The School of Hard Knocks with Darcie

EP: 124 From Incarcerated To In Charge | Tito Guerrero’s Story

Rebuilt Series: Season in Blooming 🌸 Follow The School of Hard Knocks and add it to your library so you never miss an episode. This story has several jaw dropping moments. If you need to be motivated, this is the story for you! About Our Guest: Convicted of 2nd Degree Murder in 1999, Tito was sent to prison as a Lifer. A few years into his sentence that conviction was overturned, and Tito accepted a plea agreement for Involuntary Manslaughter with a gun enhancement carrying a sentence of 14 years. After being released from prison in 2009, Tito submitted over 500 applications and could not find employment until he landed on Goodwill’s doorstep. Starting as an Apprentice Truck Driver, Tito began to build his love for Goodwill’s mission and grew his career up to the Executive level. Tito is the creator of the 15 to Life podcast and the #bethechange movement. Tito produces daily motivational content on a variety of social media platforms promoting personal growth and development coupled with advocating for change aimed at improving the communities that we live and work in.  Tito believes that everyone has something to contribute and that as a people, we must work together to make the world a better place. He is an advocate for change, for being the person that we needed in our lives yesterday today. Tito has participated in multiple groups that work within prison systems in California and beyond, fostering a culture of care around returning citizens. He focuses on giving men and women a blueprint for success. An example of being the change for himself was in 2016 when he was working within a variety of transitional housing units holding classes and assisting with finding men and women employment. There he saw a need for a better, focused structure. So, he invested his own time and money to open Granny’s House, a sober living, transitional house in Bay Point California. Sadly, Granny’s House recently closed as the property owner decided to sell the property and house. Tito’s accomplishments after being released from Solano State Prison in 2009 include: Completing parole successfully without any violations while receiving a BS & MBA from the University of Phoenix; Meeting his wife in 2013; Purchasing and selling houses in California and Texas; Starting FourWord Consulting (No Excuses, Only Solutions) in 2015; Advancing from a minimum wage entry level position (truck driver) to a senior executive of a large nonprofit organization. The biggest achievements for Tito have been the birth of his daughter and getting married in 2016. “The day you stop making excuses and start coming up with solutions is the day you change your life.” – Tito Guerrero. How to reach Tito: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/titoguerrero/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Titoguerrerospeaking/ Website: titoguerrero.com (under maintenance) “This is the place we get unstuck from trauma, and grounded in our healing”.

EP: 123 From Crisis To Survivor & Advocate | Maddie Andrew’s Story

Rebuilt Series: Season in Blooming 🌸 Follow The School of Hard Knocks and add it to your library so you never miss an episode. About Our Guest: Maddie Andrews—a mental health advocate, MSW student, qualified Professional, peer support specialist, and nonprofit founder who brings both professional insight and lived experience to her work. She is the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) NC award winner, as well as the sole graduate student winner of the Public Service Award. After surviving significant childhood trauma and being diagnosed with a serious mental illness, Maddie spent years simply trying to get through each day. Then, in 2023, she faced a life-threatening crisis that left her having to relearn basic functions from the ground up. That moment became the turning point in her healing journey. Now, Maddie dedicates her life not only to her own recovery, but to creating healing spaces for others. Through her advocacy, peer support work, and nonprofit leadership, she’s helping reshape how we understand mental health, resilience, and what it means to rebuild a life with purpose. Strength, Resilience and Positivity is the name of Maddie’s Game!! How to reach Maddie: www.jesupport.org “This is the place we get unstuck from trauma, and grounded in our healing”.

My First Trailer (before I found my flow 🙈)

This was my very first trailer when I launched. I’m leaving it up because it’s part of the journey, but if you’re brand new—make sure to start with the new trailer above!

EP: 122 From Voiceless To Singing In Jesus’s Holy Name | Agnes Parks Story

Rebuilt Series: Season in Blooming 🌸 Follow The School of Hard Knocks and add it to your library so you never miss an episode. I absolutely loved this very wholesome holy conversation with Aggie. What a beautiful soul sharing her testimony! About Our Guest: Aggie is a living testimony that Jesus still redeems the deepest places of pain. Her story includes childhood wounds, abandonment, bullying, and abusive relationships, but also the mercy of God, who did not waste a single tear. In the hands of Jesus, her pain was not only healed, but transformed into purpose beyond her imagination. She went from being voiceless to becoming the host of Unspoken with aggie park, where she not only shares her own story, but also stewards a safe space for others to speak the unspoken parts of theirs. She experienced bullying over her appearance, and by God’s grace has stepped into modeling and pageantry, and now serves as Mrs. California Royal United Universe. She also walked through toxic and harmful relationships, and now has the gift of a husband who loves her and honors her well. And after knowing the pain of having no family, she now rests in the beauty of belonging to the family of God from every tribe, nation, and tongue too great to count. With raw honesty and deep humility, aggie gives all glory to Jesus, believing that while we may not be able to rewrite our past pain, God can redeem it so deeply that it helps make someone else’s future more beautiful. How to reach Agnes: insta: @un_spokenpod @aggie_pouredoutforJesus, tik tok: @un_spokenpod and @aggieallinforJesus, YouTube: @aggie_pouredoutforJesus, www.theunspokenpod.com “This is the place we get unstuck from trauma, and grounded in our healing”.

EP: 121 From Frazzled & Depleted To A Safe Nervous System | Tanya Wards Story

Rebuilt Series: Season in Blooming 🌸 Follow The School of Hard Knocks and add it to your library so you never miss an episode. I love how honest Tanya is about her story to a safe nervous system. A wonderful reminder that we are never alone and we can become that safe place! About Our Guest: Tanya Ward is a structured nervous system recalibration leader who helps midlife women exit prolonged Survival Mode and return to a grounded, steady way of living. Her work focuses on the biological impact of chronic stress, caregiving, and over-responsibility—patterns that leave the body braced, fatigued, and unable to fully reset. With over 25 years of experience supporting women’s wellbeing, Tanya integrates nervous system science, somatic regulation, and practical life restructuring into a clear, step-by-step recalibration process. Her approach is not about quick fixes or surface-level insight. It is a structured method designed to lower baseline stress activation, restore internal stability, and rebuild self-trust over time. Her work is grounded in one core principle: when the nervous system feels safe, clarity, energy, and resilience naturally return. How to reach Tanya: www.tanyawardmidlife.com/ https://www.facebook.com/tanyawardmidlife https://www.instagram.com/tanyawardmidlifecoach https://www.youtube.com/ https://substack.com/@tanyawardmidlife https://www.linkedin.com “This is the place we get unstuck from trauma, and grounded in our healing”.