4.6 • 9.9K Ratings
🗓️ 11 March 2025
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
After committing acts of extreme violence as a teenager, a man is unable to shed his rage and find healing, until he’s able to face the roots of the harm he has caused.
This episode is the third in our five part series, “A World Beyond Revenge” featuring five powerful stories of people on both sides of tragic incidents of unimaginable harm who found healing through the groundbreaking process of Restorative Justice.
Today’s episode featured Troy Williams. You can reach him through his website for his media company: https://restorativemedia.org/ or on Instagram @troywilliamsjournal
Troy is a Youth Program Development Specialist and Facilitator Trainer for the Victim-Offender Education Group with the Insight Prison Project. He is a member of the Advisory Council for the Alameda County Chief of Probation. Troy is a founder and operator of 4north22, a media production and consulting company that produces transformative stories to produce social change and promote restorative justice.
Troy empowers at-risk youth and incarcerated individuals through financial literacy and emotional literacy programs, documentary filmmaking, and community advocacy.
Find out more about Troy at https://www.uncommonlaw.org/troy-williams
Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock
Content/Trigger Warnings: violent crime including robbery & murder, incarceration including solitary confinement, gang activity, drug selling, racism, explicit language
Thank you to our series collaborators, Why Me? & Yoana Tchoukleva:
Why Me? are a national charity in the UK, promoting access to Restorative Justice for people affected by crime or conflict. They also support people who have been through the Restorative Justice process to share their stories. If you want to find out more about Restorative Justice, visit their website www.why-me.org. If you want help accessing Restorative Justice in the UK, you can contact them via [email protected].
LinkedIn: Why me? UK
Instagram: @whymeuk
Facebook: @WhymeUK
Threads: @whymeuk
Bluesky: @whymeuk.bsky.social
Yoana Tchoukleva is an attorney, RJ practitioner, & lecturer at Berkeley Law. She is also a Senior Program Manager at Impact Justice. You can email her at [email protected]. You can reach out to her on Instagram @yoana.tch and on Facebook @""Yoana Tchoukleva"", and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioanatchoukleva/. Please consider donating to Atunse Justice League.
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Twitter: @TIAHPodcast
Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com
Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com
Contacts for Jason Blalock: jasonblalock.com
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Intro Music: ""Illabye"" – Tipper
Music Bed: Union Flow
Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
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0:00.0 | Wondry Plus subscribers can listen to exclusive episodes of This Is Actually Happening |
0:05.0 | by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. |
0:09.6 | This Is Actually Happening features real experiences that often include traumatic events. |
0:13.9 | Please consult the show notes for specific content warnings on each episode |
0:17.0 | and for more information about support services. |
0:26.9 | Hi listeners. |
0:33.0 | Today we continue our five-part mini-series, A World Beyond Revenge, which features five stories of people who have been on both sides of violent and tragic incidents of harm, |
0:37.4 | and have found |
0:38.0 | a new path to healing through the groundbreaking process of restorative justice. |
0:42.3 | Last week, we featured Will's powerful story from the UK, detailing his grievous injuries |
0:47.3 | and journey to healing. Additionally, last week, we released a bonus conversation with |
0:51.7 | Kiva Baxter, Communications and Campaigns Manager at Y. Me, |
0:55.7 | a UK-based organization. |
0:57.5 | In that episode, Kiva and I delve |
0:59.6 | into the contrasting approaches |
1:01.0 | to restorative justice in the UK and in the US. |
1:04.1 | Today, we bring you the third story in our series |
1:06.9 | from Troy Williams. |
1:08.7 | What if you were the common denominator? |
1:20.3 | There were two times in my life where I've had assault weapons pointed at point-blank range. |
1:29.8 | It was more scary to dive deep down inside and take that psychological journey than it was at the end of a barrel. |
1:33.4 | Because when you first start, you don't know what you're going to find. |
... |
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