Meadow Lake man turns sobriety and golf into business success

After years of struggling with addiction, Meadow Lake’s Cam Leskowski has found a new sense of purpose through sobriety, family and an unexpected passion for golf apparel.

Leskowski described his 20s as a continuous cycle of working during the week before falling into substance abuse every weekend.

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“I had the same mind during the week; I told myself all the time I got to smarten up and all this stuff. But then once I started drinking, that all went away,” he said.

That cycle began to change when he met his girlfriend, Brandie. With four children of her own and another child on the way for the couple, Leskowski said becoming a father brought a new perspective on life and the responsibility that came with it.

“I have now been sober for two and a half years,” he said.

During that time, he also discovered a new passion for golf, which eventually inspired him to launch his own golf apparel brand, FORE RIGHT, in January.

The brand features designs for both men and women. (Cam Leskowski/submitted)

“Having an apparel business when I was younger, that was a cool thought, but I never knew how to attain that. I never thought throughout my 20s that I would even consider making an apparel business towards golf. Golf was just something you did, and now it’s turned into my passion, along with the business,” he said.

Building a business has come with its own challenges, but Leskowski said he is approaching them with a different mindset than he had in the past.

“Now being sober, whatever comes my way, it’s issues that I can handle. It’s issues I don’t have regrets about; it’s things in my control. When you’re in addiction, you have no control,” he said.

Through his journey, the support of his family and the Meadow Lake community has played an important role in helping him move forward. Now, he hopes his story can encourage others navigating recovery, as well as those who have a passion they are thinking about pursuing.

“Your passions can turn into something that either can make you money or keep you out of trouble,” Leskowski said.

“There’s always options out there and there’s always people that are willing to help.”