Podcast Summary: “Rob Tomlinson: Nashville Music Industry Leader on Addiction Recovery and Healing in Music”

Podcast: takin’ a walk (iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Sarah Harrelson
Date: December 3, 2025
Guest: Rob Tomlinson, care manager at Recovery Unplugged, Nashville

Overview

This episode of “Taking a Walk Nashville” features an intimate and inspiring conversation between host Sarah Harrelson and Rob Tomlinson, a Nashville-based music industry leader and care manager at Recovery Unplugged. The main theme centers on the interplay of addiction, recovery, and music’s unique power to heal, as well as Rob’s personal journey through sobriety, his work with Recovery Unplugged, and the profound ways music therapy and community engagement support long-term recovery. They also reflect on challenges faced by creatives in the music industry and the organization’s mission to break stigma and bring connection to those struggling with addiction.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rob’s Personal Story and Path to Recovery Unplugged

• Background: Rob is himself in long-term recovery, marking 13 years sober as of the week of recording (03:03).
• Music and Recovery’s Significance: Rob shares how music has been his “best friend” throughout life, accompanying him through both lows and highs.
• Career Path: Initially worked in treatment in Philadelphia during the fentanyl epidemic but left due to emotional burnout. Relocated to Nashville to pursue music full-time, got signed—then COVID-19 changed everything.
• Return to Treatment Work: Reflected on what made him happiest: helping others in recovery, especially through music-based therapy groups. Humbled himself to start in an entry-level job at Recovery Unplugged, worked his way up to Campaign Manager overseeing national programs including “Sober Sessions.”
  • Quote: "My main initiative is do as much dope shit as possible for the recovery community and for the mental health community. And just to show that you can have fun sober and not have to worry about substance or whatever in order to feel connected." (06:10)

2. Recovery Unplugged—Origins and Approach

• Founding Story: Recovery Unplugged was started by Richie Supa, Aerosmith’s manager and a long-time sober advocate. Richie instituted live performance “Feel Good Fridays” at treatment facilities. (07:02)
• Growth: Now spans seven locations, with over 13 years of operation.
• Impactful Stories: Alumni like Adam David, who won “The Voice,” started as a Feel Good Fridays performer during his own rehab, reflecting the ripple effect and transformative potential of music in recovery.

3. Healing Power of Music in Recovery

• Connection vs. Addiction: Rob emphasizes the adage "the opposite of addiction is connection," spotlighting music’s ability to cut through fear and emotional walls in ways traditional therapy sometimes cannot. (09:15)
  • Memorable Example: Running a group where he played “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd. One woman, grieving her daughter’s addiction-related death, was finally able to process that loss through the music.
    • Quote: “Music, for me, it cuts through everything. It allows me to get to a place of vulnerability and safety that maybe years of therapy would have to get to.” (09:45)
• Social Media as Outreach: Rob shares how Recovery Unplugged’s online presence allows them to reach people in crisis who aren’t yet ready for treatment, but benefit from relatable music-anchored content.

4. Music Therapy vs. Music as Treatment

• Realities at Recovery Unplugged: Not all facilitators are certified music therapists; rather, all clinical therapists are master’s level, but music is integrated through modalities (e.g., “recovery playlists,” songwriting exercises) as a powerful, non-traditional healing tool. (12:36)
  • “We do a little bit of everything... A lot of people have degrees in, like, real life experience. And in the world of addiction, having a lot of knowledge and a lot of clinical background is absolutely important. But it takes a village in order to elevate someone to get to the truth of who they are.” (14:43)

5. Addressing the Music Industry’s Unique Challenges

• Reframing the Role of Music: Many clients are creative professionals or artists with a fraught relationship to music. Rob discusses helping them reframe their identity—music isn’t the problem or their whole self, but one aspect of their humanity.
  • Personal Reflection: “When I got clean, my relationship with music changed. It wasn’t about, let me do this cool magic trick to show you how talented I am. It was, how can I do this thing to let you not feel alone? Because I know what that feeling is like.” (16:32)
  • Empathy and Identity: He encourages clients to see music as “10% of who I am, not 100%”—reminding them that their worth is greater than their art. (18:35)
  • Quote: “If the product fails, then all of a sudden that is like, Oh, my God, I failed. But that’s not true. You have to be able to understand that the foundation is, like, okay, as any product, you have to learn what works, what doesn’t work, but also be able to dissociate yourself from the product.” (18:52)

6. Rob’s Healing Anthems

• Personal Healing Songs:
  • “After the Storm” by Mumford & Sons (20:09)
  • “Endless” by Pine Grove
  • “A Little Bit of Everything” by Dawes
• Reflection: These songs connect Rob to the full spectrum of human emotion, helping him accept and process both happiness and struggle.

7. How to Engage and Support Recovery Unplugged

• Getting Involved: Visit recoveryunplugged.com
• Support Approach: "If we can't help you, we will find someone to help you. Whether you have insurance or not, whether you have money or not... let us be the resource to help you." (21:30)
• 24/7 Admissions: Open phone lines, and a commitment to support anyone seeking help, directly or through referrals.

8. Favorite Nashville Walking Spots

• Rob’s Pick: Percy Warner Park, Mossy Ridge Trail—“Sacred ground for me. I’ve had the most conversations with the God of my understanding there and it’s free and it’s beautiful.” (22:36)

9. Closing Thoughts & Encouragement

• Rob’s Message: “Just know that if you’re a musician and you’re struggling or you know, you’re not a musician and you’re struggling to just reach out, whether it’s to us, to a family member, just reach out. I promise you it is the hardest thing to do in the world, but it’s giving up one thing to gain everything.” (23:49)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Music’s Transformative Role:
  • “Music kind of always been like my best friend... there’s just so much power in it.” — Rob Tomlinson (03:14)
• On the Power of Community and “Sober Sessions”:
  • “The disease of addiction is horrifying and insidious in so many ways. But recovery is so much stronger if it’s utilized in a way that... music can kind of like drive as the vehicle for it.” (07:54)
• On Honest Recovery:
  • “Experience over opinions... if that experience can be applied as many times as possible on a daily basis, I’m doing a good job.” (11:40)
• On Identity:
  • “Music is not the problem. Like, I’m the problem... if you can go down that journey of understanding that you’re a human being first... music can be just 10% of who I am and not 100% of who I am.” (18:35)

Important Timestamps

• Rob’s Recovery Journey: 03:03 – 06:54
• Origins of Recovery Unplugged: 07:02 – 08:53
• How Live Music Heals: 09:15 – 12:16
• Music Therapy vs. Music as Treatment: 12:36 – 15:11
• Reframing Music’s Role in Recovery: 15:41 – 19:59
• Rob’s Healing Songs: 20:09 – 21:14
• How to Support & Contact Recovery Unplugged: 21:26 – 22:22
• Favorite Place in Nashville: 22:36 – 23:20
• Final Message: 23:49

Conclusion

This episode offers a candid, compassionate look at the intersection of music and recovery, grounded in Rob Tomlinson’s personal experience and Recovery Unplugged’s innovative programs. Listeners are invited into the world of creative professionals in recovery, the often-unspoken challenges they face, and the hope that connection and music can bring. The conversation is heartfelt and full of practical encouragement for anyone seeking help, connection, or inspiration—musician or not.