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What if real change doesn’t come from doing more, but from doing it together?

In Episode 17 of Unseen Atlanta, our CEO Tensley Almand sits down with Bruce Deel, founder and CEO of City of Refuge, to talk about why collaboration creates lasting change in Atlanta.

Bruce shares how City of Refuge grew by responding to real needs as they emerged, and why no single organization can solve homelessness alone. From partnering across nonprofits to working alongside businesses and churches, this conversation challenges the scarcity mindset and invites us to think differently about impact.

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In this episode, Good Samaritan CEO Breanna Lathrop shares why collaboration, not competition, is essential to transforming Atlanta’s health. From her early days volunteering at a free clinic in Iowa to leading a holistic health center serving uninsured families, Breanna’s story shows how small steps, taken faithfully, create real change. 

She talks about the partnership between Good Sam and Atlanta Mission, the power of treating the whole person, and why access, dignity, and community matter just as much as medicine. And with compassion and clarity, she reminds us: the work feels big, but when we keep doing the next right thing, “slowly but surely, we build something better.” 

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For years, Micah believed he was destined to die in addiction. His life was spinning out of control; hurting the people he loved, cycling through legal trouble, and trying to fix everything on his own strength. It wasn’t until a court-mandated stay at The Potter’s House that everything shifted. 

In this episode, Micah shares the gritty truth about the beliefs that kept him stuck, the moment he finally let go, and how God used community, counseling, and accountability to rebuild him from the inside out. Today, Micah is restoring his marriage, rediscovering his purpose, and waking up every morning “with victory.” 

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Our guest this week, Johnny, works on staff at Atlanta Mission today. But getting here took nearly losing everything. Years before he ever encouraged a new man on campus, Johnny stood on the edge of a MARTA platform, ready to end his life. That night should have been the end. Instead, it became the beginning. 

After surviving a suicide attempt and completing the program, Johnny stayed sober for 14 years until a relapse forced him to face the deeper trauma he’d been outrunning since childhood. 

Now restored, reunited with his wife, and serving at Atlanta Mission, Johnny walks with men who feel as hopeless as he once did. His story proves that recovery isn’t a straight line.  

Note: This episode contains mature themes. Viewer discretion advised. 

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After years of addiction and relapse, Mark Coffin hit rock bottom in a hotel lobby, detoxing alone with nowhere left to run. That moment changed everything. 

In this episode, Mark shares how faith, 12-Step recovery, and doing “the next right thing” helped him rebuild his life from survival to stability, and eventually, to purpose. 

Now more than 30 years sober and leading a thriving business, his story is proof that recovery is possible, and that choosing life is always worth it. 

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For Danny, addiction started at just 11 years old. After decades of pain and arrests, he found himself completely broken. But God wasn’t finished yet. 

Through The Potter’s House, Danny learned a new way to live. Now five years sober, he’s married, raising his daughter, and helping others believe that change is possible. 

This episode is about what happens when you surrender everything, do the next right thing, and let God rebuild what’s been broken. 

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Ozzie spent years angry, trying to be someone he wasn’t. What started as fitting in turned into addiction, homelessness, and nights spent sleeping in bathrooms. 

In jail, he prayed to God for help. The next day, The Potter’s House called. 

This episode is the story of what happened next: how Ozzie faced the emotions he’d buried and learned that he wasn’t angry, he was just sad. 

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This week on Unseen Atlanta, we sit down with Brooke Hempel, Senior VP of Research at Pinkston and Vice Chair of Atlanta Mission’s Board. 

Brooke believes that nonprofits can only truly live out their missions by understanding people. In this episode, she shares why data is an act of stewardship, why excellence in marketing builds trust, and how the next generation’s search for hope could reshape the future of giving. 

It’s a conversation about faith, insight, and what it really means to know the people you serve. 

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This week’s episode features one of our employment partners, Adria Marshall, CEO and founder of EcoSlay. Adria decided to become an employment partner with us because she knows that most of us are “a few situations away” from those having to start over, and that when we choose to meet people where they are, good things happen. 

In this conversation, Adria shares her own story of faith, perseverance, and purpose, and why creating opportunity for others has become the most meaningful part of her success. 

Learn how your business can make a difference at atlantamission.org/corporate-partnership. 

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