Journey Of Hope With Rodney Mathers (mathersrodney@yahoo.com)

Hello! Dr. David Jobes is my guest on this episode. Our discussion centers around that ugly word, suicide. Dr. Jobes provides expert-level information about the treatment of incarcerated individuals in this area. Please check out his impressive background and current affiliations. Dr. David Jobes For more information on CAMS Click! David's Books - Click! See ya'll soon!

Welcome! Ever thought about starting your own business? My guest this week thinks it's a good option for ex-offenders and we discuss that on this episode.  Lifeline to a Soul is a book written by my guest, John McLaughlin. The book is about John's experiences teaching entrepreneurship to inmates.    Check our discussion on this episode!

Hello ! Welcome to the podcast. My guest this week is Frank Dimaio. Frank's latest book, A Promise Made, a Promise Kept, caught my attention. The book is a study on how to deal with grief. What does grief have to do with serving time in prison? Short answer - a lot! There are an incredible amount of "professionals" in the state prison systems. Now, it is not the majority or even close to it, but there are a surprising number of people with white collar backgrounds. Men and women that hold degrees and had a career in their chosen field of study are often overlooked in my view. Still, what does learning about grief have to do with this? Men and women who have come from white collar backgrounds and have spent substantial periods of time in prison no longer have the life they had prior to prison. These men and women are released into a world where those previous lives no longer exist.  My guest this week lost his wife to breast cancer and has dealt with the grief that stems from such a tragedy. We spoke about gri

    Hello! John Mandala did twenty years flat. Once out, he wrote a couple of books. One of these books in particular, After Prison A Way To Succeed, caught my eye. While looking to explore the book,  I also learned quiet a bit about John. The book addresses ways to approach various things we need for the best chance at a successful life after incarceration. In addition, John fills us in on his experiences. Join us for our discussion! Just a little side note - I've been doing this podcast since May of 2010. Twelve years. If God is for you, who can be against you?

Hi there! I think reintegration is is two things. First of all, it is overcoming adversity. Secondly, it is having reasonable expectations. Both of things are big time difficult! Whenever I find someone that has achieved these two things, I want to pick their brain for ideas.   This episode takes a look at such a person. Steve Borys is such a person and I speak with him about his book and his successful life. If God is for us, who can be against us?  

Greetings! More and more, I'm finding it more satisfying and informative to share the tidbits I've learned about the reintegration of offenders. In addition, although I receive many requests to be interviewed on the podcast, I'm not finding the guests that are beneficial to our quest. I have several topics I'd like to throw out there for contemplation anyway so the timing  is actually good! On this episode, I suggest the idea of "Restorative Justice". This, in my view, is the way some convictions could be handled so that the victim, offender, and society at large can move forward in a safe and productive way.  Join me as I talk about what Restorative Justice is and how it works. If God is for you, who can be against you?  

Hi there! I hope everyone is well!  It has always disappointed me to see people get out of prison and go right back to their old, destructive behaviors. Frankly, I think for some of us it's really easy to fall back into that trap . I haven't personally had to deal with that however and I think, for me,  it comes from prison and parole being a punitive experience - for me.  I don't want to go back! Last week, there was an incident in Houston that was a reminder to me of how easy it can be to allow yourself to create a detrimental thought life. We should never forget that behaviors begin with thoughts. Those thoughts can start so very easily!!  This guy, Travis Scott, the rapper who put the fatal Astroworld music festival together is the topic of my discussion on this episode of the podcast. I basically posit that we, as people who have lost years of life and suffer the enduring consequences of being a convicted felon, should be careful about what we allow to enter our thought life. I further believe that r

Welcome! My guest this week has dealt with and is dealing with a level of adversity that should give us all cause to reflect on what we are doing to deal with the adversity associated with reintegration. Terry Tucker has cancer and has been fighting it for over 9 years. His attitude and determination inspire me and when we started the interview I wanted to find out how he achieved his positiveness. Terry explains his methodology as we chat on this episode. As always, I am sure there is something in his story that you can use in your struggle.  You can check out more about Terry Tucker here: motivationalcheck.com  If God is for you, who can be against you?   

Hello and welcome! My guest this time is Pete Cossaboon. Pete did a little bit of federal time and because of his conviction had to reinvent himself.  He's done a a fantastic job of turning his adversity into a successful and satisfying way of life. Pete is a life coach and has several on-line courses which look great and I recommend you take a look at what he has to offer. However, our paths cross with Pete at the point where he turned his situation around. Join me as I talk with Pete about what it took to do that.  I think you'll find there are helpful ideas in his story. If God is for you, who can be against you.

Hello Everyone! I seldom have repeat guests on the podcast. I've always figured that once someone shares their ideas with us it's time to move on and see what else we can learn. Despite the fact that this podcast is tiny I have never had a problem getting guests. In fact, I turn down many more than I consider and eventually book. My guest this week, Bracha Goetz is an exception to the rule. A Harvard grad, Bracha can go deep on fighting addictions. Addictions are one of the leading causes of recidivism and if you're struggling, Bracha just may have some ideas that can ease your struggle. If God is for you, who can be against you?

Welcome! In this episode I take a look at a Harvard study on what is needed for a successful re-entry. At first it seems to be the same old stuff but there is a surprise addition to this particular study. It's something I've been saying for a long time! Check it out.... Also, I've got some information on a telephone scam that targets felons. You should be aware of this. The scammer almost got me! If God is for you, who can be against you?

Welcome! Throughout the time I've been doing this podcast, I've stayed away from looking backwards. Things like prison conditions, abusive guards, sentencing, and other topics related to being in prison are not the purpose of the podcast. I want to put prison behind me and move on with life in a way that proves I am worthy of the second chance I've been given.  However, that 7 years and 11 months I did, is a reality that can not be denied. I think about it all the time. I think maybe I've been a little too harsh about staying away from all that on the podcast.  My guest on this episode is Shane Flemmons. Shane did a few a years and has written about his experiences in two books: Conviction and Deep Convictions. The books are evidence of the disfunctionality of prison and the lessons learned from the experiences and stories of other inmates. Join us as we chat with Shane about these things and more on this episode. If God is for you, who can be against you?

Hello! Sometimes I think it's good to focus on ourselves. We' are not being overly self-centered when we think about, consider, and execute strategies to improve "anything" about ourselves.  By the word "anything" I mean aspects of our physical and mental health. As we all know, the hurdles to be jumped to achieve successful  reintegration are very, very, tall. In my opinion, taking inventory and addressing our physical and mental health is an important part of life after incarceration.  My guest this week, Jenny Mannion, has some ideas on how to address these rough spots  - whether they be physical or mental. This is the focus of my chat with Jenny and I think you will find what she has to say insightful and worth exploring. Jenny Mannion ( click for more info. on Jenny) Remember, if God is for you, who can be against you?

Hello! Let's do some thinking about expectations.  Is it possible to expect too much from ourselves? Is there a difference between expectations and goals? How about our expectations of other people? How do we keep our expectations reasonable?  My guest on this episode, Ben Winter, helps us figure out how to manage our expectations. He wrote a book about this, What To Expect When Having Expectations. Check out my interview with Ben Winter. If God is for you who can be against you?  

Welcome! I hope you're doing well! I've been thinking for quiet some time that doing an episode on sex addiction would probably be a good thing to do but frankly, actually going about doing it has seemed a little awkward. I've looked at guests to interview and there are some experts in recovery with professional credentials that I may still try to interview. But ultimately,  I decided to share some facts, look at the negative issues that arise from sex addiction, and share some resources for getting help.  As we work to become productive citizens, we don't need something like this getting in our way! Bottom line: Sex addictions are a very bad thing. Nothing good comes from porn in general and I'm convinced it's a one way street that goes nowhere.  If you need help,  it's available for free. I've included three resources below. If God is for you, who can be against you? SAA -  12 Step S anon - for familiy members of addicts sexhelp.com - povides a self evaluation and therapist search tool    

Hello! I hope everyone is safe and warm. It has been a rough week here in the Houston area! Three has been record cold, ( 11 degrees a couple of nights ago),  major power outages,  water outages,  and empty grocery store shelves. All of this is on top of Covid. Wow! My heart goes out to people walking out of prison into this mess because while freedom feels great, there is a reality here that can make getting restarted even tougher.  My guest this week, Lois Hollis will help us to address some the emotions we feel while getting ourselves going again. Namely, we will be talking about guilt and shame.  Lately, I've been turning down interview requests because I just haven't seen anything we haven't covered before. I can not recall however devoting an entire show to a discussion on how guilt and shame can adversely affect our progress as we reintegrate. Lois talks about the importance of eliminating shame and guilt and how to go about doing that. Lois Hollis Remember, if God is for you, who can be aginst yo

Hello Everyone! I came across a really good article on overcoming adversity I wanted to share. Overcoming adversity is a topic this podcast will always put front and center. Ultimately,  that's what getting out of prison and successfully getting what cased that to happen in our rear view window. How do we get from prison and the action that resulted in prison turned into an experience we can use to propel us forward into a clean life we can be proud of?  That's what overcoming our adversity is. Hopefully there is something in this week's podcast that helps you on your journey to achieving that. Click HERE  for the article. If God is for you, who can be against you?

Hey there! My guest on this episode is Dr. Aimee Harris Newon. Dr Aimee is a board certified integrative psychologist, author, speaker, and success coach. We tapped Aimee's knowledge on PTSD, and addiction and suggestions on how to identify and get help with those issues.  Dr. Aimee can be heard on her weekly radio show in Chicago on WCPT 820 AM.  Join me for my discussion with Dr. Aimee Harris and look for that tid-bit of information that will help you as you you work toward reintegration. If God is for you, who can be against you?

Hello everyone! My guest this week has an interesting story about about overcoming devastating adversity. I've been doing this podcast for 10 years now and it always amazes me what some people go through in their lives! More than that, I continue to see over and over again how strong we human beings are. I like to feature these people and their stories from time to time because there is always at least a tidbit of knowledge we can identify in these struggles that can help us in our own journey. Nipples To Kneecaps: To Die Or Not To Die With Cancer My guest on this episode is Mandy Brown. Mandy tells her amazing story which includes her partner's diagnosis of cancer in which he was given three months to live. That was 10 years ago...... Check out what she's learned along the way and how her knowledge might be applied to the hurdles you face in your return home.  Remember, if God is for you, who can be against you?  

Hello Everyone! Hopefully you're staying safe! On this episode I take a look at our situation and pass on a few thoughts I have about it all. There were 3 major pandemics in the 20th century. The 1918 Spanish Flu, the 1957 Asian Flu, and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu took a huge toll on life in the United States. These numbers are approximate but generally agreed upon to be close: Spanish Flu - 195,000, Asian Flu - 116,000, Hong Kong Flu - 100,000. I had no idea that many lives were lost in the United States to those pandemics. It looks like this could be a pandemic that has those kinds of numbers in the United States. Wash you hands 15 times a day! Social Distancing! Stay Home as much as possible!  Remember, if God is for you, who can be against you?