Can't Get Rid Of Your Over Blown Ego?

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So........how's your ego? Do you have it in check? Do you suffer from an ego issue that keeps you from doing the right thing, telling lies, using people, and a variety of other distasteful behaviours that an overblown ego can feed? It can get that bad. Example: Donald Trump.



My guest this week, Todd Lemense, has zeroed in on ego issues and wants to share what he's learned with you! I enjoyed my talk with Todd because I was curious about his approach. Issues with ego are often at the center of a successful reintegration and I was looking for how his methodology could help those of us serious about changing our lives in the ways necessary to be full and productive citizens.



Join me for this episode as we discuss issues related to ego. You may want to check out Todd's new book after the interview, Lose your Ego, Gain the World.

Overcoming Unimaginable Adversity

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I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. I sure enjoyed Mine!

I've got a really cool show today. My guest, James Muller, is the first man in United States history to be extridited to a another country to stand trial for a crime in which a guilty verdict would result in execution. He was found guilty and scheduled for execution in Thailand.  

Iv'e never seen such an ominous series of circumstances and resulting adversity. In our interview James explains how he dealt with his situation and I am confident there are nuggets of advice that we can use help us with the adversity we encounter while reintegrating.

James Muller's book about his experiences, I Cannot Fail,  is is somehting you are going to want to get! 

Here's What You Do When A Vigilante Is After You

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Hello!

This week I take a look at: 1. sentencing  2. how to handle someone expressing hate towards you because of your situation. I normally don't like to examine issues that go backwards in the from where we are in this experience but I do have some very very strong opinions about this and for some reason, this is the day I express myself. Also this week, I take a look at what to do if someone is pointing their ignorance toward you because of your conviction.

I'm not a lawyer. This isn't intended to be legal advice. I'm sharing with you my thoughts and opinions on these two issues. If you want to comment, disagree, or agree, send me a note so we can discuss it. I'm always open to hearing other's point of view.

Do You Have "it"? Do You Want "it"?

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You ever heard someone say he or she has"it"? "It" being this seemingly intangible something that is positive and desirable and seems to drip from that person's ....aura for lack of a better term. I think you know what I'm referring to. Wouldn't it be great to have that "it" as we work through getting ourselves acclimated and assimilated after incarceration?

My guest this week has a grip on what "it" actually is and how we can work toward getting "it". Todd Thomas is applying his knowledge to athletes as he helps them to reach maximum performance levels but he has discovered the these same principles work wonders when applied to everyone's life!

Got Anger Issues?

JOURNEY OF HOPE WITH RODNEY MATHERS (mathersrodney@yahoo.com) » Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (161)Got anger issues? Who doesn't? 

My guest this week, Reneau Peurifoy, is well versed in anxiety issues, emotions, and uncontrolled anger issues. Uncontrolled anger is at the root of many behaviors that result in incarceration. If you or a family member is returning home from an incarceration that was the result of uncontrolled anger, this interview is definitely for you.

Renaue was in private practice for over 20 years as a marriage and family therapist that specialized in anxiety disorder issues. His latest book,  Anger, Taming The Beast, is in its second printing and has sold over 200,000 copies. I got the feeling in our interview that Renaue has a genuine, heart felt desire to help people figure out nondestructive ways to appropriately experience and express anger.

I enjoyed my conversation with Renaue and I'm positive you will too!

Here Is How To Be Happy!!!

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Hello Everyone!

I hope your summer is going great!

It has taken me 54 years to reach the following realization: " I am in control of my happiness!" I hope it hasn't taken you as long as it has taken me to realize this simple truth. Despite the difficulties associated with re-entry, each individual has the ability to react to those difficulties in any way they wish. The thoughts we have prior to our reaction dictate our general mood and happiness. The better our mood and the greater our happiness - the better we are able to generally cope. Happiness is important to our well being!

My guest this week, Maura Sweeney, has written a series of books entitled, The Art Of Happiness. Each book deals with a specific area like our comfort zones, our judgement, and our ability to influence others. Maura has some great ideas on how our thought life can positively impact these important areas. Join me for my discussion with Maura Sweeney on this week's show. Click the link to find out more about Maura.

JOURNEY OF HOPE WITH RODNEY MATHERS (mathersrodney@yahoo.com) » Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (159)

JOURNEY OF HOPE WITH RODNEY MATHERS (mathersrodney@yahoo.com) » Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (159)Hello !

It's always cool to hear a good success story. My guest this week, Trish Macenulty, uses fiction to bring her true life incarceration stories to an appreciative readership. Join me for my interview with Trish as we talk about incarceration, life after incarceration, and her particularly incredible journey.

Check out all her books: CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON TRISH

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JOURNEY OF HOPE WITH RODNEY MATHERS (mathersrodney@yahoo.com) » Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (158)



I've learned over the past few years that there may very well be a large percentage of ex-offenders that have un-diagnosed ADHD. I have no way of knowing how accurate that assertion may be but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if it was indeed true. For that reason I welcome my guest this week, Melissa Hood. 

Melissa Hood has written her life's story in a book called, Memoirs of an ADHD Mind. Her story is interesting in that her childhood, teen years, and beyond, mirrors the life story of many of us......up to a point. She was a able to tackle and overcome ADHD and lives the successful, meaningful life that many many of us are working toward and are close to achieving.

I really feel like stories of overcoming adversity such as Melissa's have within them at the very least a morsel of something we can use to better ourselves. Check out my interview with Melissa Hood!!

Are You Rational?

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 like the idea of of examining the rationality in my life. Isn't doing that...rational? My guest this week, John Vespacian, has examined our rationality in great detail over a series of books ( ten by my count) that deal with the application of rationality in our lives. Vespacian draws on history and philosophy to find some applicable methodologies that can be used to insert a higher dose of rationality in our daily lives. Vespacian has a message that is right on target for anyone that struggles with defeating the impulsive behaviors that come from emotional response. Impulsive behaviors are indeed the reason for many behaviors that have landed people in prison.Obviously some emotional responses are good - I'm referring to bad impulsiveness. So, join me for my interview with John Vespacian as he calls in from the Netherlands on this week's edition of Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers.

Resurrecting Rodney Memorializes Elisa Lam

Resurrecting Rodney Memorializes Elisa Lam

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Hi Everyone,

Every once in while I like to a podcast with no guest - just me. It's a great feeling to get some things off my chest. Today, it's just me. I had a little situation recently that I wanted to share so here it is.

Quit Comaring Yourself To Other People

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Hey Yall,

Are you happy with who you are? My guess would be everyone has a hard time honestly answering that question in the affirmative. Seriously, how many of us ex-offenders can say that 100% of the time we are totally happy with who we are? That said, I say, WHY THE HELL NOT? All human beings in our culture compare themselves to other people. Our appearance, our relationships and our general sense of self are all subject to this kind of "grass is always greener over there" sort of mentality. 

Want to stop doing that? I do. 

My guest this week, Susan Bremer O'Neill, has got some great ideas on how to do this. Check out our chat on this week's episode.

Where Does Strength Come From?

JOURNEY OF HOPE WITH RODNEY MATHERS (mathersrodney@yahoo.com) » Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (153)Hey Yall!

Even before my trouble with the law and subsequent incarceration, I've wondered about some people's ability to harness an amazing inner strength to endure rough situations. It seems to exist somewhere in all of us. The ability to find that strength can result in absolutely amazing things. There have been three times in my life where I flirted with tapping into that inner strength.

You wouldn't know it to look at me now but in the early 90's I trained for and ran 4 marathons. For four years in a row I went through a training cycle in which I had to find the place in my mind to acquire and maintain the discipline to do the things necessary to run 26.2 miles. I believe running a marathon is more mental than it is physical. I was able to successfully complete 3 Houston Tenneco Marathons and one Dallas White Rock Marathon. Did that strength come from the same place the strength comes from to maintain a job search, fight an addiction, and generally not give up?

A second time I dug deep was during college. I had one semester to get my GPA up high enough to stay on my degree plan and do my student teaching the following semester. I needed to make four A's and one B on 15 hours to reach the goal. This wasn't going to be easy for someone that was damn glad to get a C in a class! I did it. Was that inner strength the same inner strength we need to successfully reintegrate?

The third time I needed to reach deep inside was was when I entered TDCJ., the years I spent there, and when I left TDCJ and faced the realities of post incarceration life. I look back at it all and I have no idea where the strength came from.

My guest this week, Dr. Christopher Friesen, is an expert in helping elite athletes achieve their optimum and I put this question to him:  Where inside of us does this pool of strength reside and how we can access it? It seems to me the ability to do this just may define the success of our reintegration. Dr. Friesen also works with sex offenders in a prison setting and has a good grip on what we deal with as offenders, no matter what our case was about.  Dr. Friesen also talks about his soon to be published book, Achieve: Find Out Who You Are, What You Really Want, and How To Make It Happen.

Improve Myself While Driving....Seriously?

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Do you drive? Of course you do. Driving is such an extension of us and a necessity in our lives that most of us wouldn't be able to survive without it. What if there were a way to turn driving into an exercise that strengthened our personality and improve things our ability to forgive? Well, there just might be way! My guest this week, K. Scott, has written a very interesting book on how to make this possible. His book, Drive Me To Think, addresses how practicing things that patience and forgiveness during driving can empower us. Check out the interview and judge for yourself!

Elizabeth Upton Visits Journey of Hope With Rodmey Mathers

JOURNEY OF HOPE WITH RODNEY MATHERS (mathersrodney@yahoo.com) » Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (150)Welcome!

On this week's episode I speak with author Elizabeth Upton. Elizabeth has great thoughts on self esteem, overcoming stress, and the development of creativity, among other things. She has been a nun, a social worker, an internal affairs investigator, and a probation officer. We cross paths as she practices as a marriage and family counselor for families in crisis.

Elizabeth has a lot of very interesting things to say to ex-offenders and I recommend you check out her web page after listening to the interview. You can get there by clicking here:Elizabeth Upton

Rid Yourself of Internalized Beliefs That Are Holding You Back

JOURNEY OF HOPE WITH RODNEY MATHERS (mathersrodney@yahoo.com) » Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (149)Happy New Year!

Hey, did I say we would be back on Tuesday the 5th? I think today is Wednesday the 6th....

The new year is of course the time in which many of us embark on fundamental changes that will enrich our lives. I believe that we must unlearn certain things in order to change. My guest this week believes the same thing and has some ideas on how to go about doing this successfully. 

We have indeed internalized beliefs that are simply holding us back. T J Woodward suggest ways to reach deep into ourselves  and make the necessary adjustments. 

After listening to the interview, check out TJ's book if you feel like this is for you. CLICK HERE FOR BOOK

Remember, if God is for you, who can be against you...