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The Redemption Project Podcast

The Redemption Project

The Redemption Project tells real stories of change, accountability, and second chances. Hosted by Brandon Burley—a retired law enforcement detective, criminal justice educator, and journalist—this podcast features conversations with men and women who have lived on both sides of the justice system, along with the ministries, programs, and people helping them rebuild their lives. Each episode explores what redemption actually looks like after prison: recovery, faith, responsibility, failure,

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

0:17

ShowerUp

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/09/06

Get full access to The Redemption Project Newsroom at newsroom.theredemptionproject.news/subscribePaul Schmitz thought Christian radio would be his lifelong career.Then God took him on a left turn.In this Season 5 Good Works episode of The Redemption Project, Brandon Burley talks with Paul Schmitz, founder of ShowerUp, a ministry providing clean, private, hot mobile showers and laundry services for people experiencing homelessness.Paul shares how a simple act of serving meals grew into a national

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2:33

ALPR and Flock Technology Explained: When License...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/08/11

What are Flock cameras, and why are so many people suddenly concerned about them?In this Season 3 Systems Explained episode, Brandon Burley talks with Nick Nugent, a University of Tennessee law professor who teaches technology law and constitutional law, about automated license plate readers, public safety, privacy and the difference between what may be legal and what kind of surveillance society we actually want.The conversation separates two questions:Is this constitutional?And even if it is

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11:53

Alliance Women’s Clinic: Breanna Houston on Faith,...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/08/11

For Breanna Houston, the debate over abortion is not theoretical.At 18 years old, away at college and frightened about what an unexpected pregnancy might mean for her future, she had an abortion. Years later, after becoming a Christian and walking through a post-abortion Bible study, she began confronting the grief, shame and questions she had carried with her.That experience now shapes the work she believes she has been called to do.In this Season 4 Civic Conversation, Brandon Burley speaks with

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22:44

Grace Baron on The Sycamore Institute, Tennessee’s...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/08/09

The Sycamore Institute exists to help Tennesseans understand the issues, data and policy choices shaping the state.In this Season 5 Good Works episode, Brandon Burley talks with Grace Baron, Director of External Relations at The Sycamore Institute, about the organization’s work as an impartial, data-driven research and policy center for Tennessee.The conversation covers Tennessee’s state budget, Sycamore’s budget primer, county-level data, housing research, workforce development, education funding,

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47:25

Tennessee Forward Party Chair Nick Nugent on Third...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/08/08

What is the Tennessee Forward Party?In this Season 4 Civic Conversation, Brandon Burley talks with Nick Nugent, chair of the Tennessee Forward Party, about what the Forward Party is, why it wants to challenge the two-party system, how third parties try to gain ballot access, and why the party believes Tennessee voters may be hungry for another option.The conversation covers open primaries, ranked-choice and approval voting, gerrymandering, local races, candidate endorsements, Lauren Pinkston, and

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19:22

More Than a Halfway House: How FOCUS Helps Women...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/08/02

Savannah Ford turned 30 years old in jail.The milestone landed harder than she expected. Looking back at her life, she felt as though the only things she had to show for those years were addiction and felony drug charges.She did not yet know what rebuilding would look like.After her release, Savannah entered the residential reentry program operated by FOCUS Women’s Ministry. She had not participated in the organization’s jail classes because FOCUS was not serving the facility where she had been

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1:20

Men of Valor Mash-Up: From Prison to Purpose

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/31

Men of Valor is not just a prison ministry.It is a place where men coming out of incarceration are being challenged, discipled, restored and rebuilt.In this special mash-up episode of The Redemption Project, Brandon Burley highlights voices from Men of Valor — men coming out of jail and prison, men who found faith behind the wall, and leaders helping them return to their families and communities with purpose.This is a story about addiction, incarceration, faith, accountability, reentry and

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56:25

A Poll Is Not a Prediction: Mark Cunningham on...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/28

The numbers are interesting.They are also easy to overread.A poll can tell us something useful about public opinion at a particular moment. It cannot guarantee what voters will do weeks or months later, predict every change in a campaign or turn a small lead into a certain election result.In this Season 4 Civic Conversation, Brandon Burley speaks with pollster Mark Cunningham about what polls actually measure, how scientific surveys are constructed and why the public should be cautious when

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34:08

Mark David Grasso: Addiction, Prison and the Recovery...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/24

Mark David Grasso did not describe his childhood as the worst story anyone had ever heard.That is part of what makes it important.He grew up in a single-parent home. His mother struggled with mental health issues and physical limitations after being hit by a car. His older sisters moved out when he was young, leaving Mark and his mother together in a house where he often felt like the child and the counselor at the same time.From the outside, things may have looked fine.Behind closed doors, they

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28:20

Breaking Destructive Cycles: How Blue Monarch...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/19

When a mother enters recovery, her children do not simply wait outside the process.They may have witnessed addiction, instability, incarceration, violence or the removal of a parent from the home. They may also be carrying trauma of their own—sometimes without the words to explain what happened.Blue Monarch was created around the belief that lasting recovery requires helping the entire family heal.In the Season 5 premiere of The Redemption Project, Brandon Burley speaks with Shakia, Blue Monarch’s

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44:49

The Smaller the Race, the Greater Your Voice: Katie...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/15

Voting can feel complicated long before anyone reaches the polling place.People register, but then struggle to find reliable information about the candidates. They may not understand what will appear on their ballot, where to research a local race or whether it is acceptable to admit that they have questions. For some voters, that uncertainty becomes embarrassment. Eventually, embarrassment becomes disengagement.In this Season 4 Civic Conversation, Brandon Burley speaks with Katie Growden, Tennessee

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28:14

Sentenced to 80 years in prison, he is now a CEO

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/10

Tremaine Smith was 15 years old when one decision changed the rest of his life.He had been a straight-A student. He played football and basketball. He had never been in trouble before. Then he went out one night with the wrong people, refused a plea deal and received two 40-year sentences.He went into prison as a teenager.He came home in 2023 after serving 31 years.In this episode of The Redemption Project, Tremaine talks with Brandon Burley about growing up, juvenile sentencing, prison survival,

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28:12

From prison to redemption

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/09

Derrick Westfield did not begin life with the story many people might expect.He was not raised in a home without both parents.He did not describe his childhood as a broken home.His mother and father worked. His family was together. He had a nice childhood.Then, when Derrick was 12 years old, his father died on his birthday.That loss changed the shape of the family.The structure began to loosen. The brothers began moving in different directions. Derrick found himself drawn more and more toward the

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21:46

Redemption Isn’t Always Rescue—Sometimes It’s...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/08

If you’re wondering, why are these stories being re-uploaded this week . . . well, I was integrating my server from an old one to a new one when POOF, several redemption stories vanished. That said, these stories DESERVE to be told. So I am sharing them again! Most redemption stories begin with collapse.This one begins with calling.When I sat down with Matt Mihelic, there was no dramatic confession. No public fall from grace. No moment that required headlines. And yet—his story is a reminder of

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30:48

From Abortion Pain to Healing, Hope and Purpose: The...

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/07/07

Breanna Houston remembers being 18 years old, living in a college dorm and realizing she was pregnant.She was scared.She was the first in her family to attend college. She had plans. She wanted a future in television. She wanted to be a producer. And in that moment, the story she had absorbed from the world around her seemed simple:A pregnancy would ruin everything.So she did what many young women do when fear becomes louder than everything else.She kept it quiet.She did not tell her parents.She

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0:52

Criminal Justice Is Tested After Release

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/05/19

by Brandon Burley and The Redemption Project Sentencing may dominate debate, but many of the most important public safety outcomes begin after someone returns to the community.We still measure criminal justice at the wrong moment.Most public debate focuses on sentencing, incarceration levels, and whether punishment sounds tough enough.But the most important question usually begins after someone leaves prison or jail.That is because most people who are incarcerated will eventually return to their

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45:59

Tennessee Gubernatorial Roundtable 2026

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/05/15

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.I am a retired detective and criminal justice / government educator based in Tennessee. I am a commentary write for Tennessee Lookout and a weekly columnist with Knox TN Today. My work examines public policy, public safety systems and civic responsibility. My reporting and commentary have also appeared in Governing, The Arizona Capitol Times, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Police1, among other state and

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0:38

Sheriff campaigns . . .

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/04/25

by Brandon Burley and The Redemption Project Sheriff campaigns often center on broad safety language.But the stronger voter questions usually involve staffing, jail operations, narcotics pressure, and how decisions function once campaigning ends.I am a retired detective and criminal justice / government educator based in Tennessee. I am a commentary write for Tennessee Lookout and a weekly columnist with Knox TN Today. My work examines public policy, public safety systems and civic responsibility

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0:14

Steve Smith

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/04/19

By Brandon Burley of The Redemption Project Redemption Story of the Week: Steve SmithSteve walked out of prison in August 2025 with nothing but the clothes on his back and a box of books.No family waiting.No friends.No safety net.Before prison, Steve knew the life he was living wasn’t right. A divorce sent him spiraling. Drugs followed. Then selling meth and heroin. Then prison.Behind bars, something changed.Steve found God. And instead of wasting the time, he used it—working to become someone

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0:43

Addiction pressure is not limited to large cities.

The Redemption Project Podcast ·

2026/04/04

by Brandon Burley and The Redemption Project Addiction pressure is not limited to large cities.But access to treatment often is.In many smaller communities, the same need exists with fewer immediate options — which means geography quietly shapes recovery outcomes more than many people realize.I am a retired detective and criminal justice / government educator based in Tennessee. I am a commentary write for Tennessee Lookout and a weekly columnist with Knox TN Today. My work examines public policy,

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21 results

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