From the Inside Out: Kori Thiessen, Reentry Affairs Coordinator

04/22/22 • 51 min

With 22 years of experience working inside a federal penitentiary, Thiessen shares a treasure trove of knowledge in this episode. After decades of working in the field of corrections, her passion for helping others has only grown. As she thinks outside of the box to create innovative programs at the prison, she exudes enthusiasm for finding impactful ways to prepare individuals for a new life on the “outside.”

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Previous Episode

Walk of Faith, a Clemency Case: Emmanuel Herron

By the age of 19, Emmanuel "Manny" Herron entered the federal prison system. Still a teenager, he faced a sentence of 180 months (15 years) in prison. Manny describes his life prior to prison being one of poverty, grief, and anger; a life where he felt lost.
Upon entering the federal system, Herron was dyslexic and had not learned to read. Finding his faith while incarcerated was the catalyst for his life to truly change course. Herron's petition for clemency was granted in 2016 by President Obama. Exiting the prison system, Herron was a man filled with knowledge, faith, and a fire within his heart to give back to the community he "poisoned" in his prior lifestyle. Although Herron has found tremendous success in the Topeka community, his greatest has been finding his wife and family. Herron's story is one you must hear for yourself, because only his own words do it justice.

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Next Episode

Unbreak My Road: I Was Her, Jodi Whitt

Starting at the tender age of 13, Jodi’s life tumbled down a broken road as her 20-year addiction to methamphetamine began. Learning the pain she was trying to numb by using drugs was actually amplifying her trauma, Jodi offers tremendous wisdom and guidance for others facing addiction. She describes wanting to be there for her children, and for other women, as being the driving force behind her years of sobriety. She takes ownership of her past as she candidly shares, “You cannot keep doing bad things to people and expect to be living a fulfilled life.” Now, Jodi radiates joy as she embraces her passion for helping other women overcome addiction, understand their worth, and share resources available in the community. Who better to reach women along their own broken road than someone who has traveled the same path? After all, she sat where they are as she says, “I was her.”

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