Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (223)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (223): 

 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 rebellion and violence laden song lyrics, running as the backing track to our daily lives is very dangerous. Why would we allow a thug like Travis Scott any where near our lives in any capacity?

Good Fiction

Good Fiction: 

Serial, original fiction ....Good Fiction presents episodic original fiction in short bites, easy for consumption and ready for all to enjoy!

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/mathersrodney

Good Fiction Presents: Dark, Darker, Darkest

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (221)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (221): 

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.

Journry of Hope With Rodney Mathers (220)

Journry of Hope With Rodney Mathers (220): 

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.

Good Fiction

Good Fiction: Serial, original fiction ....Good Fiction presents episodic original fiction in short bites, easy for consumption and ready for all to enjoy!

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (219)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (219)

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?

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (218)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (218 

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 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.

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (217)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (217):

 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.

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (216)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (216) 

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.

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (215)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (215): 

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.

 SAA -  12 Step

S anon - for familiy members of addicts

sexhelp.com - povides a self evaluation and therapist search tool

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (214)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (214) 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.

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (213)

Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (213)

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.

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Journey of Hope With Rodney Mathers (212) I wanted to spend some time talking about the National Institute of Corrections. The National Institute of Corrections is an arm of the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I'm sure they do great work...except for issues of reintegration. Inconsistent data and kicking the can down the road are immediately apparent when it comes to this government agency caring about what happens to people when they leave prison. Their general philosophy, appears to me, to pass the buck to an issue of public policy instead of addressing reintegration in any meaningful way for prisoners on their way out. They give lip service, in my view, to the issue to avoid political incorrectness and to keep from appearing to have no empathy. They aren't getting it right and it doesn't appear to me that they really much care to. I point out some things I've noticed about these guys on this episode.

I also wanted to spend a little time talking a little bit about dealing with stress. I hope there is something in that discussion that you can use!