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There are some people who make you want to lace up your shoes, grab your dog, and see where the trail takes you. John Sorenson is one of them.
He’s equal parts long-haired hippy and Air Force veteran, a man who will talk about the desert like it’s a cathedral and running like it’s worship. He’s also the kind of person who refuses to let himself down, whether that means staying steady in treatment, showing up for self-care, or curating the next Phoenix event with the kind of joy that makes people forget they’re supposed to be “in recovery” and instead makes them remember they’re alive.
John was one of the very first Phoenix volunteers in Las Vegas, and if you ask him, he’ll tell you that Vegas is more than bright lights and chaos. It’s his home: the place that raised him as a young airman, tried to swallow him whole, and now keeps him rooted in community and service.
In this interview, we talked with John about what he’s learned on the trail and in the gym, the event that still makes him smile, the myths people get wrong about veterans, and why he’ll never stop chasing that feeling of being part of something bigger than himself.
The Phoenix: You discovered The Phoenix during treatment and became one of the Vegas chapter’s first volunteers. What drew you in, and what’s kept you so committed since?
John Sorenson: The “buy-in” was simple. The Phoenix mission offered a chance for me to learn as a member, grow as a Volunteer, and serve our recovery community, doing what I like best: curating/leading events. The commitment is fueled by knowing it’s just one of the four pillars of my recovery plan, the others being steady IOP (intensive outpatient program), self-care and SMART recovery. I won’t let any of my four pillars fall.
PHX: What’s been your favorite event type to lead, and why?
JS: I think for the pure fun of having two species involved and it being one of my first events I curated, the Pups n Peeps Trail Walk has to be my go-to. I love the puppies that have brought their humans to this event. It’s so fun to see the interaction during the walks. We typically start the walk a bit chaotic because of the puppy energy involved but it never fails that we end the walk all together.
PHX: You’ve lived in Las Vegas for some time. What makes it feel like home for you?
JS: Las Vegas is home to me for many things. First duty station for my Air Force career. Arriving here at 19, I fell in Love with the lights, the 24-hour lifestyle, the constant change and growth in our Las Vegas community—we’re hockey champs of all things!
Finally, walking into my local V.A. [Veteran’s Affairs] rehab center and after 45 days of self-discovery and transparency immersion, I felt I had an obligation to myself and my city. Giving up on Las Vegas was not an option. I was simply tired of being the self-serving, self-indulging guy that I had become. Now, it’s all about servicing our Las Vegas recovery community. My soul feels good again here in Las Vegas.
PHX: How did your time in the Air Force shape the way you approach life now?
JS: One may leave the Air Force, but the Air Force never leaves you. The Air Force motto—“Aim high”—it’s a lifestyle and one that was ingrained in me for over 21 years. I credit all the great leaders who shared their experiences, guided me, taught me, and showed me the Air Force way.
In turn, I was able to provide the same ideology to the many troops who I had the pleasure of serving. It's a family of warriors who collectively take pride in protecting our nation. Walking into that lifestyle at 18 was walking into something bigger than myself. I like that feeling of working on a team whose goal is bigger than our individual selves. The Air Force helped me shape that focus of service and being part of a team, always on a mission, always aiming high.
PHX: As a Veterans Affairs Peer Supporter, what do you think people often misunderstand about veterans’ needs or strengths, especially in recovery?
JS: I think people often mistake Veteran needs as being all-inclusive, as in one treatment for the masses. That didn’t work out so well with some Vets returning from Iraq or Afghanistan.
We may wear one uniform, but inside that uniform is an individual with individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses. I’ve seen the V.A. take a turn for the better by adding “Whole Health” to their care model, which includes veteran participation—both individual and group—in many health programs, thus identifying Veteran needs a lot more. This is evident in VA Recovery programs across the country.
I chose to attend LVR3 (Las Vegas Residential Recovery and Renewal) at my local V.A., graduating after 45 days of self-discovery. While there, I went to my roots as a veteran, leveraging the strengths learned right from basic training and throughout my career— structure, commitment, service and leadership values—to gain significant ground in my recovery program.
Every veteran has the same opportunities, and I invite each to participate in their own self-discovery and recovery, and to leave it all on the field.
PHX: We know you love to run. What does running give you—mentally, physically, spiritually—that keeps you lacing up again and again?
JS: It is the very raw and real me. I’ve run so long (since junior high) that it’s become both a physical and mental purge, a great way to get inside my headspace and stay in some kind of decent shape.
I am able to connect with John (that third person) during the long mileage days. It’s not about racking up fast miles anymore; it’s about the content of those miles. It’s the mental chess game to manage the physical experience, and the deep dive into my headspace to clear things up, to organize for the days and weeks to come, or to shake off those thoughts and feelings of using.
It’s definitely a spiritual journey as 99% of my runs are in the desert or mountain trails. Being out there, mostly alone, is a cleansing of my soul. Each mile is earned, and each run is a gift, an opportunity to get right with myself, especially with recovery. Running is my life vest. I call it: vertical church.
PHX: Recovery and endurance sports both require grit. Do you see a connection between the two in your own life?
JS: Recovery and running are all about being with the right people, places and things. The correlation for both is that recovery and running are a lifelong journey, not something that’s one and done.
There are several moving parts that simultaneously work together for recovery and running: perspective, self-care, motivation, the hurt (both mentally and physically, social connections, emotional and mental benefits, and the pure love for oneself.
Yes, both recovery and running take some grit, but at the end of the day, the effort put into each journey makes my heart feel that much better.
PHX: From your perspective, what’s one thing Las Vegas gets right about supporting recovery and one thing it still needs?
JS: Las Vegas, a.k.a. “Sin City” (and believe me, we have it all). I think Las Vegas has made great strides towards recovery awareness. I’ve been in Las Vegas since 1989, and I’ve seen remarkable growth and continued investment in the recovery community.
We know that we have more vices here than most major cities and we’re still one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. I am very proud of the Las Vegas community for recognizing the need for recovery groups of all genres. One thing I think we need, like most major cities, is support for those without adequate housing, especially after leaving a recovery program.
PHX: You work as a Pharmacy Benefits Manager. What’s one part of that job you wish people knew about or had more insight into?
JS: I love this career. Helping health insurance members get their medications is very satisfying.
Typical members sign up for a plan and, until they need it, may not understand how it works. The use of one’s health insurance can, at times, become an emotional experience.
Working on the forensic details of a health plan as a Pharmacy Benefits Manager takes a lot of empathy, consideration and compassion for what the patient is required to have from the medicinal perspective. Assisting those with long-term maintenance medications, those right out of surgery, those in hospice care, or the mother of a newborn with a debilitating condition takes some emotional navigation skills to advise how best to use their health plans.
I’ve been at this career for the past five years and am not going anywhere.
PHX: Looking ahead, what do you hope your legacy with The Phoenix and in your community will be?
JS: I am having so much fun. I really am.
The freedom to meet great people and invite them to our growing tribe, provide services, curate (events and lead those events), is where I feel at home. The fact that I can be a small cog in a super progressive wheel is simply fabulous. Every day I get to engage with people I trust, love and honor.
I plan on being that cog for many years, but when the day comes when I cross the inevitable bridge in my Birkenstocks, I would hope people would say about me, “Oh yeah, John, that long-haired hippy dude who took our recovery group for a walk with our dogs? Yeah, I remember him, he always said: The Phoenix: it’s where the cool kids come to play.”