Reentry Reframed

As a childhood cancer survivor, Suzie Casarona still remembers the moment her world shifted with the diagnosis of a Wilms tumor that would ultimately claim one of her kidneys. Growing up as the middle child of nine, Suzie’s early years were defined by chaos and instability—an environment that eventually led her into the foster care system. Between the trauma of her health battles and the abuse she...

Growing up in Topeka, Kansas, Abriona Markham shares memories of her eastside stomping grounds. She wants people to know that she is a proud graduate of Highland Park High School, and amazing things come out of this school. Growing up as the oldest sibling, Abriona’s mother was a “single married woman,” so there was a great deal of responsibility for the older children taking care of younger sibli...

Born and raised in Hutchison, Kansas, Dakotah reflects on scoring a 9 out of 10 on the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience) test to provide a glimpse into his story he shares on this episode. He was raised around abuse, violence, neglect, and more, sadly. Dakotah felt like he was an "odd individual" once he started school, but he also felt mature due to the adult experiences he was expose...

Growing up in Tampa, Florida without his father present, Mo Nelson describes the feelings surrounding this absence. With a hardworking mother filling both roles, his mother showed Mo "immense love" and spoiled him. Having a large extended family, he reflects how close-knit they were, which helped during the years Mo was an only child. As he struggled with loneliness during adolescence, M...

Born in Armourdale, Kansas, Amber was the first of 8 children. While her mother struggled with substance use disorder earlier in her childhood, Amber recalls she was well loved and spoiled as a child. As her mother regained and maintained her sobriety, she was a huge part of Amber's life as well as her grandchildren's lives. Meeting who would be her future husband, Max, in kindergarten,...

Born overseas into a miliary family, Matt describes living on a miliary base as a "sheltered life." In 6th grade, he experienced the culture shock of living off the base and Matt felt "left behind" when it came time to fitting in with his new peers. As he began to search for where he belonged in this new world, he struggled to find acceptance. Matt recalls the first time he tri...

Born in Maryland to a military family, Kelby moved across the country as a child until landing in Kansas at the age of 8 years old. He describes some of the challenges that came with moving around a lot as a child because it was hard to develop ties. The bouncing around from place to place continued for the military family even after settling down in Kansas.  Fitting in was a challenge for Kelby g...

Born in Chicago, Tamicka spent most of her childhood navigating life with an absent parent. She recalls going to court with her mother at just six years old. As her mother’s addiction spiraled, her presence in the home dwindled due to her substance use disorder. Tamicka shares her perspective at each stage of her life being “a little, a middle, and an adult” as a child of an incarcerated parent. T...

Starting at just 8 years old, Jason Miles was involved in the justice system. When asked where things began to go “off track,” Jason replied, “You know, I never was on the track to begin with.” Later in life, he was able to identify much of his troubled youth, destruction of property, and rebelling against authority linked back to the anger he harbored for his father not being present. When consid...

Born and raised in California, Jamie said she had a good childhood from what she can remember. At just a few years old, her parents divorced which led to Jamie being raised alone by her mother. From a young age, Jamie identifies her addiction to substances really started with cigarettes following a very traumatic event. While cigarettes and alcohol use were very normalized in her home, Jamie recal...

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Eliza Barr describes her childhood as quite typical for the most part. Her parents were very protective of their large family of seven children. Reflecting on this, Eliza believes this was likely due to her parents experiencing “intense childhoods” they wanted to shield their children from. At the time of her birth, Eliza’s mother was incarcerated. With one ankle sha...

This episode is incredibly special because Heather is sharing her journey for the first time on a public platform. Heather will tell you, “Hope is everything,” and we could not agree more. Born raised in South Central California, Heather DiDomenico Graves recalls what impacted her childhood most was childhood obesity. Reflecting, she describes how living in an area with such high beauty standards...

Judge Stephen Bough joins us for a special episode providing perspective from his side of the courtroom. Judge Bough was nominated by President Obama in 2014 to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States Court for the Western District of Missouri. In more recent years, Judge Bough presided over Reentry Court for the Western District of Missouri. Like drug court and other specialt...

Dustin Moore grew up in an idyllic setting in San Diego, California, where he surfed and lived the “country club” lifestyle. He claims his childhood was one of privilege and care, and he gravitated towards any sport he could be involved with. Starting college, that is when his life started to turn course; regarding addiction, Dustin remarks this is something you just “have in you” or you do not. H...

Sheesh! What a wild ride! This past year has “kinda” been one for the books. As MG and K. Shook reflect on previous episodes, guests, new program initiatives, and just downright nonsense, this episode is a lot of fun. With thirty episodes published and going strong, Reentry Reframed continues to be a force to be reckoned with. Second chances are a beautiful thing when a person changes their course...

As the first face welcoming those seeking sobriety walking through the doors of Topeka Residential Treatment, LaShanda Daniels says, “When you’re here, you’re family.” Emulating the ‘open arms’ approach of Mirror’s beloved director who passed away in 2020, Richard Gilchrist, LaShanda explains how she carries on his legacy every single day. LaShanda is always going the extra mile to help others, an...

From a young age, Nathan Voss recalls struggling in school. Eventually, he was prescribed medication to help him focus while learning. It did not take long for Nathan to realize his medication was a hot commodity he could trade for other medication, such as opiates, to feed his addiction. While his passion was in music, he spiraled deeper in his addiction as a musician in a band where the fast lif...

As a youth, Fred spent a great deal of time moving around due to being the youngest child in a military family. Following the separation of his parents, Fred and his mother settled in El Paso, Texas where his home life would feel anything but safe. As his mother's addiction spiraled out of control, Fred sought refuge in the streets. Having a strong sense of responsibility to keep his mother s...

Olivia Penman, newly Mrs. Olivia Herrman is someone you can find just about anywhere you look in the recovery community celebrating and supporting others. Olivia exudes kindness and love everywhere she goes. When asked what she was like as a youth, Oliva reflected she was not quite sure who she was because it would really depend on who she was around; she was a chameleon of sorts. As she worked to...

This incredible episode features Seth Dewey, a man who is working hard to ‘disrupt and dismantle’ the systems surrounding Substance Use Disorder to better serve individuals. Prior to being the Health Educator for Reno County, Seth remarks he qualified for his current position by turning his record into his resume. With his perspective, passion, and understanding of the world of recovery, there is...

In this episode, Adam Cobuluis and Nick Casarona ‘flip the script’ on Shook and MG. Earlier this summer, Nick and Adam reached out with a request to do a podcast “takeover” to get to know the ladies of Reentry Reframed better. Well, they quickly found out Melissa wears her heart on her sleeve- it did not take long to get the tears flowing. Instead of making Kristen edit out all parts of vulnerabil...

With more than 30 years of experience as a U.S. Department of Justice Federal Law Enforcement Officer, 26 of the 30 years behind federal prison walls, Rodney Harmon shares his incredible perspective on this episode. As a Corrections Officer, Rodney would remind the men, “You are a hero to someone.” During thousands of discussions with men who were incarcerated, Rodney always explored ways to inspi...

From using together to losing together, Ashley and Sean share their story on this episode with openness and raw honesty in hopes of reaching others. Ashley describes her struggle and ultimate despair stemming from her substance use while pregnant and as a new mother. Ashley and Sean also share their experience navigating the foster care and court system while regaining their sobriety in an effort...

On this episode, Tre’Jor Hopkins, savvy business owner, shares the ins and outs of starting his own business. His food truck, Flavor Wagon 785, is a treasure in Topeka for those who are looking for a healthy, fresh, delicious meal on the go. What makes Tre’Jor’s food truck even more incredible is the road that led to his now successful venture. Arriving for his podcast interview carrying his 7-mon...

Facing nearly 20 years in prison, Adam received news his two young boys would be in state custody under the supervision of KVC. Instead of losing hope, Adam knew he would one day be reunited with his boys. With steadfast determination, Adam began the process of reunification from foster care with his children after the case was dismissed. Fresh out of jail, Adam credits the Oxford House, the foste...