Shows
'83 DutchmenTHADDEUS BEREDAY: 200 Federal Agents Busting Down the DoorIn this final episode of the series before the fiscal year of Collegiate ends on Friday, June 30th, Taylor talks with Thaddeus Bereday, who left after 7th grade but says we did a much better job of celebrating our 40th reunion then the school he actually graduated from (suck it, Groton Academy)! Thad speaks eloquently about his successes, struggles, failures, and the importance of mercy, second chances, compassion, and reform. Please be sure to check out his podcast, Redemption Radio, wherever you get your podcasts. Although you must be a member of the Collegiate class of...
2023-06-2553 min
Redemption RadioEpisode 17: Season One Wrap UpIn the season one finale, Thad Bereday wraps up what we have learned this season on Redemption Radio. Questioned by his friend and guest host Evan D. Smith, executive director of Love INC of Metro Tampa, Thad describes his favorite and most memorable moments from the first season; how producing the podcast has changed him personally; and why he sees the podcast as being effective. Thad also explains what he will be doing during the interim break before the planned relaunch of season two of Redemption Radio. Stay tuned for further episodes of Redemption Radio coming this fall!
2022-07-1133 min
Gin & JusticeThad Bereday: Redemption RadioOn this weeks episode of Gin & Justice, Justine and Amanda chat with Thad Bereday. Thad is the host of the popular podcast Redemption Radio which just wrapped up the first season. He shares his story about how he got involved in the criminal legal system and what he's doing now. For more of Thad:Redemption Radio is available wherever you get your podcasts: https://4redemption.com/redemption-radio/Facebook: @tberedayInstagram: @thadberedayTwitter: @thadberedayLinkedIn: @thadberedayTikTok: @thadberedayAmanda also bums us out with a story of an innocent man fac...
2022-07-0558 minRedemption RadioEpisode 16: Annette ScottAnnette Scott is my yoga teacher! I came to yoga unwittingly, when my life was at a low point, and I felt I had struck bottom. More than any other yoga instructor, Annette showed me how to feel this discomfort, learn to breathe and be present through my feelings and then take the practice of yoga off the mat into real life. Beyond physical exercise, yoga is a practice that shows us how to maintain compassion for others, and for ourselves.What does yoga have to do with criminal justice reform? Everything! As Annette explains, and Thad...
2022-06-2747 minRedemption RadioEpisode 15: Justin LaRosaRev. Justin LaRosa is my pastor! When I got released from prison in 2018, Justin was one of the first people I turned to who became an important part of my support system. As Director of the Portico (the downtown Tampa location of Hyde Park United Methodist Church), Justin is a faith advisor for many souls and has walked with me throughout my journey to criminal justice reform. This episode will showcase an intimate conversation between a returning citizen and his pastor. Justin and Thad discuss their work together, starting in homeless ministry and including their c...
2022-06-1349 minRedemption RadioEpisode 14: Charles Neal and Morgan GodvinCharles Neal is a corrections officer with the Oregon Department of Corrections. Morgan Godvin is a returning citizen working as an advocate, academic, journalist, and content creator. Together, Charles and Morgan have founded the Humane Justice Foundation, a coalition of people with lived experience from inside the criminal justice system, including victims, law enforcement, prisoners and everyday citizens. Humane Justice Foundation advocates for principles of restorative justice. In this episode, Charles describes his experience working as a corrections officer, reviewing the institutional and personal challenges affecting this community. Morgan shares how these dynamics are surprisingly si...
2022-05-3156 minRedemption RadioEpisode 13: Ray CokerRay Coker is one of my best friends. When I got cancer, Ray was among the inner circle who nursed me back to health. We walked together once a week, helping and supporting each other through life’s challenges. Ray was the guy I asked to drive me to prison on the day I self-surrendered.In this episode, Ray and Thad share the story of their journey to federal prison in Jesup, GA. Ray explains what it felt like to drop off his friend Thad to jail, and then recalls what it was like to visit...
2022-05-1638 minRedemption RadioEpisode 12: Mary O'ConnorMary O’Connor is the incoming Chief of the City of Tampa Police Department, one of the nation’s top 50 police departments. She is the second female Chief of Police in the department’s history. Chief O’Connor served TPD for 22 years, rising to the level of assistant chief, before retiring to become a national consultant and trainer to the FBI, DOJ and other law enforcement agencies. In February 2022, Chief O’Connor was selected by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to lead the department in her current role. In this episode, Thad and Chief O’Connor talk about seco...
2022-05-0238 minRedemption RadioEpisode 11: Jhody PolkJhody Polk spent seven years in Florida prison for a series of violent offenses committed in her early 20’s. While in jail, she learned to undo much of the societal conditioning imposed upon her from growing up in East Gainsville. Now more than seven years following her release, Jhody has transformed herself into a leading community activist, public speaker and leader for peace and justice. Jhody is the Founder of LEAH, the Legal Empowerment and Advocacy Hub, and previously served as the Director of Community Justice at the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding. She was trained as a ja...
2022-04-1838 minRedemption RadioEpisode 10: Neil VolzNeil Volz is Deputy Director of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, the group that successfully passed Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to 1+ million returning citizens in Florida. Today, FRRC provides jobs and pathways to formerly incarcerated people, advocating for policy changes to help returning citizens achieve full community restoration. In this episode, Neil and Thad discuss common themes in their stories, including their demise from powerful jobs into the hands of the criminal justice system, as well as their current work to reform the system. They discuss working in Congress, the events of January 6, the influence of money in politics, and ob...
2022-04-0454 minRedemption RadioEpisode 9: Andrew LearnedRep. Andrew Learned (D-59) is a military veteran and small business owner who was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020. He won election by 1,270 votes in a closely divided district. Nearing the end of the 2022 legislative session, Rep. Learned reviews his experience as a legislator assigned to the House committees with oversight responsibility for criminal justice issues. Thad Bereday and Rep. Learned discuss their common views as centrists in the debate over criminal justice reform, and Rep. Learned describes obstacles and opportunities in the legislative process affecting progress on these issues.Follow Rep. A...
2022-03-2839 minRedemption RadioEpisode 8: Lawrence BartleyLawrence Bartley is a journalist and contributor to The Marshall Project, a non-profit online news publication devoted entirely to coverage of the criminal justice system. Bartley is founder and director of “News Inside,” the print version of The Marshall Project distributed throughout the USA to hundreds of prisons and jails, and he is the host and executive producer of “Inside Story,” the Marshall Project’s video series on YouTube. Thad and Lawrence discuss their backgrounds as returning citizens (formerly incarcerated persons), and Lawrence describes his transformation while serving 27 years in New York State Prison as well as his ongoing work to comm...
2022-03-1444 minRedemption RadioEpisode 7: Jeff BrandesThrough 12 years in public service, Florida Senator Jeff Brandes (R-24, Pinellas) forged a reputation as the state’s leading advocate for criminal justice reform. Known as a maverick, Brandes was chairman of the powerful senate Judiciary Committee, with oversight over the Florida Department of Corrections. Brandes has visited dozens of prisons throughout the state, working on every important criminal justice issue facing the legislature during his tenure. In this episode, Senator Brandes describes the perilous state of Florida’s prison system, explaining why the political climate in Tallahassee makes reforming the system difficult. Follow Jeff Brand...
2022-02-2845 minRedemption RadioEpisode 6: Andrew WarrenAndrew Warren is the elected State Attorney for Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County). Since his election in 2017 and re-election in 2020, State Attorney Warren has been called “the face of criminal justice reform in Tampa” and is widely regarded as a smart, progressive county prosecutor. A rising star in Florida, Warren was recently selected to lead the Democratic Party’s Safety & Justice Task Force, promoting best practices for criminal justice reform on a statewide basis.In this episode, Thad Bereday and State Attorney Warren discuss his office’s approach to community safety, recidivism, and the crimin...
2022-02-1845 minRedemption RadioEpisode 5: Sarah CoutureSarah Couture is Florida State Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC), a national advocacy center dedicated to solving the unjust imposition of fines and fees in the criminal legal system. Sarah describes how fines and fees perpetuate a poverty-to-prison pipeline, reinforcing a cycle of recidivism and dependency that forces people to make unfair choices about driving and compliance with court-ordered payment schemes. Sarah and Thad discuss how this payment system impacts communities of poverty, reflecting a criminal justice system that appears systemically biased against people of color.
2022-01-1152 minRedemption RadioEpisode 4: Jo Ann PalchakOn National Constitution Day, criminal defense attorney Jo Ann Palchak talks about working as a lawyer, plea-bargaining, the trial penalty, duties of prosecutors and what it is like representing defendants in the criminal justice system. Thad and Jo Ann debate “due process” and whether the criminal justice system is working as intended, as well as lawyers’ responsibilities to fix the system.
2022-01-1044 minRedemption RadioEpisode 3: Carrie BoydCarrie Boyd is a former policy director for the SPLC Action Fund, the legislative division of the Southern Policy Law Center. For over 50 years, the SPLC has been the premier civil rights law firm in the south, particularly Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The SPLC Action Fund works with coalition partners to combat systemic oppression, poverty, and structural racism; issues suppressing communities of color. In this episode, Carrie discusses with Thad Bereday how the legislative process impacts the criminal justice system in Florida. Carrie offers insightful suggestions to help citizens become more aware and stay engaged.
2022-01-0648 minRedemption RadioEpisode 2: Fentrice DriskellRepresentative Fentrice Driskell represents the 63rd Congressional District (Hillsborough County) in Florida’s House of Representatives. She serves as Democratic Policy Chair, the third-ranking leader of the Florida House Democratic Caucus, which she is set to lead during the 2024-2026 legislative term. Upon ascension, she will be the first black woman to serve as leader of the House Democratic Caucus. In this episode, Rep. Driskell speaks with Thad Bereday about the legislative process, tensions between the leadership and minority parties, the decennial redistricting, and how these issues affect criminal justice reform. Rep. Driskell shares her view on previous bipartisan legisl...
2022-01-0548 minRedemption RadioEpisode 1: Robert BlountRobert Blount is president of Abe Brown Ministries, based in Tampa, FL, and is a seasoned advocate in working with ex-offenders reentering society from the criminal justice system. In this episode, Robert shares the challenges faced by so-called “returning citizens” and examines why and how the criminal justice system is broken. Drawing from his experience in the faith community, Robert offers inspiring insights for ways to re-think crime and punishment in America.
2022-01-0451 min
Redemption RadioEpisode 0: Thad's Origin StoryIn the inaugural episode of Redemption Radio, host Thad Bereday shares his personal journey through the criminal justice system. Thad started his career as a high-flying lawyer working inside the executive suite of a Fortune 500 company, based in Tampa, FL. Thad’s career crashed to earth when the company was raided by 200 government agents, setting off a decade long saga of Thad attempting to defend himself against federal criminal charges. Along the way, Thad would lose his job, law license, health, and eventually his family and freedom. Now, Thad’s career has been reborn in a new life of servic...
2022-01-0311 min
SoulCraft - Own Your Story13 A Courageous Conversation - Interview with Thad BeredayToday's guest almost has 2 separate stories: before the FBI raid and after. Tune to hear how Thad's story has changed and how he's changed in the process
Thad Bereday is a Father. Former Executive. Previously Incarcerated. Presidentially Pardoned. Using mercy to help others as an advocate for Criminal Justice Reform.
Follow Thad and his story below:
Twitter: @ThadBereday
Instagram: @ThadBereday
Facebook: @tbereday
Go to soulcrafttribe.com to comment. I'd love your feedback on hearing more of this, the interviews, etc. Also if you drop your email (I know who needs another damn email in their inbox) I'll promise to only sen...
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