For more than two years, Troy volunteered his time every week inside the Cass County Jail, delivering what would eventually become Beyond the Barriers. Using the same Upstream Model™ he teaches in all his programs, he led sessions with incarcerated men, tracked attendance for over 1,500 participants, awarded certificates of completion, and held one-on-one visits with individuals—both while they were inside and after release or transfer to prison. With an average jail stay of just 20 days, many asked how they could continue the class after they got out.

The demand only grew, and requests for individual visits increased, and more voices called for the program to be made available to the women in the jail.

In November 2024, Troy expanded the program to serve the female population at Cass County Jail. But with demand continuing to rise, it became clear: the work could no longer be sustained through volunteer hours alone.

In January 2025, Beyond the Barriers officially began its transition into a nonprofit organization with a mission to break the cycles of trauma, addiction, and incarceration. They partnered with Deep Roots Recovery as a fiscal sponsor, allowing them to receive tax-deductible donations while their 501(c)(3) status is in progress.

Today, Beyond the Barriers also offers the full skills program to individuals in recovery and those recently released from incarceration—providing support, structure, and real tools for change.

We’ve already seen the ripple effects. Over 2,000 people have gone through the program. And now, with dedicated resources and community support, Beyond the Barries is ready to teach more inmates to learn how to effectively address and heal their trauma, model healthy thinking, learn self-regulation and positive behaviors. This gives them the ability to pass these skills down to the next generation.