Alumnus Visits and Chats After 13 Years!

Thirteen years after completing Turning Winds, alumnus Justin returns to Montana to reflect on how the experience shaped his life. As a teen, he struggled with defiance and direction. What he found at Turning Winds was a community that challenged him to grow, develop confidence, and build real leadership skills.

In this episode, host Kevin Zundl sits down with Justin to discuss what it means to truly change course. He shares how the structure, mentorship, and peer relationships at Turning Winds helped him discover his potential and build the resilience that carried him through college, a professional career, and now into coaching young athletes.

Justin’s story reveals how teen treatment programs like Turning Winds give teens the space and support to make lasting change. By removing distractions, building accountability, and focusing on emotional growth, students gain the tools to navigate life’s challenges long after treatment ends.

If you are a parent wondering what lasting recovery looks like or how meaningful intervention can truly transform a life, this conversation offers insight and hope.

Recommended Podcasts

The Moment Everything Changed for Our Family at Turning Winds · A family reflects on the clarity and peace that came with choosing treatment.

Healing from Trauma as a Teen in Residential Treatment · How safety, trust, and consistency create the foundation for real healing.

When Teens Become Leaders Through Real Growth · Exploring how leadership and responsibility evolve during treatment.

Recommended Reading

Turning Winds Alumni Are Prepared for Life’s Challenges · How alumni continue to thrive years after completing the program.

Leadership Training at Turning Winds · The intentional process of teaching confidence, empathy, and accountability.

Growth and Transformation at Turning Winds · How teens rediscover their potential through structure and support.

Keywords: teen alumni success, long-term recovery stories, therapeutic boarding school, Turning Winds, teen leadership development, adolescent treatment outcomes, emotional growth in teens, mentorship in recovery, academic progress after treatment, family healing, confidence building for teens, Montana therapeutic programs, youth resilience, parenting teens in recovery, real-world success after treatment

For more teen parenting tips and treatment information | turningwinds.com | 800-845-1380.

Transcript

This is what happens when you have a moment of breakthrough with a teen, when they begin to believe in themselves.

Kevin Zundl:
Welcome to the Turning Winds Podcast. My name is Kevin Zundl. Turning Winds offers a full continuum of care for teens who benefit from additional clinical and academic support, a place where they can focus on growth and healing.

Today is special because I’m joined by Justin, an alumnus who attended Turning Winds more than a decade ago. Justin, it’s great to have you. Tell us a little about your story.

Justin:
This program completely changed my life for the better. I was going down a bad path, and who knows where that would have taken me.

When I first arrived at Turning Winds, it was a lot of hard work and self-reflection. I spent time figuring out what was really going on mentally and how I could change it. Around my third or fourth week, I decided that I wanted to take what I learned here and carry it with me for life.

The staff was incredible. Enoch was amazing. The best part was being away from all the distractions and just surrounded by forty other kids like me who were trying to find their footing.

I was lucky. During my time here I met some great athletes who became close friends. We helped each other navigate the program and grow into who we wanted to become.

Kevin:
You recently reached out to come back to campus. What made you want to do that?

Justin:
I wanted to give back to the kids and to the school that changed my life. Turning Winds helped me gain confidence and become a leader. When I first arrived, I was a skinny kid from New York. I still am a skinny kid, but now I’m confident.

Being here taught me how to use my voice and lead others. Today I teach tennis for a living. I get to lead and mentor kids every day. Coming back lets me reconnect with the place that gave me that foundation.

Looking back 13 years later, I realize how much I learned. If I could have taken ten more seconds to listen more closely to Enoch or others, maybe I would have learned even more, but that is part of growing up. I’m proud of who I’ve become, and I owe a lot of that to Turning Winds.

Kevin:
What was it like transitioning home afterward?

Justin:
It was a little hard at first, but my parents did a great job keeping me active and focused. I finished high school while I was here, which was huge because I didn’t have to return to my old environment.

I started working right away at a supermarket, then at a gym, and even through college I kept a job. That sense of responsibility and structure was huge for me. My dad really helped me build that work ethic.

Having the right tools, the right mindset, and the right people around me kept me on track. After Turning Winds, I went on to the University of Florida, earned a degree in Sports Management, and I’ve been teaching tennis ever since.

Kevin:
Thirteen years later, what keeps you grounded?

Justin:
Honestly, the people. Enoch was a huge mentor, but the other students gave me confidence too. They believed in me. When I led a group or spoke up, they followed, and that made me realize I had a voice.

If kids from all over the country could trust me enough to listen, I could trust myself. That belief started right here at Turning Winds.

Kevin:
That is powerful. Seeing that trajectory, from a teen finding his footing to an adult mentoring others, that is what this work is all about.

If Justin’s story inspires you, I encourage you to reach out to Turning Winds at 800-845-1380 or visit turningwinds.com
to learn more.