Episode Notes

What if preparing a meal could help someone rediscover confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging?

In this episode of At the Table: Voices of Restoration, Abby sits down with Roger, executive chef at JUMPSTART South Carolina, to explore how his three decades of culinary experience prepared him for a role that extends far beyond the kitchen.

Roger shares how an influential chef shaped his approach to teaching and why patience, personal connection, and hands-on instruction are central to the JUMPSTART SC Culinary Arts Program. Through training in food safety, knife skills, cooking techniques, budgeting, and kitchen economics, participants gain practical tools they can carry into the workplace and life beyond the program.

The conversation also explores what Roger calls “the kitchen table effect,” the way a shared meal can remove barriers, create meaningful conversation, and remind people from every walk of life that they belong at the same table.

From participant-led catering events and Thursday community meals to dreams of a greenhouse and teaching restaurant, Roger offers a hopeful picture of what can grow when people are given the opportunity to learn, serve, and move forward without being defined by their past.

Connect With JUMPSTART SC

Learn more about JUMPSTART South Carolina, its programs, and opportunities to get involved:

Website:jumpstartsc.org

Facebook:JUMPSTART Ministry

Instagram:@jumpstartsc

LinkedIn:JUMPSTART Ministry

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina

Most people think they understand the criminal justice system...until they meet the people living inside it.

As a criminal justice student at Clemson University, Causey Williams expected to learn about policies, procedures, and the legal system. What she didn't expect was how a summer internship with JUMPSTART SC would completely reshape the way she viewed incarceration, rehabilitation, and restoration.

In this conversation, Abby and Causey explore the difference between learning about reentry in the classroom and witnessing it firsthand. They discuss the realities returning citizens face after release, the barriers that often make rebuilding difficult, and why community, meaningful work, and second chances are essential to lasting restoration.

Throughout the episode, Causey shares how hearing participants' stories challenged her own assumptions, why she believes no one should be defined by their worst mistake, and how faith has shaped her understanding of justice. Together, they unpack difficult questions about shame, hope, environment, opportunity, and the responsibility we all have to see people through the lens of grace rather than judgment.

Whether you're a student, employer, ministry leader, volunteer, or simply someone who wants to better understand the realities of reentry, this conversation will challenge you to look beyond the label and see the person.

If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to connect with you.

Learn more about JUMPSTART SC and our mission of restoration by visiting jumpstartsc.org.

Follow JUMPSTART SC for more stories of hope, restoration, and life change:

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow At the Table: Voices of Restoration, leave a review, and share this conversation with someone who could use a reminder that no one is beyond hope and every story is worth redeeming.

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina

What happens when your story seems headed in the wrong direction?

In this episode of At the Table: Voices of Restoration, Cary Sanders sits down with JUMPSTART SC co-founder Don Williams to explore a journey marked by hardship, redemption, and unwavering faith.

Don shares how growing up without a father, navigating difficult circumstances, and facing the consequences of his choices shaped the man he would become. Along the way, he encountered moments that challenged everything he believed about himself, his future, and even God.

Together, Cary and Don reflect on the power of identity, the importance of second chances, and the role faith plays when life doesn't make sense. They discuss perseverance through setbacks, the impact of community, and why creating opportunities for others has become such a central part of Don's life and work.

This conversation is about more than overcoming obstacles.

It is about trusting God when you cannot see the outcome.

It is about finding purpose in places you never expected.

It is about believing that your story is not over.

And it is about discovering that no matter what you are facing today, God is able.

Learn more about the work helping restore lives and create second chances:

https://jumpstartsc.org

Follow along:

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jumpstartsc

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JumpStartMinistry

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/jumpstartministry

Thank you for joining us at the table.

If today's conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or reminded you that hope is still possible, we invite you to share it with someone who may need to hear it.

We'd love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders:[email protected]

📩 Abby Redden:[email protected]

Learn more:
https://jumpstartsc.org

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina

What if the things God has placed in your hands were never meant to stop with you?

In this episode of At the Table: Voices of Restoration, Abby Redden sits down with Charles Wall to discuss faith, leadership, generosity, and the pursuit of a life well lived.

Charles shares how losing his father and grandfather at a young age shaped his relationship with God and taught him lessons about resilience, dependence, and purpose. He reflects on his journey from pursuing success and achievement to focusing on what he calls "eulogy virtues"—the qualities that leave a lasting impact on the lives of others.

Together, Abby and Charles explore the value of mentorship, the importance of workforce readiness, and the opportunities that exist when people are willing to invest in those seeking a second chance. Drawing from his years of involvement with JUMPSTART South Carolina, Charles offers practical wisdom on leadership, stewardship, generosity, and what it means to use your influence for something greater than yourself.

This conversation is about more than business, success, or career growth.

It is about living with eternity in mind.

It is about recognizing that not all God has given you is for you.

And it is about building a life that leaves a lasting impact long after you are gone.

Learn more about the work helping restore lives and create second chances:

JUMPSTART South Carolina

Follow along:
Instagram
Facebook

LinkedIn 

Thank you for joining us at the table.

If today's conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or gave you a new perspective, we invite you to share it with someone who may benefit from hearing it.

We'd love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders:[email protected]

📩 Abby Redden:[email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART SC Website

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina

For years, Anthony Mullinax felt trapped in addiction, hopelessness, and cycles he could not break on his own. Even when he wanted a different life, he did not know how to escape the path he was on.

In this powerful episode of At the Table: Voices of Restoration, Anthony Mullinax shares the story of how what looked like an arrest became the very moment that saved his life.

Anthony opens up about addiction, incarceration, surrendering to Christ, and the men who walked alongside him through accountability, faith, and restoration while incarcerated. He also shares what it was like coming home through the JUMPSTART program, rebuilding relationships, discovering purpose, and eventually joining the JUMPSTART staff to help guide men coming out of prison through the same struggles he once faced himself.

Today, Anthony is a husband, father, homeowner, and living proof that restoration is possible when grace, obedience, and community come together.

This episode is about surrender, identity, accountability, second chances, and what can happen when someone finally believes they are worth fighting for.

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina

What if success is not the same thing as purpose?

In this episode of At the Table: Voices of Restoration, Steve Ford joins Cary Sanders for a deeply reflective conversation about faith, legacy, calling, and the search for work that truly matters.

After years of professional success, Steve found himself wrestling with a difficult question: was he spending his life on the things God actually created him to do? That search for purpose eventually led him into prison ministry, Restoration Village, and helping shape the vision behind one of the most transformative reentry efforts in South Carolina.

Together, Cary and Steve explore purpose, faith, restoration, community impact, and the kind of obedience that keeps moving forward even when logic says not to.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered if they are truly living with purpose or simply staying busy.

Learn more about the work helping restore lives and create second chances:

JUMPSTART South Carolina

Follow along:

Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina

“It’s okay, Mama. I’m just used to it.”

Those were the words that changed everything for Tiffany.

In this deeply emotional episode of At the Table: Voices of Restoration, Tiffany shares her story of addiction, incarceration, hopelessness, and the moment she finally surrendered her life to Christ after years of trying to survive on her own.

Growing up surrounded by addiction and gang culture, Tiffany found herself trapped in cycles she did not know how to escape. After returning to prison multiple times and believing change was impossible, one heartbreaking letter from her daughter forced her to confront the reality of what her life had become.

This is a conversation about surrender, healing, second chances, and the kind of grace that makes people new.

Learn more about the work helping restore lives and create second chances:

JUMPSTART South Carolina

Follow along:

Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina

What happens when someone who has lost hope encounters people who still believe restoration is possible?

In the first episode of At the Table: Voices of Restoration, hosts Cary Sanders and Abby Redden open the door into the heart behind the podcast and the mission that brought them to this table.

Through honest conversation and personal stories, Cary and Abby explore incarceration, faith, grace, shame, purpose, and what true restoration looks like. Abby shares part of her own journey through prison and the experience of rebuilding life after incarceration, while Cary reflects on the people and moments that shaped the vision behind JUMPSTART and the belief that no one is beyond hope.

This conversation is about more than prison or programs. It is about what happens when people encounter grace, community, and a future greater than their past.

This is not a conversation about pretending brokenness does not exist.

It is about what happens when hope walks into the room.

Learn more about the work helping restore lives and create second chances:

JUMPSTART South Carolina

Follow along:

Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn

Thank you for joining us at the table.
If today’s conversation meant something to you, we invite you to share it with someone who may need hope, perspective, or a reminder that restoration is possible.

We’d love to hear your story, answer questions, or help you learn more about the work happening through JUMPSTART South Carolina.

Connect with us:

📩 Cary Sanders: [email protected]

📩 Abby Redden: [email protected]

Learn more: JUMPSTART South Carolina