Derrick Moore was a star athlete during his youth in Anchorage, Alaska. But at 18, a series of mistakes landed him in prison — by his own estimation he spent seven years battling addiction and seven years in prison. Six years ago, he finally got sober and transformed his life. Since then, Moore has turned to nature and Alaska’s trails to stay fit and have fun without drugs and alcohol. Today, through his business Hardaway Learning, Moore is a professional public speaker and youth mentor whose lived experience helps young people choose brighter futures for themselves.
Looking back, Moore reflects that his early involvement in sports was more about winning than it was about having fun. “I was one of the top athletes in the state,” he says. With college football scholarships on the table, Moore’s future looked bright. But at the age of 18, things shifted quickly for the young athlete. Casual social drinking quickly turned into heavy alcohol use. Before long, he was kicked off the basketball team. Soon after, he was arrested for being in the car during a robbery over six dollars. He lost his scholarships. “I went from a top athlete in the state to inmate and alcoholic… just like that,” says Moore.
Moore didn’t find his footing after that first fall. His addiction deepened, and alcohol led to harder drugs. At 23, after witnessing the accidental death of a close friend, Moore turned to heroin. “I told myself I would use it for two months, just two months, and then I’ll quit,” he says. “Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work like that.” He used daily for years, cycling in and out of prison.
Moore reached a turning point during his last four-year sentence, thanks to the forced isolation of the COVID pandemic. When lockdowns ended access to drugs inside prison, Moore found himself alone with his thoughts and in withdrawal. He remembers talking to himself, taking accountability for his actions. “I remember sitting there, staring at the floor,” he says. “I said: ‘Bro, you’re the problem. You’re the issue.’” He continued to have a long, deep, introspective conversation with himself. At the end of it, he told himself, “I’m on your team. We’ll figure this out together. You still got time.”
Moore began reading self help books and applying what he learned. He began to work on his fitness and building muscle. “Once I started to see the progress and actually feel different,” he says, “that’s what motivated me to continue.”
When Moore was released at the end of 2021, his sobriety was fragile. “The very first thing that I remember, unfortunately, was this wave of anxiety,” he says. While he thought of returning to drug use, he engaged in positive self-talk and worked to stay clean. Eventually, he was released from home confinement. “That was a moment where I actually felt better. I was like — ‘wow. I was actually free.’”
Moore worked construction, rebuilt his stability, and felt an increasing pull to do something meaningful with his story. He turned to TikTok with the plan to make “mini podcasts.” He practiced recording himself, creating and editing about 30 videos before posting any. When he finally posted the first video, the response was immediate. People congratulated Moore, encouraged him, and shared how much they related to his story. “That gave me a lot of motivation to continue,” he says. “And, that was the birth of the brand Hardaway Learning.”
A few years later, Hardaway Learning has over 150k followers on TikTok and over 67k on Instagram. Moore is now a full-time public speaker and the author of Seven Steps From Addiction to Sobriety. Through youth empowerment workshops and his “Pushing Purpose” program, he works primarily with young people — especially in Alaska’s villages — helping them identify values, build discipline and believe in their own futures.
Running and time spent in nature both play a central role in how Moore stays grounded. “One thing that I knew was going to be difficult was how I was going to have fun sober,” Moore says. He had never utilized Anchorage’s trail system growing up, but he found himself drawn to explore it — at first simply for fitness. “I would go run six miles… got up to ten, got up to fifteen, got up to twenty-three,” he says. “It was my escape from reality.”
He began to appreciate just how unique and beautiful the trails in Alaska are, often getting lost on his exploratory runs. “Nine times out of ten, I’d get lost on a new trail,” he says. “But I would always find my way back.” That became a metaphor he carried with him.
In his youth workshops, Moore talks about “choosing connection over distraction,” asking students to name what grounds them versus what pulls them away. “One of my truest connections to myself is getting out in the woods and just getting running,” he tells them. Drugs, alcohol, and vaping are easy false connections, he explains. Time outside, movement and stillness offer something real.
Looking ahead, Moore wants to explore more of Alaska’s trails and bring others with him. He hopes to organize group hikes, creating shared outdoor experiences rooted in movement and connection. He says running a marathon is on the horizon, and eventually an ultramarathon — his goal is to run 100 miles.
Moore also plans to expand his youth programs, speak in every village he can, and eventually expand to working with adults. His travels for public speaking have brought him on some incredible adventures — from seeing polar bears in Kaktovik to doing a polar plunge in Utqiagvik to seeing his first fox in Anaktuvuk Pass. Many of the youth in the villages know Moore from social media, and he says their excitement to see him is heartwarming. Seeing that recognition reflected in the faces of kids across Alaska reminds Moore that his story now carries momentum far beyond himself.
Emily Sullivan is a photographer and writer focused on outdoor recreation, environmental wellness, and community empowerment. She is based on Dena’ina lands, where she can usually be found skiing, packrafting, or berry picking.
