In this powerful episode of The INNOVAT3 Podcast, host Ted Hahs sits down with Rahsaan Thomas, a writer, filmmaker and justice reform advocate whose journey began with a life sentence and found new meaning behind bars.

From level 4 prison yards to New York Times bylines, Rahsaan shares how faith, film and a basketball team inside San Quentin turned his incarceration into leadership and legacy.

He opens up about:

The power of words and why language like “inmate” causes real harm.

How proximity, purpose and mentorship can change everything.

The unlikely role of basketball in restoring identity and building trust.

His vision for an Incarcerated National Basketball Association to scale impact nationwide.

This isn’t just a comeback story - it’s a blueprint for reform rooted in inclusion, community and creativity.

Show Notes:

Host: Ted Hahs.

Guest: Rahsaan Thomas — Writer, Filmmaker, Justice Advocate.

Location: San Quentin, California.

Topics:

San Quentin’s sports and rehabilitation programs.

Prison basketball as a tool for connection and reform.

The GRIP program and emotional intelligence inside prison.

Redefining the word “inmate” and reclaiming identity.

The role of storytelling, podcasting and film in healing.

The vision for an Incarcerated National Basketball Association.

Reducing recidivism through purpose and proximity.

Prison reform through lived experience and peer leadership.

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What if the prison that nearly destroyed you became the place you returned to help others heal?

In this powerful episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, host Ted Hahs sits down with Brian Gonsoulin, a man who served 26 years of an 83-to-life sentence and is now voluntarily going back into prison, not as an inmate but as a mentor and healer.

Together, they unpack a story of addiction, incarceration, sexual harm, trauma and redemption and why radical accountability is the foundation for real transformation.

This isn’t just a story - it’s a challenge to how we think about justice, recovery and reform.

From San Quentin State Prison to the BRAVE program and Uncuffed, Brian is showing what’s possible when lived experience meets leadership and when healing becomes a mission.

You’ll hear stories of:

The childhood trauma and addiction that led to violent crime.

The moment Brian chose transformation over survival.

The emotional cost of owning harm and not hiding from shame.

How peer-led programs like BRAVE create space for real accountability.

Why true criminal justice reform must include those who’ve caused harm.

If you believe in redemptive justice and the power of lived experience to rebuild broken systems - this episode is for you.

Show Notes:

Guest: Brian Gonsoulin – Mentor, Advocate, Formerly Incarcerated Leader.

Host: Ted Hahs

Location: San Quentin, CA

Topics: prison reform, trauma recovery, addiction, sexual harm accountability, criminal justice transformation

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→ Watch & listen on Spotify, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts

Subscribe, share and leave a review - your support helps amplify voices building the future.

#prisonreform #redemptionjourney #livedexperienceleadership #braveprogram #traumarecovery #criminaljusticetransformation #healingthroughaccountability #restorativejustice

What if the lowest moment of your life became the start of your life’s mission?

In this episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, host Ted Hahs sits down with Tom Wolf, a voice from San Francisco who’s rebuilding the very systems that once left him behind.

After six cycles through jail and homelessness, Tom made a choice - real recovery over survival. Today, he’s using his story to challenge the status quo from harm reduction policies to the criminal justice system itself.

This conversation is about more than recovery - it’s about reimagining what’s possible when lived experience meets public accountability.

Together, they explore:

• Why accountability - not just compassion - is essential for lasting recovery. 
• How policies meant to help often keep people stuck. 
• The backstory of Tom’s viral mugshot tweet and how it launched his advocacy. 
• What it means to turn pain into purpose and policy. 
• Whether you’ve struggled personally or simply want to understand the real impact of broken systems, this episode is a roadmap for transformation.

Guest: Tom Wolf

Host: Ted Hahs

Location: San Francisco, CA

Topics: Addiction recovery, harm reduction, homelessness, policy reform, lived experience advocacy

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→ Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you stream podcasts.

Cassandra James is a woman of first, first Black woman to represent Vallejo’s District 1, a grassroots leader who outwalked and outworked a political machine, and a mother raising the next generation while caring for the last.In this episode, host Ted Hahs sits down with Cassandra to talk about how Vallejo went from bankruptcy to becoming one of the most diverse and resilient cities in California and what it looks like to reclaim the future from the inside out.This isn’t just politics. It’s personal.From mobilizing $5 donors to confronting human trafficking, Cassandra brings her lived experience and unshakable purpose into every room she walks into.And she’s not walking alone.⸻🎧 Available now on Spotify and YouTube.Show Notes:00:00 - Cassandra’s historic election & roots in Vallejo05:00 - What it means to lead as a working mom and caregiver09:00 - Beating the odds: walking, working, and winning14:00 - Mobilizing faith communities for change18:00 - Gentrification vs. revitalization in Vallejo22:00 - Solano County’s legacy of Black leadership30:00 - Collaborating with nonprofits & faith leaders35:00 - Human trafficking in Vallejo—how leaders are fighting back42:00 - Using tech to build systems that heal, not harm46:00 - What Cassandra wants every young leader to know⸻🔗 Subscribe for more stories that challenge how we think, lead, and serve.#innovat3podcast #vallejo #socialimpact #humantraffickingawareness #faithinaction #livedexperience #bayarea

What happens when someone sees something in you, before you see it in yourself?

In this powerful episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, Ted Hahs sits down with Kareem Hickman, a South Side Chicago native, pastor, and community builder whose journey from near-incarceration to neighborhood transformation is anything but ordinary.

Kareem shares how a bus from a local church pulled up to his block and changed his life. From probation to preaching, from football to faith, his story is a testament to what happens when the church steps outside its walls and into the lives of people who need hope most.

Together, Ted and Kareem explore:

• How juvenile diversion programs rooted in community actually work

• The difference between need-based aid and asset-based innovation

• Why every person, regardless of where they come from, is a Kingdom Asset

• And how radical love, when lived out daily, reshapes cities

Whether you’re a leader, a believer, or someone looking for proof that people can change, this conversation is for you.

Show Notes:

🎙 Guest: Kareem Hickman – Campus Pastor, Community Advocate

📍 Location: Liberty Church, Solano County, CA.

💬 Topics: Juvenile justice, asset-based ministry, church outreach, urban transformation

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🔗 Watch & listen on Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts

What happens when a pastor stops preaching from the pulpit and starts showing up in city halls, prisons, and on the frontlines of crisis?

In this episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, Pastor Kareem Hickman sits down with host Ted Hahs to share fueled works hardest-hit communities.

From street-level prayer walks to facing down systems of addiction, trafficking, and poverty, Kareem brings leadership that doesn’t wait for permission. Together, they unpack what it takes to build coalitions between churches, nonprofits, and city officials and why faith without strategy isn’t enough.

This conversation is a call to action for anyone who believes the church should be more than a building and that real change starts when we show up where it’s hardest.

🎧 Listen now to hear:

• What happened when they prayed through San Quentin Prison

• How Vallejo became a trafficking hotspot—and what they’re doing about it

• The real power of prayer evangelism (when it’s backed by action)

• One moment that led to a girl being rescued from trafficking

This isn’t just another podcast, it’s a movement.

#FaithInAction #HumanTraffickingAwareness #PrayerEvangelism #Churchthatmoves #Pastor

What would make someone leave behind comfort, credentials, and career to walk into prisons and confront human trafficking at its roots?

In this powerful episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, we sit down with Betty Ann Hagenau, the founder of Freedom Insight. Her unexpected journey took her from Stanford classrooms and corporate meetings to the frontlines of one of the world’s most complex justice issues.

Betty shares the quiet conviction that pulled her out of a predictable life and into direct action, educating incarcerated men about trafficking, working with survivors, and starting hard conversations where they’re needed most.

This isn’t a story about charity. It’s about listening to the uncomfortable, stepping into places others avoid, and building a future where insight becomes impact.

🔎 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How a Stanford alum ended up working inside prisons

• Why engaging with traffickers is part of the solution

• The emotional and financial cost of following a deeper calling • How Freedom Insight is bridging gaps in justice and education

• What it means to serve quietly, relentlessly, and without applause

🎧 Available now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcast.🌐

Learn more at innovat3.io

#innovat3podcast #FreedomInsight #humantraffickingawareness #faithinaction #socialimpact #purposedriven #podcast

What happens after you go viral for the wrong reasons—and decide to own it?

In Part 2 of his gripping journey, Tom Wolf returns to the Innovat3 Podcast to share the aftermath of addiction, the long road to rebuilding trust with his family, and how one viral tweet flipped the narrative from shame to redemption.

He opens up about the realities of recovery, the emotional cost of being a father and husband after 15 months of absence, and why living with fear is the most dangerous kind of relapse.

But Tom doesn’t stop there, he’s now using his voice to challenge California’s drug and homelessness policies. With raw honesty and policy-level insight, Tom critiques harm reduction, housing models, and the system’s failure to break the cycle for good.

🎧 Available now on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.

🌐 More at: innovat3.io

#AddictionRecovery #HomelessnessCrisis #HarmReductionDebate #PolicyReform #FaithInAction #RecoveryMatters

She’s not waiting for the system to fix itself.

She’s building something better.

In this powerful follow-up conversation, Vanessa Russell returns to the INNOVAT3 Podcast with renewed urgency and unwavering purpose. As the founder of Love Never Fails, Vanessa is not only advocating for survivors of human trafficking, she’s building a model for restoration, leadership, and long-term change.

This episode dives deep into the realities of grassroots work, what it means to lead with faith and conviction, and how Vanessa continues to challenge institutions, uplift survivors, and turn broken systems into blueprints for hope.

If you care about community transformation, survivor-led movements, and what true leadership looks like in action, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

0:00 – Vanessa’s return and what’s changed since Season 1

6:20 – Why survivors need more than rescue—they need ownership

13:40 – Funding fatigue and fighting injustice with limited resources

21:10 – What faith looks like when systems fail

28:00 – Love Never Fails’ bold plans for the future

34:15 – Her message to those burned out by doing good

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere podcasts stream.

🌐 More at: innovat3.io

#INNOVAT3Podcast #LoveNeverFails #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SocialImpact #FaithInAction #SurvivorLeadership #WomenInLeadership #PodcastDrop #NowStreaming

Tom Wolf was addicted to heroin and fentanyl, taking 560mg of oxycodone daily just to function. He was homeless on the streets of San Francisco, battling sepsis, denial, and the collapse of everything he once had.

But Tom didn’t just survive, he rebuilt. Today, he’s a respected recovery advocate and public policy voice, working to reform systems around addiction, homelessness, and incarceration using his lived experience as fuel for change.

In this episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, host Ted Hahs sits down with Tom for a brutally honest conversation about:

• The hidden paths to opioid addiction and fentanyl use

• The realities of homelessness and harm reduction

• What it takes to recover when the system is stacked against you

• Why storytelling and lived experience are vital to public policy

• How Tom went from rock bottom to speaking with lawmakers and city leaders

This isn’t just a story of survival, it’s a blueprint for reform.

Watch on YouTube | Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more

🌐 More at: innovat3.io

#INNOVAT3Podcast #TomWolf #AddictionRecovery #FentanylAwareness #HomelessnessCrisis #LivedExperience #PolicyReform #SocialImpact #SurvivorStory #NowStreaming #RecoveryIsPossible