TRLP 058: Dustin Scott on Recovery, Regulation, and Loving People Well

The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins

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My guest is Dustin Scott — husband, dad to a miracle five-year-old named Roman, and a leader who’s spent years walking with people through recovery. He’s from Tucson, Arizona, and recently shifted from working in addiction recovery to teaching theology—because, as he says, “recovery is spiritual formation.”

In this episode, Dustin and I talk about what it really means to let Jesus meet us in our mess instead of waiting to get our act together first. We dig into why slowing down to breathe—really breathe—isn’t some new-age trick, but a way to remember that God’s Spirit still fills our lungs like He did in Genesis 2.

We also talk about the tension leaders live in: bringing peace to others while fighting for it ourselves, holding joy and pain in the same hand, and realizing that fixing a problem isn’t the same as healing a soul.

Dustin shares the incredible story of his son Roman’s birth—a miracle that came after years of heartbreak—and how that experience reshaped his view of faith, leadership, and what it means to walk with a limp but still lead with love.

We end up where Philippians 2 points us: Jesus came close, so we can, too. Whether it’s addiction, anxiety, or just the everyday chaos of life, formation happens when we stay close enough to let Him shape us through it.

Connect with Dustin: Recovery Formation on Substack

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