The Road Less Traveled
A digital diary in episodic format about my car accident and subsequent incarceration. Tragic, honest, uplifting and at times funny, this is a recounting of my experience in a place I never thought I would be. Thank you for listening and being respectful. - db
Episodes
Episode 81 - Storytelling as Art
This episode focuses on storytelling as an artform, something that I believe in and also pride myself in. I always had my imagination fostered as a child (in addition to literally being a foster kid). I've come to love storytelling in vario…
Episode 80 - Routine
I've been reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear and have been slowly incorporating it into my daily life. After I got out of prison I focused on paying off my financial and legal debts and took a break from reading books. (I had rea…
Episode 79 - Reintroducing
On this episode of The Road Less Traveled I give a few updates and reintroduce myself and the purpose of this podcast moving forward. It will always first and foremost be an audio diary of my experiences of my five years in prison, but it w…
Episode 78 - Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Speech is only true in the sense that you are absolutely free to say whatever you want... and then deal with the consequences afterwards. As always, thank you for being respectful and for listening. -db
Episode 77 - Institutions
I'm clearly upset with things, so just know I go on a rollercoaster rant. (I enjoyed the vent, but I hate the situation.) As always, thank you for listening and being respectful. Hope everyone's doing well out there. -db
Episode 76 - Belief's are not Facts
We live in a time period where people seem to confuse their belief's and strongly held convictions to be the same if not better than facts. I grew up with a passion for storytelling and went to college to study it as an artform. It blows my…
Episode 75 - Don't Tell My Girlfriend
All the insecurities, fears, self-doubt, self-hatred, and whatever negative thought you could have about yourself run through my mind like a bullet turned to shrapnel. I hate sharing those feelings with my girlfriend because in times like t…
Episode 74 - Heart Attack
I had what I firmly believe was a mild heart attack a couple days ago. I could go on and on about regrets and feeling sorry for myself, etc., but the biggest thing will always be that I'm sorry for my actions that led to me drinking and dri…
Episode 73 - The News
Okay, okay, I'm sorry that it took a topical/political turn but I did try to relate it to my experience in jail/prison. I recorded this episode on time and meant to upload to keep my regularly scheduled programming... but as you might notic…
Episode 72 - PF Changs
I've mentioned on multiple episodes that I work at a restaurant... Well, the secret is out apparently. I wanted to do this episode over a year ago when all these changes started trickling down from corporate but I was also trying to balance…
Episode 71 - Understanding
On this weeks episode I talk about Olympians, DUI's, the hero complex, and a need for patience and understanding that just doesn't seem to be there these days. As always, thank you for listening and being respectful. -db
Episode 70 - Music
This week's episode is dedicated to Music! (Yes, with a capital M.) It's funny, I think I only mention a couple random bands since the episode's conversation is mostly about how significant music was to me in jail/prison, its influence on m…
Episode 69 - Enneagram
I recorded this episode on Wednesday and then got sidetracked and forgot to upload it. I know, I'm operating at an average 4 or 5 for personality type 3's. Understand what I'm talking about? Don't feel bad if you don't, I barely do. This we…
Episode 68 - Mother's Day
Sorry that I've been absent the last couple weeks, been going through a touch of depression. Turns out Mother's Day isn't my favorite. Not an excuse though, just shedding light on my current state. Hanging in there though, so until next tim…
Episode 67 - Granted
On this week's episode I talk about my experience going into Parole and Probation for the last time. Spoiler alert: I'm getting my honorable discharge granted.
Episode 66 - Soap Box (Special Hour Episode)
Tune in or tune out, this episode of The Road Less Traveled is an hour long of free form comedic discussion. After episode 65 I was feeling like I needed to recenter myself and get in my sarcastic form of therapy. Welcome to an hour of hope…
Episode 65 - Anxiety
Greetings! Anxious about the world? Scared of things you have no control over? Welcome to today's episode! I'm about three months away from my parole ending and rather than seeing the light at the end of the tunnel I'm starting to get more …
Episode 64 - Semantics
Ever feel like people don't know what they're talking about? Me too. I'm usually the first to say I have no idea what I'm saying, but a lot of people operate from a position of arrogance confused with confidence. This episode is a smatterin…
Episode 63 - Looper
Greetings! Ever feel caught in a loop? It's not groundhog day, or the movie Looper, but it could be addiction or avoidance. Today's episode is an update as well as light exploration of some of my biological family's addictions and habits an…
Episode 62 - Prison Politics!
Everyone's talking about politics these days.... Don't worry! This episode is focused on the micro-politics that go on in jail and prison, not the macro-politics that apply to our nation our world (although I do try to tie the two together …
Episode 61 - Suicide
Today's episode covers a very heavy topic, although my approach is more of an open discussion on the importance of providing not only context and transparency when reporting statistics, but also the responsibility people reporting these fac…
Episode 60 - Then and Now
On this episode of the Road Less Traveled I talk about the years since my incarceration and how comparatively different everything is; I also open up about my relationship, fears for the future, regrets on the past, and a few hopeful tidbit…
Episode 59 - Episode 58 Follow Up
On this episode I add a few additional thoughts and context to my previous episode. Consider this the third part to a three part story arc. As always, thank you for tuning in and being respectful. - db
Episode 58 - The Big Story (PTSD - Revisited)
On this special episode of The Road Less Traveled I finally open up about one of the most traumatic experiences I had while incarcerated... and it wasn't even inside prison. After so many events over the last few years, I thought I would re…
Episode 57 - Motivation
Welcome back listeners! This episode is dedicated to my newfound motivation to improve not only this podcast, but myself in general. I'm finally to the point that I've been out of prison for a few years and can now start effectively plannin…
Episode 56 - Disclosure
On episode 55 of The Road Less Traveled I disclose my financial and personal starting point upon being released from prison. I thought it would be helpful for people to understand that I wasn't starting from zero even though I was starting …
Episode 55 - Plan for Clarity
With only 6 months left on parole, I feel like I have a clear direction for the next phase of my life... I lay it out on this episode, what led me to some of these realizations, and the very real fear behind some very real possibilities. As…
Episode 54 - California Fires
The California Wild Fire's are burning out of control and hitting LA and the Pacific Coast Highway. I never thought I'd be fighting wild fires one day while I was incarcerated and can only imagine what those people are going through having …
Episode 53 - Happy New Year
Happy New Year from the Road Less Traveled podcast! Be safe out there. As always, thank you for listening. I have nothing but gratitude for still being around to even experience life, so thank you for sharing a portion of your time with me.…
Episode 52 - Dream Trauma
I decided to record a surprise episode that I'm just going to upload right now since the last month or so has been slightly off schedule. Still having recurring nightmares about being in prison even though I've been out since 2021. As funny…
Episode 51 - Time
This episode is themed around "time" and how little of it we seem to have (or too much, if you happen to be incarcerated). Happy Holiday's guys, stay safe out there. Thank you for listening. -db
Episode 50 - World State
As we near the end of 2024 I reflect on the state of the world and how crazy it can be for anyone who's gone to prison to reintergrate back into a rapidly changing world. As always, thank you for listening and being respectful. - db
Self Apology
This episode is an apology to myself to do better, to not make excuses, to do the work, to get it done, to keep going, to be transparent, to be honest with myself, and to never give up. Thank you for listening and being respectful. -db Â
Episode 49 - House Arrest
On this episode I explain what the process of applying for house arrest is like from an inmate's perspective, bring up a few points of casual injustice, and also get into it with my cat. As always, thank you for listening. -db  #podcast #t…
Episode 48 - Parole
On this episode I discuss what experience was like with the parole board. I realized about halfway through recording this episode that I had been doing fantastic going in chronological order for this podcast on recounting my experiences in …
Episode 47 - Restaurant Job
On this week's episode I talk about my time working at a restaurant while I was incarcerated. Did you know there's work release program's for felon's? They may be working among you right now... It's not as scary as you think. It's unfortuna…
Episode 46 - Work Release
My favorite episode thus far. I go on a minor tangent in the beginning about AI (sorry, but I have fun rambling) and find a way to make it all connect. This episode is about the work release program at the minimum security facility that I w…
Episode 45 - In Transition
Right now my life is in a transitional state where I'm looking for a new job, taking stock of my time during prison by going through old paperwork and files, and figuring everything out. This episode is a meandering hope for clarity. As alw…
Episode 44 - Dreams
Part escapism, part deep dive into the human mind, I had some pretty varied dreams while I was incarcerated, some of which were vivid and a few that were lucid. Join me for the discussion as I open up on some of my more emotional topics. Th…
Episode 43 - Book Reading List
I read over 589 books in prison, but who's counting? I kept a full list of all the books I read and might publish it one day, for now though, you can listen to me talk about some of the highlights. Anyone able to guess what book I consider …