“I first met Troy with Upstream while incarcerated in the Cass County jail back in 2019. Thinking back, I remember that I wanted to do anything possible while incarcerated to keep my mind busy so that I could escape the anxiety and pain that I was feeling every day.  Troy had come in to talk to us inmates and share some of his life with us and explain that there was a way that we could learn to change. Hearing some of his story and how he had learned to change his thinking by rewiring his brain, I was extremely interested in learning more. 

I'll never forget thinking I had to talk to Troy and find out if what he was saying was for real before he left that room. I asked him if he really was able to no longer take medication to control his anxiety and depression. As we began to talk, I immediately felt that Troy was someone that I could trust to tell me the truth. I wanted to learn more but unfortunately, I was in jail and didn't know when I would get out. 

I said to Troy, “I don't understand how they expect being in jail will help change me into the person that won't make those same mistakes again.” In fact, I knew that jail was only creating more resentment, anger, hate and wanting more revenge for the ones that did me wrong in life. Troy agreed with me and said he wanted to bring his program into the jails to give us the tools necessary to not reoffend. 

Almost a year had passed before I was released from jail. I started to get back to the career that I had prior to being incarcerated and things were going ok, but I had started to go right back to the people and ways that caused my life to spiral out of control and landed me in jail the first time. I knew that if I didn't make a big change I was going right back in there and most likely wouldn't get out for many years. I couldn't do that to myself, my family and most importantly my children. 

I decided to find Upstream online and called right away. I still remember sitting in my vehicle in a parking lot talking to Troy the first time since meeting him in jail. The fact that Troy remembered me and he remembered exactly what I had said to him in jail, I knew I was talking to someone with a big heart. We set up my first appointment and that was truly the beginning of Troy assisting me in saving my life. 

As soon as I began working with Troy, I immediately noticed a change and started to feel my anxiety and depression go away with every visit we had. Troy is the first person out of many therapists, counselors, doctors, pastors, girlfriends and so on that made me feel important, loved and valuable, and even more so, showed me how to see it in myself. He didn’t just tell me what I should feel, but for the first time I understood why I felt what I did and how to change it. 

Looking back I get so emotional because I never really knew what I was missing because I never had it before. I never really had that person like Troy that knew how to talk to me and make me truly understand that it really was myself that needed to come first. I had been told that many times in the past but never shown why or how. 

Troy has taught me so many things that I wish everyone in the world knew because we sure would have a better world. Understanding how our brain works and how we can change our reactions and anger. By being more aware, we can create new thinking habits which become stronger and stronger the more we practice them. 

Not only has Troy and this program changed my life, but it's now changed lives around me. My son is currently meeting with Troy which came about because he told me that he saw such a difference in me that he wanted to meet with Troy to see if he could help him too. My girlfriend will be starting to meet with Troy in the next couple weeks and I believe some other family members may be as well. This is because of the change they have seen! Now if that's not powerful I don't know what is. 

I learned that there is no better way to help the ones you love and the people around you than to change yourself. I’veI not only gotten back to where I once was in my career, but I just recently took a promotion and am now a team leader where I can use the tools that I've learned from Troy to help others be successful in their careers, and more importantly, in their everyday life. I've told Troy and others in my life many times that I wish we could clone him. I can't say it enough and thank Troy enough because he really did save my life and change the many lives that I touch as well. 

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU TROY.”