Stay Free Forever

US Army veteran, spouse, mother, community leader and suicide attempt survivor Jamie Bolte talks about her own near miss and the loss of those close to her to suicide, and how to bring sunlight and real listening to the task of preventing more.

Citing documented cases that speak to a century-old system gone wrong, Claudia Rowe of Seattle points to the plight of teens set up to fail by that system, new and better ways to keep families together or, at very least, place more  accountability on the states that call all the shots.

Straight talk from a Black historian who draws parallels and lessons for any oppressed community seeking to adapt and thrive, starting one at a time...

Sixty-four percent of us have lived through "adverse childhood experiences," a clinical term for really bad stuff. For the prison population, that jumps to 98 percent. Drawing from her own life, counselor Crystal Nelson explains where it comes from, why it matters, what to do about it, and how her own "Rising Phoenix" non-profit will help.

Court-ordered to complete the SFF Personal Responsibility eLearning course after a freak ATV accident, medical student Rae Gresham recalls the flip and its aftermath. Along the way, we hear about the good and bad of foster care, the ABCs of dropping toxic friendships, nicotine-food-video game addictions, and the heart-to-heart wisdom of Taylor Swift.

Once-happy family man recalls how an unexpected divorce and unimpeded self-indulgence led him to spend a third of his life behind razor-wire fences. Corkey Mullendore discusses bad choices, lucky breaks and the hard-earned wisdom that led him to where he says he is now: one stumble away from "an unmarked grave" in prison.

Interview from the Twin Towers Correction Facility in LA with the leader of a successful  movement to help and treat severely mentally ill patients, while also restoring and truly rehabilitating lifers and other convicted felon volunteers by permitting them to serve in a meaningful way

Artist and blacksmith Steve Fontanini confronts years of addiction to smokeless tobacco and explains how he keeps it from controlling him.

Judge Bo Zeerip discusses the challenges of being a County Court Judge in Delta, Colorado, and offers specific advice — to attorneys and their clients — as to how to appear and behave in court.  He shares how his Christian faith informs and influences his decision-making as he attempts to do justice, make room for mercy, and run an efficient courtroom, all the while looking out for the rights of people who are innocent until proven guilty.

15-year-old Northern Arapaho Tanksi (tungk-SHEE) Duran shares her thoughts on bullying, teen suicide, friendship, hip-hop and learning from the elders.

At a point in his recovery from chemical and sexual addiction where he can articulate specific ways in which he is confronting and changing his own self-destructive thoughts and behavior, Austin Peavler describes his journey toward integrity and peace. As with the main character, Odysseus, in his favorite tale, "The Odyssey", 39-year-old Austin has survived setback after setback ; mostly self-imposed.

U.S. Army and Wyoming Highway Patrol veteran James Weck shares proven methods to avoid tickets and manage chaos.

It began with a near-fatal beating that led to addiction, homelessness and losing her children. Hear Samantha Johnson recall her painful yet promising journey to recovery, sobriety, self-reliance and a career serving the sick and helping those who struggle as she did.

"We understand there is the law, and we have to act in accordance with it...but there's also a human here who has some needs! Are those sets of laws are helping me help this person? And sometimes they don't," says the man whose company, since 1975, has helped folks stop breaking laws and start living right.

From judge to judged; peer support specialist and former judge Terri Smith recounts her journey from trauma and addiction through recovery and redemption.

From athlete to addict to adult; Kimberly Smith shares lessons learned and how to keep them from fading.

A Native American man chooses to overcome his addictive past

Stay Free Forever's Clifford Fewel interviews Wyoming native Sarah Blakeman about her life, and about the "slippery slope" toward grand theft on which she found herself. "Just like an alcoholic doesn't start out in life saying, 'I think I'm gonna be an alcoholic,'" Sarah says, "I didn't start out thinking that I'm going to be a thief." Sarah shares how being caught, sentenced, incarcerated and freed has led her to a life of authenticity she had never thought possible.