Send us Fan Mail In Part Two of our series we meet two TROSA graduates, who have completed the two-year program treatment program. Dymont Spellman and Kristie Foy come from quite different backgrounds and found their way into addiction through different paths. Yet years later, when faced with the possibility of dying, they both chose to come to TROSA, where they discovered a community of people who'd beat their addiction and were now supporting others through their recovery...
Mar 24
37 min
Send us Fan Mail TROSA is an evidence-based, peer-driven treatment program for substance use disorder in Durham, North Carolina. Based on the concept of a therapeutic community, Trosa's two-year program provides comprehensive treatment, vocational training, education and continuing care. In Part One, we meet CEO Keith Artin who began as a volunteer and never left. We learn what makes TROSA effective and why peer-driven community support is so vital in helping people kick th...
Mar 24
29 min
Send us Fan Mail Jefradian Stafford wants you to know he's not the same man who, a decade ago, lost everything to his opioid addiction and found himself in prison. In prison, he kicked his addiction. And after he got out, a second chance employer hired him as a truck driver. With the love and unconditional support of his mother and grandmother, he began to rebuild his life. But it was not until Jefradian learned to love and nurture himself that he began to find true ha...
Jan 27
16 min
Send us Fan Mail In this installment of her series, April talks about the latest advocacy initiatives she's become involved with. The Coalition of Black Forensic Peer Support Specialists supports Black people adversely impacted by the justice system. Jingle advocates for juveniles who've received a life sentence. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtime video produc...
Jan 12
5 min
Send us Fan Mail Arise Collective is one of those rare organizations that provides housing for women transitioning from prison. But that's just the beginning. Arise provides emotional support, teaches life skills needed to become independent and, as we'll learn in this episode, even offers the opportunity to get a college degree. We'll meet two Arise residents who are taking advantage of that opportunity. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast ...
Jan 8
38 min
Send us Fan Mail In Part Two of our Arise for Women series, we meet two women who are in the Arise program. Each one has children and each one has done prison time for offenses related to substance use disorder. They've come forward to tell their stories to offer hope to others caught in the grip of addiction. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtime video produ...
Dec 15, 2025
36 min
Send us Fan Mail While the female incarceration rate in North Carolina continues to rise at an alarming rate, there's precious little reentry support available for women. Arise Collective in Raleigh aims to change that by providing not just housing, but also wrap-around services to help women get their back on their feet. In our first of a three-part series, Reentry Project Director Kimberly Stone describes the many ways in which Arise provides stability and support for formerly...
Dec 3, 2025
30 min
Send us Fan Mail In 2024, one of four people in North Carolina’s prisons were released to homelessness. On the other end, people who lose their housing because of poverty or addiction often find themselves in jail. And the cycle continues. In this episode, we meet a physician who has devoted his career to treating the unhoused. Another gentleman describes what it's like to cycle through the loop between homelessness and prison. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April B...
Nov 11, 2025
45 min
Send us Fan Mail Ronnie Harris is a natural born storyteller. So when he was encouraged to document his 33-years in prison, he sat down and wrote a memoir. Listen to his story and discover why, for all the violence and brutality, he considers the real punishment of incarceration to be time itself. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtime video producer and criminal ...
Oct 26, 2025
34 min
Send us Fan Mail Some 20,000 children in North Carolina have a parent who’s incarcerated. And yet, these young people often remain invisible in the eyes of society. That’s why the work that Melissa Radcliff does to connect children with their incarcerated parents and grandparents is so important. In this episode, we attend Parent Day at Orange Correctional and learn how Melissa Radcliff became an ardent advocate for the children of incarcerated men and women. In 2023, Judy Van Wy...
Oct 19, 2025
38 min
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