The Transform U! Live Show

At 17, Alphonso James was pulled off his family’s porch in Milwaukee, interrogated for 12 hours with no lawyer, and signed a confession he says was blank when he signed it. He spent the next 32 years in prison for a murder with no physical evidence against him. He taught himself to read in solitary confinement, earned degrees from behind bars, and walked out on parole in 2017 — not exonerated, a distinction he’s still fighting to change. Now boxes of evidence he was told were destroyed have resurfaced after 41 years, and DNA results from a private lab could end this any day.

On this episode of The Transform U Live Show, Alphonso James — author of “Unfragile: The Truth of Alphonso James” and co-founder of Unfragile Farm — talks with host Marcus Hart about wrongful conviction, self-forgiveness, surviving childhood sexual abuse, and what it takes to stay whole when the system has already decided who you are.

CHAPTERS (pulled from the raw interview — recheck against your final edit before publishing)
0:00 Cold Open: Meet Alphonso James
2:48 July 27, 1985: The Day the Police Came
5:22 Convicted and Sentenced to 105 Years
8:08 Inside the Interrogation Room
9:28 “Why Did You Sign a False Confession?”
11:02 An All-White Jury and a Predetermined Verdict
12:18 A Life Sentence at Seventeen
13:24 Measuring 32 Years Inside
14:47 Earning Degrees in Solitary Confinement
15:18 The Chaplain Who Wouldn’t Stop Showing Up
16:52 Writing Unfragile
18:05 Mentoring Other Incarcerated Men
21:34 How the Wisconsin Innocence Project Found Him
22:50 Parole vs. Exoneration — The Difference That Matters
24:39 Walking Out on Valentine’s Day, 2017
26:02 The Fight to Clear His Name Today
26:53 Is There Still Anger?
30:17 Self-Forgiveness as the First Step to Healing
32:29 Breaking the Silence on Childhood Abuse
34:29 The Halle Berry Moment
36:32 New DNA Evidence and What Happens Next
38:00 Unfragile Farm, the Book, and Where to Find Him

Get the book: “Unfragile: The Truth of Alphonso James”
Subscribe to The Transform U Live Show for more conversations like this one.

#WrongfulConviction #DNAEvidence #InnocenceProject

Her service dog knew the seizure was coming before she did. 💛

On this episode of The Transform U! Live Show, host Marcus Hart (Army combat veteran, Kuwait & Iraq) sits down with Shannon Walker — founder & CEO of Northwest Battle Buddies and Executive Director of the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans — for the conversation behind yesterday's episode with veteran Rebekah Gundrum and her service dog Trigger.

Since 2012, Northwest Battle Buddies has paired more than 315 veterans with fully trained psychiatric service dogs — completely free, every time. Shannon takes us back to Kevin, the first veteran who changed everything, and walks through exactly how a $25,000 service dog is built: five months of professional training, five weeks pairing dog and veteran, and a lifetime of tasking for PTSD symptoms — interrupting nightmares, deep pressure therapy, grounding techniques, and even sensing seizures before they happen.

This is a conversation about freedom not being free, about veterans who've become advocates for the next generation, and about a nonprofit that refuses to put a price tag on a hero's healing.

🐾 What you'll hear in this episode:– The 2012 story that started Northwest Battle Buddies– How dogs are trained to task for PTSD, not just comfort– A seizure-response service dog story that will stop you in your tracks– Why every dog is given to a veteran 100% free, no exceptions– The Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans and why industry standards matter– How to help: donate, foster, or apply for a service dog

🔗 Learn more or apply: northwestbattlebuddies.org🔗 More from The Transform U! Live Show: thetransformuliveshow.com

TIMESTAMPS0:00 Meet Shannon Walker, founder of Northwest Battle Buddies0:27 The 2012 moment that started it all: Kevin's story5:55 What she knew (and didn't) about training service dogs10:29 How service dogs are trained to task for PTSD13:16 The dog that interrupts nightmares14:24 Training dogs to respond to PTSD-induced seizures18:27 Why the service dogs are free, every time20:38 When veterans become advocates themselves24:11 Inside the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans27:07 Funding, growth, and trusting God with the future31:11 How you can help: donate, foster, or apply

#ServiceDogs #PTSDServiceDog #Veterans #NorthwestBattleBuddies #MilitaryVeterans #PTSDAwareness #SuicidePreventionMonth #VeteranSupport #FaithAndPurpose #TransformULiveShow

Command Chief Rebekah Gundrum spent 20 years in the US Navy, including a combat tour in Iraq. She came home and nearly lost everything to PTSD, depression, and anxiety so severe her teenage daughter became her caregiver before she even had a driver's license.

Then a rescue dog named Trigger walked into her life through Northwest Battle Buddies, a nonprofit that gives combat veterans fully trained PTSD service dogs completely free of charge. This is her story: the twenty years, the collapse, and what actually brought her back.

This September is National Service Dog Month. If you or someone you love is a veteran carrying more than they're letting on, Northwest Battle Buddies has paired over 300 veterans with service dogs since 2012, entirely free. Learn more: northwestbattlebuddies.org

Rebekah now advocates for veteran mental health through Trigger22 and is pushing for the Veterans Saves Act, which would have the VA fund these dogs instead of leaving it to nonprofits alone. Follow her work: trigger22.com

This is The Transform U! Live Show. I'm Marcus Hart, Army combat veteran, and every week I sit down with people who lived the after, not just the highlight reel.

#Veterans #PTSDAwareness #ServiceDog #MentalHealthAwareness #NationalServiceDogMonth #CombatVeteran

He's coached leaders inside Nike, Walmart, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins — and after 35+ years in Fortune 10 boardrooms, Randall Thames says most people are one step away from the breakthrough they think is years off.

In this episode of The Transform U! Live Show, Marcus Hart sits down with Randall Thames — CEO of Inspirit Institute, author of "Rise to the Role," and 2025's Top CEO and Executive Advisor (IAOTP) — to break down the framework behind his life's work: Discover, Develop, Display Your Best™.

We get into:

✅ What "Super Purpose Power" actually means — and how to find yours

✅ Why talent alone doesn't get you to your purpose

✅ How discipline turns a hope into an "Inevitable Outcome™"

✅ What changes (and what doesn't) when you're coaching a CEO vs. someone just starting to lead

✅ What to do if you feel like you missed your window to rise into the role you were built for

If you're rebuilding, repositioning, or just feel like there's more in you than your current role is using — this conversation is for you.

🔗 Connect with Randall Thames: http://www.inspiritinstitute.com/

👉 Subscribe to The Transform U! Live Show for new episodes every week.

👉 Know someone who needs to hear this? Share this episode with them.

#RandallThames #ExecutiveCoaching #Leadership #PurposeDrivenLeadership #RiseToTheRole #InevitableOutcomes #TransformULiveShow #PersonalDevelopment #VeteranOwnedBusiness #MilwaukeeMedia

In this episode of The Transform U! Live Show, host Marcus Hart sits down with mental health speaker and advocate David Woods Bartley for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.

David survived his own suicide attempt on California's Foresthill Bridge. He walks us through the exact moment a police officer created connection instead of just making contact — and the one question that pulled him back: "What can I do to help you feel supported right now?"

We get into:

• What QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) actually is — "CPR for a mental health crisis"
• Why connection (feeling seen, heard, and valued) is the thing that creates hope
• The difference between truth and belief — and why belief, not truth, drives suicide
• Why David advocates for life preservation over "suicide prevention"
• Marcus opens up about his own comeback after 2017 — rebuilding when nobody was watching
• The Slick Rick + Josh Allen story, "Slick Rick," and how one small act of connection ripples out
• The 20 million Americans a year who consider, plan, or attempt suicide — and the campaign nobody's running

This one is about hope you can activate today — remembering a name, asking a better question, saying thank you. Small acts. Real impact.

🎙️ Guest: David Woods Bartley — mental health speaker, 2x TEDx speaker, national QPR trainer. Google "David Woods Bartley" to find his talks and reach him directly.

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▶️ Go deeper every week: Subscribe to Marcus's newsletter, Warrior Mandate → warriormandate.substack.com

🔔 Subscribe to The Transform U! Live Show and share this episode with the one person you thought of when David said "connection."

📅 Book Marcus Hart to speak → calendly.com/transformubooking/speaking-inquiry-event-organizers

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If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). You are not alone.

Hashtags:#MentalHealth #SuicidePrevention #988 #QPR #HopeSavesLives #MentalHealthAwareness #TEDx #Connection #VeteranResilience #TransformULiveShow #MarcusHart #DavidWoodsBartley #FaithAndMentalHealth #MensMentalHealth #YouAreNotAlone

She served 7 years in the U.S. Army as a signal specialist, deployed to Iraq — and came home to a mental health system that put her on more than 40 psychiatric drugs before she found her way back to herself.Angie Peacock, MSW, CPC is a trauma-informed coach, founder of APeacock Consulting and HeartCore Collective, and a featured veteran story in the documentary Medicating Normal. In this episode she and host Marcus Hart talk about:- How overmedication happens inside the VA and civilian systems — one prescription at a time- Being cold-turkeyed off 10 medications overnight in a VA hospital, and the 3-year withdrawal that followed- What "informed consent" actually means, and the questions every patient has the right to ask- Harm reduction as an alternative to "all or nothing" thinking about psychiatric medication- Why she now lives on the road in an RV, has visited 36 states, and has spoken to 180+ audiences about psychiatric drug withdrawal- What to do today if you're on multiple medications and starting to wonder if it's too muchThis is not medical advice — it's one veteran's story and the questions she wishes someone had asked her sooner. If you or someone you love is navigating psychiatric medication, bring this conversation to a provider you trust.Watch Medicating Normal (free): search "Medicating Normal" on YouTubeFind Angie: angiepeacock.com | @angiepeacockmsw on Instagram & TikTok#VeteranMentalHealth #MedicatingNormal #PsychiatricMedicationThe Transform U! Live Show is a faith-driven, solution-first conversation series for veterans, entrepreneurs, and change-seekers, hosted by combat veteran Marcus Hart.00:00 Cold open00:45 Who Angie was after Iraq02:30 Becoming overmedicated — 40+ psychiatric drugs05:24 Cold-turkey withdrawal and 3 years of hell09:02 Being featured in Medicating Normal10:48 Life on the road — 36 states, 180+ audiences13:51 What trauma-informed coaching looks like15:07 Questions to ask before starting or stopping medication21:27 What "harm reduction" really means22:55 If you're on too much medication right now, do this25:16 What family members should — and shouldn't — do28:08 Where to find Angie's workSubscribe for new conversations on faith, resilience, and mental health every week.#VeteranMentalHealth #MedicatingNormal #PsychiatricMedication

This week Marcus sits down with Welby O'Brien — author, counselor, and founder of Love Our Vets, PTSD Family Support — to talk about the side of PTSD nobody puts in the highlight reel: what it does to the people who love the veteran. Welby has spent her career supporting spouses, parents, and families walking through trauma alongside the person they love, and she and Marcus get honest about resourcefulness under pressure, reviving joy when it's been worn thin, and what faith actually looks like when the story isn't going the way you dreamed. If you love someone carrying PTSD — or you are that someone — this conversation is for you.Guest: Welby O'Brien — LoveOurVets.org | welbyo.comBooks: Love Our Vets: Restoring Hope for Families of Veterans with PTSD | Hope for the WobblyFollow Transform U and subscribe to Warrior Mandate: warriormandate.substack.com

Clifford Bauman gave 34 years to the Army, worked recovery efforts at the Pentagon after 9/11, and years later attempted to take his own life — carrying a guilt over "not finding anyone alive" that he never processed out loud. On this episode of Transform U, he sits down with Marcus Hart to talk about what that guilt actually sounded like in his head, the small habit-change that started turning it around ("is it possible for you to drink one less?"), and the words from a friend that finally broke the cycle: "Sometimes bad things happen to good people. You did all you could do. That was your best."

If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) — available 24/7.

Follow Clifford Bauman: his book "The Mental Health Warrior" is available at his website and on Amazon/Amplify. Podcast: Veteran Trash Talk / Wreaths Across America Radio. Watch "Surviving Suicide" (Emmy-winning, 2024) on the Able Channel or Roku.

Subscribe to Marcus's Substack, Warrior Mandate: warriormandate.substack.com

#VeteranStories #PTSDAwareness #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthWarrior #TransformU #988 #VeteranMentalHealth #FaithAndHealing #ArmyVeteran #TraumaRecovery

I Came Home From War Broken — Here's How Grace Rebuilt Me Transform U Veteran Stories

I came home from deployment and lost more than I lost in it — my job, my direction, years I'm not proud of. This is the real, unfiltered story of PTSD after combat, the legal trouble that could have ended in a life sentence, and the grace that rebuilt me quietly, with no one watching.

This is Transform U: Veteran Stories — raw, faith-fueled conversations for veterans and anyone rebuilding after the fight.

🎥 Subscribe for the next episode in this series

📖 Go deeper at Warrior Mandate: https://warriormandate.substack.com

#TransformU #VeteranStories #PTSDRecovery #FaithAndTrauma #VeteranMentalHealth #ComingHomeFromWar #TraumaHealing #ChristianVeteran

I gave a church five years of my life. The moment I actually needed grace — real, 'my life is falling apart' grace — they pushed me out instead. This is the honest story of what that kind of rejection does to your faith, where I went looking for answers afterward, and how I found my way back to something steadier than what I lost.This is Transform U: Veteran Stories — raw, faith-fueled conversations for veterans and anyone rebuilding after the people who were supposed to catch them let them fall.🔥 Subscribe for the next episode in this series 📖 Go deeper at Warrior Mandate: https://warriormandate.substack.com#TransformU #VeteranStories #FaithAndRejection #ChurchHurt #FaithJourney #TraumaHealing #ChristianVeteran #Redemption