#023 How to Fix a Broken Prison System | Kurtis Taylor & Lateisha Thrash

#023 How to Fix a Broken Prison System | Kurtis Taylor & Lateisha Thrash

Why is life after prison so incredibly difficult, and why do 83% of formerly incarcerated individuals end up back in the system? In this powerful episode, we dive deep into the raw realities of prison reentry, recidivism statistics, and what it actually takes to rebuild a life from scratch. We are joined by executive leaders Kurtis Taylor and Lateisha Thrash, who share their deeply personal stories of transformation, faith, and humility. From overcoming the stigma of incarceration to fighting for systemic criminal justice reform, this conversation exposes the flaws in the current system and highlights the "organic reentry" models that are dropping recidivism rates to 10% or less. If you want to understand the true meaning of redemption, surrender, and what it takes to change prison culture, this is an episode you cannot afford to miss. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Introduction: The Reality of Reentry 02:15 - The Staggering Statistics on Recidivism 05:40 - Kurtis Taylor’s Story: From Incarceration to Executive Leadership 11:10 - Lateisha Thrash on "Organic Reentry" & Breaking the Stigma 17:45 - "When You Make It Hard to Do What’s Right" 24:30 - How the Bob Barker Foundation Grantees Achieved a 10% Recidivism Rate 31:15 - The Power of Faith, Humility, and Surrender in Recovery 38:00 - Changing Prison Culture from the Inside Out 44:25 - How You Can Support Reentry Programs & Justice Reform 52:10 - Final Thoughts & Closing Remarks --- RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED Learn More About the Bob Barker Foundation: Discover how Kurtis Taylor and his team work nationwide to reduce recidivism, eliminate reentry stigma, and support justice-impacted individuals. 👉 [https://www.bobbarkerfoundation.org](https://www.bobbarkerfoundation.org) Explore NC Department of Adult Correction (DAC) Reentry Services: Learn about North Carolina's Reentry 2030 initiative, Local Reentry Councils (LRC), and community support partnerships led by Director Lateisha Thrash. 👉 [https://www.dac.nc.gov/divisions-and-sections/rehabilitation-and-reentry/transition-services](https://www.dac.nc.gov/divisions-and-sections/rehabilitation-and-reentry/transition-services) Host or Join a Reentry Simulation: Walk in the shoes of someone returning home from incarceration to truly understand the systemic barriers they face. For information on NCDAC-sponsored simulations, contact Director Lateisha Thrash at Lateisha.Thrash@dac.nc.gov. 👉 [https://www.dac.nc.gov/divisions-and-sections/rehabilitation-and-reentry/upcoming-reentry-simulations](https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dac.nc.gov%2Fdivisions-and-sections%2Frehabilitation-and-reentry%2Fupcoming-reentry-simulations) Discover Recovery Alive: Find out more about the faith-based recovery program and campus partnerships mentioned by Lateisha Thrash that provide holistic care and long-term reentry housing. 👉 [https://www.recoveryalive.com](https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.recoveryalive.com) Listen to More Episodes of Living on Incline: Check out the full catalog of powerful stories dedicated to personal growth, healing, and moving through life's toughest obstacles. 👉 [https://www.livingonincline.com](https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livingonincline.com) Listen and Follow Living on Incline Listen on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-on-incline/id1828304603 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78HwNrRWZHGAHL8Zv90nO0?si=e4b5d032e9214deb YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdyfS2K4OE4WFJRWSuAgsQ RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2521959.rss Website: https://www.livingonincline.com Sponsored by Recovery Alive Living on Incline is proudly sponsored by Recovery Alive, a Christ-centered recovery program helping people find hope, healing, and purpose through authentic community and biblical transformation. Learn more: https://www.recoveryalive.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoveryaliveinc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recoveryaliveinc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recoveryalive #PrisonReentry #Recidivism #CriminalJusticeReform #RedemptionStory #PrisonReform #InspirationalStories #FaithAndRecovery Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2521959/fan_mail/new]

#022 Betrayed at 14, Gangs, and Turning Total Devastation Into a Mission | Kelley Jean Blas

At just 14 years old, Kelley Jean Blas faced ultimate betrayal, ran away to join a gang, and survived being left for dead. In this raw episode of Living on Incline, host John Eklund sits down with Kelley to discuss her powerful story of overcoming severe childhood trauma, fighting addiction, navigating profound grief, and turning total devastation into a front-line rescue mission. If you are looking for an inspiring story of hope, resilience, and finding purpose in the pain, Kelley’s testimony of faith and survival is an absolute must-watch.  Decades after overcoming a methamphetamine addiction and surviving the streets, Kelley experienced the unthinkable heartbreak of losing a child. Instead of letting the grief break her, she chose to push upward, choosing to live on an incline. Today, she is the founder of JoCo Angels—a powerful non-profit organization dedicated to fighting the front lines of the overdose crisis, supporting grieving families, and raising critical awareness about the modern drug epidemic.  In this unfiltered conversation, John and Kelley also sound the alarm on the hidden threat of synthetic drugs, fentanyl poisoning, and the terrifying rise of highly addictive, over-the-counter opioid derivatives like kratom extracts being legally sold to minors in everyday vape shops and gas stations.  This interview is a masterclass in mental health recovery, trauma healing, and finding a spiritual anchor after absolute devastation.  #LivingOnIncline #KelleyJeanBlas #OvercomingTrauma #AddictionRecovery #GriefAndLoss #FentanylAwareness #KratomCrisis #FaithAndHealing #InspirationalStories #PodcastInterview Listen and Follow Living on Incline Listen on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-on-incline/id1828304603 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78HwNrRWZHGAHL8Zv90nO0?si=e4b5d032e9214deb YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdyfS2K4OE4WFJRWSuAgsQ RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2521959.rss Website: https://www.livingonincline.com Sponsored by Recovery Alive Living on Incline is proudly sponsored by Recovery Alive, a Christ-centered recovery program helping people find hope, healing, and purpose through authentic community and biblical transformation. Learn more: https://www.recoveryalive.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoveryaliveinc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recoveryaliveinc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recoveryalive Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2521959/fan_mail/new]

#021 Navigating Burnout, Social Media Diagnoses, and the Struggle to Ask for Help

This  episode of Living On Incline featuring Dr. Mercy Conners, Senior Director at the American Association of Christian Counselors. In this raw, behind-the-scenes look at the mental health field, we strip away the clinical perfection to talk about the heavy psychological toll of therapy, the danger of TikTok diagnoses, and the painful reality of carrying client trauma home to your family.  Watch the full conversation to hear Dr. Conners share her journey from high-stakes adolescent locked units to navigating a deeply personal, real-time family medical crisis that forced her to face her own greatest challenge: learning how to ask for help. NOTABLE TRAILER QUOTES: * "I take him into the room, I sit down in front of him and he's on a bean bag and I'm like kneeling in front of him like, 'Tell me what's going on.' And this kid is so mad and he just slaps me across the face." - Dr. Mercy Conners * "I remember one therapy session where I actually had to cut it off and say, 'We need to stop right now.' I had to get out of the room." - John Eklund * "I am learning that it's okay to ask for help, first of all. And second of all, that I am asking for help from the people that are trustworthy... I don't have to do everything." - Dr. Mercy Conners LINKS & RESOURCES: * Primary Website: [INSERT PRIMARY LINK HERE] * American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC): Mentioned in transcript CALL TO ACTION: Don't miss the full, unfiltered drop of this episode. Hit that subscribe button, turn on notifications for Living On Incline, and drop a comment below letting us know your thoughts on the trailer.  Listen and Follow Living on Incline Listen on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-on-incline/id1828304603 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-on-incline/id1828304603] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78HwNrRWZHGAHL8Zv90nO0?si=e4b5d032e9214deb [https://open.spotify.com/show/78HwNrRWZHGAHL8Zv90nO0?si=e4b5d032e9214deb] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdyfS2K4OE4WFJRWSuAgsQ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdyfS2K4OE4WFJRWSuAgsQ] RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2521959.rss [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2521959.rss] Website: https://www.livingonincline.com [https://www.livingonincline.com/] Sponsored by Recovery Alive Living on Incline is proudly sponsored by Recovery Alive, a Christ-centered recovery program helping people find hope, healing, and purpose through authentic community and biblical transformation. Learn more: https://www.recoveryalive.com [https://www.recoveryalive.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoveryaliveinc/ [https://www.instagram.com/recoveryaliveinc/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recoveryaliveinc [https://www.facebook.com/recoveryaliveinc] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recoveryalive [https://www.youtube.com/@recoveryalive] #LivingOnIncline #TheMaskOfAHealer #DrMercyConners #ChristianCounseling #TherapistBurnout #MentalHealth #AACC #PodcastTrailer Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2521959/fan_mail/new]

#020 Why I Couldn't Face This for 10 Years | Lauren Sisler | PART 2

PART 2 Emmy winning sports reporter Lauren Sisler joins John Eklund on Living on Incline to share the story she hid for a decade. After losing both of her parents to addiction during her freshman year of college, Lauren lived a double life, balancing a high profile career at ESPN and the SEC Network while keeping her family tragedy a secret. In this deep and moving conversation, Lauren discusses the "sugar coated story" she told herself to survive and why she eventually decided to look at the toxicology reports she feared for years. She explores the power of labels, the reality of addiction in "good families," and how she found freedom by falling in love with her broken story. Her new book, Shatterproof, serves as a guide for others to turn the page and write their own next chapter. TIMESTAMPS [01:00:00] Welcome to Living on Incline with host John Eklund [01:00:40] The "Fancy Pants" podcast joke and redecorating the backdrop [01:03:15] Lauren's career: Reporter, producer, and the best entrances in college football [01:08:45] The Secret: "10 years that I refuse to look at the death certificate" [01:14:20] The police report and the "three typed up paragraphs" that changed everything [01:21:10] Living in denial: "The sugar coated story" created for sanity [01:30:45] Breaking the labels: Why society’s definition of an addict is wrong [01:45:30] The fear of the truth vs. the freedom of acceptance [02:05:00] Writing the book: Shatterproof [02:25:15] "To be able to look at my story as something beautiful" [02:46:13] Final words: "Keep turning the page and keep writing the next chapter" NOTABLE QUOTES "10 years. 10 years that I refuse to look at the death certificate and the toxicology reports. I was fearful of what was going to be there." "I was fearful that now I would have to accept it as truth instead of running with my own little sugar-coated story, which I did for many, many, many, many years." "My parents were addicts and that they died of overdose because now suddenly they're wearing a label that society has created for them." "I could not let my parents wear the label because society tells us what addicts are and who they are and who they define." "As I fall in love with my story, there are things that I don't love about my story, things that I'd rather just light it on fire and throw it away." "To be able to look at my story as something beautiful, even through all the broken pieces, I have found so much freedom." "Keep turning the page and keep writing the next chapter, and that's what it's all about." LINKS & RESOURCES Shatterproof (Book by Lauren Sisler): https://www.amazon.com/Shatterproof-Overcame-Shame-Losing-Parents/dp/1962802078 Official Website: https://www.laurensisler.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LaurenSisler X (Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/LaurenSisler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurensisler Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenSisler YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenSisler Shatterproof Bracelet Collection: https://www.laurensisler.com/my-bracelets Living on Incline: https://livingonincline.com/ DONATION / SUPPORT Not mentioned in transcript. CALL TO ACTION Please hit the subscribe button and like and all that good stuff, share it. Living on Incline is about stories that embody courage and grace. Help us grow the community by engaging with this episode. Listen and Follow Living on Incline Listen on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-on-incline/id1828304603 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78HwNrRWZHGAHL8Zv90nO0?si=e4b5d032e9214deb YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdyfS2K4OE4WFJRWSuAgsQ RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2521959.rss Website: https://www.livingonincline.com Sponsored by Recovery Alive Living on Incline is proudly sponsored by Recovery Alive, a Christ-centered recovery program helping people find hope, healing, and purpose through authentic community and biblical transformation. Learn more: https://www.recoveryalive.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoveryaliveinc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recoveryaliveinc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recoveryalive #LivingOnIncline #LaurenSisler #Shatterproof #AddictionRecovery #OverdoseAwareness #GriefHealing #Resilience #ESPN #SECNetwork #Podcast #HealingJourney #Truth #MentalHealth Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2521959/fan_mail/new]

#020 Why I Couldn't Face This for 10 Years | Lauren Sisler | PART 1

Emmy winning sports reporter Lauren Sisler joins John Eklund on Living on Incline to share the story she hid for a decade. After losing both of her parents to addiction during her freshman year of college, Lauren lived a double life, balancing a high profile career at ESPN and the SEC Network while keeping her family tragedy a secret. In this deep and moving conversation, Lauren discusses the "sugar coated story" she told herself to survive and why she eventually decided to look at the toxicology reports she feared for years. She explores the power of labels, the reality of addiction in "good families," and how she found freedom by falling in love with her broken story. Her new book, Shatterproof, serves as a guide for others to turn the page and write their own next chapter. TIMESTAMPS [01:00:00] Welcome to Living on Incline with host John Eklund [01:00:40] The "Fancy Pants" podcast joke and redecorating the backdrop [01:03:15] Lauren's career: Reporter, producer, and the best entrances in college football [01:08:45] The Secret: "10 years that I refuse to look at the death certificate" [01:14:20] The police report and the "three typed up paragraphs" that changed everything [01:21:10] Living in denial: "The sugar coated story" created for sanity [01:30:45] Breaking the labels: Why society’s definition of an addict is wrong [01:45:30] The fear of the truth vs. the freedom of acceptance [02:05:00] Writing the book: Shatterproof [02:25:15] "To be able to look at my story as something beautiful" [02:46:13] Final words: "Keep turning the page and keep writing the next chapter" LINKS & RESOURCES Shatterproof (Book by Lauren Sisler): https://www.amazon.com/Shatterproof-Overcame-Shame-Losing-Parents/dp/1962802078 Official Website: https://www.laurensisler.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LaurenSisler X (Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/LaurenSisler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurensisler Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenSisler YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenSisler Shatterproof Bracelet Collection: https://www.laurensisler.com/my-bracelets Living on Incline: https://livingonincline.com/ DONATION / SUPPORT Not mentioned in transcript. CALL TO ACTION Please hit the subscribe button and like and all that good stuff, share it. Living on Incline is about stories that embody courage and grace. Help us grow the community by engaging with this episode. Listen and Follow Living on Incline Listen on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-on-incline/id1828304603 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78HwNrRWZHGAHL8Zv90nO0?si=e4b5d032e9214deb YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdyfS2K4OE4WFJRWSuAgsQ RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2521959.rss Website: https://www.livingonincline.com Sponsored by Recovery Alive Living on Incline is proudly sponsored by Recovery Alive, a Christ-centered recovery program helping people find hope, healing, and purpose through authentic community and biblical transformation. Learn more: https://www.recoveryalive.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoveryaliveinc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recoveryaliveinc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recoveryalive #LivingOnIncline #LaurenSisler #Shatterproof #AddictionRecovery #OverdoseAwareness #GriefHealing #Resilience #ESPN #SECNetwork #Podcast #HealingJourney #Truth #MentalHealth Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2521959/fan_mail/new]