break from the things that stress us out. And that might even be good stress, but it still impacts our body. And so it's so important that you bring that up Summit, we're out of time. But there's a question we ask all of our guests. And that is with where you're at in your life right now. What matters most to you, my family,
Matt Morgran 23:14
my wife, my son, my mother, my dad along the way that still matters me just as much if he was here. And the Lord. I'm nothing without his vehicle. And I'll continue to do that satellite can be its vehicle.
Angela: 23:27
Amazing. No hesitation there. I love it. Thank you so much for joining us today. Matt, can you please share how our listeners can follow you on social media or otherwise?
Matt Morgran 23:37
Sure, at BP, like the gas station at BP, Matt Morgan is my Twitter and Instagram up for blueprint, as well as just Matt Morgan on Facebook. That's it.
Angela: 23:48
Awesome. Well, thanks again, Matt. And we hope to talk to you again very, very soon.
Matt Morgran 23:53
Yeah, thank you, Angela.
Angela: 23:57
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. If you're not already subscribed, we hope you join us regularly. And please leave us a five star review wherever you get your podcasts if you enjoyed the show. We hope that this podcast is beneficial to you and your wellness journey. Deer mind you matter is brought to you by Nobu, a new mental health and wellness app. You can download it today using the link in our show notes. We will talk to you next time and until then remember you and your mind matter