See the Possibility:  Joe Roberts, The Skid Row CEO, On Addiction in the Family

Joe Roberts, also known as “The Skid Row CEO,” held the audience at Distinguished Advisor Conference (DAC) rapt with his moving personal story of addiction and recovery. Revealing the power of having difficult conversations with clients, Joe showed how trusted advisors can take their work to another level, especially in making financial plans for those who are vulnerable due to addiction.

Joe has been featured in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Canadian Business, Maclean’s, and many other publications. He is the recipient of The Courage to Come Back Award and the Ontario Premier’s Award, among others, and was nominated by Maclean’s magazine as one of 10 Canadians who make a difference.

As a young boy, Joe’s was a happy childhood in Midland, Ontario, but that all changed after his father died suddenly—with no life insurance, leaving the family in a difficult financial situation—and after his mother remarried. Increasingly hurt by an abusive, violent, alcoholic stepfather, Joe withdrew and started experimenting with drugs at the tender age of nine—and things went downhill from there. He left home at 15, landed in jail at 16, quit school, and then fled to Vancouver.

Of course, running away didn’t help him leave his problems behind. Soon he was living on the streets, addicted to drugs, and collecting cans and bottles in a shopping cart to raise money for his next fix. When he hit rock bottom—destitute and suffering from heroin withdrawal—what could possibly rescue him?  A tough conversation.

Joe’s mother had dared some time before to tell him that she would not continue to help her son destroy himself anymore, and declared, “The only phone call I want to get from you is you asking for help.”

Thanks to the tough love of Joe’s mother, and a few others who saw the possibility in Joe rather than the problems he was battling—one of his counsellors in a detox program, a college professor, the sales manager who hired him for his first job, his business partner—he did get help. He turned his life around to become a successful entrepreneur.

Joe encouraged advisors at Distinguished Advisor Conference (DAC) to see tough conversations as opportunities to set boundaries for the person afflicted with the addiction, and to protect the family through proper financial planning. Building a plan that protects the vulnerable person from receiving a substantial amount of money can be critical to his or her health, and the financial health of the family as a whole. The advisor meanwhile, wins too, with the opportunity to work from a deeper purpose, adding more value than just the skills of doing their clients' taxes or wealth planning.  Joe urged his audience to have the courage to have these tough conversations and adopt a possibility mindset.

As for Joe Roberts, he is now focused on legacy and making a difference. On May 1, 2016, Joe will embark on a 517-day walk across Canada, from St. John’s to Vancouver, to raise money to end youth homelessness. He’ll be pushing a shopping cart, just like he used to when he was living on the streets, but now “The Push for Change” will be for prevention—raising funds to keep youth off the streets and away from a life of addiction. For more information, please visit http://www.thepushforchange.com/.