What if the detour is the assignment?
In this episode of Hope Mississippi, Dawn visits with Van Jones to trace a winding path—from the Mississippi Delta to Southern Miss basketball, through a career-ending injury, and into a calling that stretches from classrooms to church pews, from an ice-cream counter to a lakeside retreat. The throughline is simple but demanding: excellence, service, and unity.

Van opens up about growing up cramped but deeply loved, chasing the wrong heroes until basketball introduced structure, accountability, and mentorship. After collegiate success, a freak ankle injury erased professional dreams and ushered in a season of depression—until a coaching opportunity changed everything. From there, Van poured discipline and care into rebuilding high-school programs and mentoring students who still call him years later. Alongside his wife, Nicole, he launched the After School Academics and Arts Program, blending tutoring, daily devotions, and character education for more than a thousand students and hundreds of staff members.

That same heart for people carried into entrepreneurship as ministry. In Purvis, their ice-cream and sandwich shop exists to build unity through food, fun, and fellowship—a true third space where people feel seen and encouraged. Just down the road, Blue Hollow Lake Retreat offers canoes, trails, and quiet cabins for couples, churches, and nonprofits seeking rest, reflection, and restoration. Van also shares how early public-speaking training, pastoral mentorship, and a memorable first sermon—washing his wife’s feet—shaped his approach to preaching: simple, visual, and actionable.

We close with a charge rooted in Mississippi but meant for anywhere: unity and diversity aren’t just ideals—they’re the new economy. When churches, businesses, and neighbors adopt schools, collaborate across lines, and put service first, hope scales fast.

If this story moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the message. Then tell us: what “what if” will you act on this week?

Join us for new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month as we continue sharing stories of transformation from across Mississippi. Each story reminds us that when we contribute our unique gifts, Mississippi rises together.

Hope Mississippi's Mission: The sobering reality remains: one in four Mississippi children lives in poverty, and one in five experiences food insecurity. These statistics aren't just numbers—they're our collective challenge. Through these conversations, we discover that Mississippi's transformation occurs through individual commitments to mentor, encourage, and be present for others. The small acts of hope accumulate into the broader "miracles" we celebrate.

Big goals don’t require every skill—just the courage to start and the wisdom to ask for help. That’s the heartbeat of our year: we moved from an idea to two living, breathing podcasts by teaming up with people who knew what we didn’t, and the result unlocked stories that changed how we see Mississippi and each other.

We share the unlikely chain of events that took us from a conference hallway to a working show, highlighting how tech guidance and brave marketing made the difference. Hillary’s production savvy and Amanda’s fearless approach to promoting Stephen's books gave us a blueprint for consistent publishing and thoughtful outreach. Along the way, we learned that collaboration isn’t a shortcut; it’s the engine. If you’re dreaming up a project—a book, a clinic, a neighborhood event—there’s someone out there who loves the part you dread.

The stories themselves re-centered our purpose. A priest with Irish farm roots mirrored the rhythms of Southern life. A man who journeyed from prison to a governor’s stage showed that redemption can ripple for decades. Lorie's path through addiction, homelessness, and drug court reminded us that recovery often starts when one person believes in you at the right moment. These conversations exposed the quiet power of ordinary kindness: a text sent on a hard day, a blanket handed off in winter, a clinic appointment that keeps a family steady. We reflect on a hometown park turned amphitheater, on adoptions finalized years ago, and on the simple practice of asking better questions in everyday places.

If you need a nudge, take this one: begin with what you have, invite others to bring what you don’t, and let small acts stack up. Subscribe to the show, share this episode with a friend who could use a lift, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of hope and possibility.

Join us for new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month as we continue sharing stories of transformation from across Mississippi. Each story reminds us that when we contribute our unique gifts, Mississippi rises together.

Hope Mississippi's Mission: The sobering reality remains: one in four Mississippi children lives in poverty, and one in five experiences food insecurity. These statistics aren't just numbers—they're our collective challenge. Through these conversations, we discover that Mississippi's transformation occurs through individual commitments to mentor, encourage, and be present for others. The small acts of hope accumulate into the broader "miracles" we celebrate.

The numbers are stark—one in four kids in poverty, one in five facing food insecurity—but statistics don’t tell you how hope returns. Lorie’s story does. Meet a former nurse who lost custody of her daughter, lived unsheltered for years, and spiraled into meth‑induced delusion. When hope seemed lost, an auto burglary charge became the unlikely doorway to drug court, where structure, compassion, and accountability helped her reclaim stability, voice, and purpose.

We walk through each step with Lorie: growing up as the eldest in a single‑parent home, an untreated ADHD diagnosis that came too late, and a teen eating disorder that morphed into alcoholism. When background checks stalled her nursing license, stress and shame compounded. She turned to meth to outrun alcohol, then to the streets where danger and access fed the cycle.

A compassionate judge paused before shipping her off to prison and asked: Would you try drug court? That invitation changed everything. Housing support, clear expectations, regular testing, and a bench that listened turned punishment into a pathway. Lorie even faced a relapse with honesty, and the court responded with consequences and continued care rather than abandonment.

We talk candidly about CPS', “reasonable efforts,” and how trauma‑informed courts can protect children while preserving a parent’s humanity. Lorie names what works: judges who see people, programs that treat addiction as a disease, and communities that stay close enough to hold you accountable and cheer you on.

Today Lorie is working in private care, appealing for nursing license restoration, and advocating for others to get the help she once lacked. If you care about addiction recovery, drug court, child welfare, and second chances in Mississippi, this conversation offers practical insight and a real reason to believe.

If this moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review telling us what hope looks like in your community. Your voice helps more stories like Lorie’s be heard.

Join us for new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month as we continue sharing stories of transformation from across Mississippi. Each story reminds us that when we contribute our unique gifts, Mississippi rises together.

Hope Mississippi's Mission: The sobering reality remains: one in four Mississippi children lives in poverty, and one in five experiences food insecurity. These statistics aren't just numbers—they're our collective challenge. Through these conversations, we discover that Mississippi's transformation occurs through individual commitments to mentor, encourage, and be present for others. The small acts of hope accumulate into the broader "miracles" we celebrate.