Craig Thompson is the host of Restoration Matters podcast. He's also the CEO of Rockside Ranch with a mission to "help young men overcome crisis and thrive in work and life".
In this interview, Craig talks about how his program helps young men in crisis to learn new skills, focus on their mental health, and engage with strangers to form their own community.
Craig explains how boys after graduating high school can lose the support they had when they were younger. This can cause them to fall into habits that don't benefit them.
Rockside Ranch incorporates farming in a program that runs for 8 months and helps these young men to regain a sense of purpose.
Hello Solo Moms. As a solo mom of three adult sons, I understand the challenges you face on a daily basis. As a mentor, my mission is to help you shift your mindset and empower you to take control of your life, to see yourself as God sees you. I know that unresolved trauma can be a heavy burden to carry and parenting alone can be a lonely journey, but it doesn't have to be that way. I want you to know that you are not alone. You have the strength and resilience to overcome your challenges and create the life you desire.
Speaker 1: 0:41
I want to help you to make the effort to tackle unresolved trauma and change your perspective so you can live the life you deserve. I offer complimentary consultation where we can discuss how to move forward, create a plan to help you heal and empower you. You can schedule a consultation by emailing me at jen@jrosemarie.com or by calling + 1-917-994-1329 (WhatsApp), or schedule a consultation with the link below. I am here for you and I want to help you take the first step toward healing and empowerment. Don't let unresolved trauma hold you back any longer. Don't parent in silence. Take action today and let's work together to empower you to live the life you desire. Thank you.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Transcripts
Craig Thompson [:
[00:18:05] work that allows for really important relationships. And we're, we're getting some looking out the window here. We're getting some really beautiful January weather of like mid 50 degrees. And so we need the rain in the snow, but a little break from it is also really nice. So I'm thinking, yeah. [00:18:27] J. Rosemarie: Yeah. [00:18:27] Oh yeah, that, that's a good thing. You know, when you're, when you're in the cold, cold, climate it's, you know, any little thing. [00:18:39] Yeah. [00:18:40] Okay. So, you know, I, I was thinking about the fact that you are. Ministering to boys. And I think when we talked before by email, you mentioned that, and actually we talked on the [00:19:00] phone, you mentioned that some of, or maybe all of these boys come from the homes of single mothers and, and whether or not that's, so are not, What because I raised three boys. [00:19:17] And so I'm, I wanted to know if you have one piece of advice for a solo mom who, who is raising boys solo [00:19:26] yeah, [00:19:28] Craig Thompson: yeah, yeah. So, so I wish I knew a percentage of, of how many of the students who came to the ranch, were raised by a solo mom. It's I would say it's probably about half of the guys who are here maybe a little bit more. [00:19:42] and I, but I would say this about almost all of the guys who come to the ranch and that is that their mother is somebody that they just adore. And look up to and cherish. [00:20:00] And it's interesting because oftentimes that gets mapped here, onto the women that we have on staff. and you know, they will, they will listen to my wife, for instance, a lot quicker than they'll listen to me, you know? [00:20:16] And and so I think. you know, for whatever, whatever my opinion is worth. I think that the thing that comes to mind is just to keep loving your boys and your girls obviously. But that, even when it might feel like that relationship isn't valued From everything I've seen on the other end of it. [00:20:42] that relationship is, absolutely core, to who these guys are. And it's really beautiful, you know, they talk about their moms, just like they walk on water most of the time. So it's just, it's just really neat too, to see that legacy.[00:21:00] Just you know, hear about that legacy. And many times we get to meet their moms and they'll come out and visit or come to graduations. [00:21:07] And, and it's, it's really special for us to meet the mom of a student that we now have a relationship with and care deeply about and to put a face to the, to the many, many stories that we hear about the impact that, that, that mom has had. [00:21:25] J. Rosemarie: Yeah. All right. Thank you very much. And you answered the question, you answered my question. [00:21:31] because I figured that, I mean, a lot of times as moms, we always blame ourselves, you know, for, they're not so good actions. And we wonder if we did a good job and you're on the receiving end. What we did, what we poured into them, whatever that was. Right. So you see for eight months, you see those, those young men and see the life, the character that was poured into [00:22:00] them from mom. [00:22:01] Right. And so I wanted to see, to hear your side. Oh, you, you know, not, not to, through any judgment or anything like that, but what was your, you know, your opinion? And, and, and, you know advice you could give to a mom who probably thinking I failed him because he, you know, he's drinking or he's not really, he's not doing what I think he should have been doing. [00:22:28] So that, that, that's a great answer. Thank you. [00:22:32] Craig Thompson: Yeah, absolutely. [00:22:33] J. Rosemarie: Yeah. All right. So, now how do you, how you're here, you're giving us your time and sharing about your program. How can Your audience benefit from you or how can you benefit from our audience, like your program or anything like that? [00:22:56] Craig Thompson: Sure. Yeah. So, I mean, I would say [00:23:00] if there's anything that, that we can do, I mean, that's what our, that's what our desire in our heart is. So. No, we get, we get people frequently who reach out and they're for whatever reason their son or grandson is not interested in the program and that's fine, but how can we support the family who is going through just a really emotionally intense season. [00:23:25] And so that was, that was the primary motivator for starting the podcast. And just to be a resource to try to equip and provide tools. so yeah, if there's, you know, if there's a mom who is gone, man, my 20 something-year-old son or, or 18, 19 year old son is really struggling. feel free to reach out if there's anything that we can do, even just to have a conversation with your son or, try to provide some resources. [00:23:52] If they're interested in coming to the program, you know, there are other many other ways that we can, [00:24:00] we can serve, you know, your listeners for sure. [00:24:03] Okay. And how can they reach it? Like where do they find you? [00:24:07] Yeah, that's a good question. So our website is rocksideranch.org. So honestly, K S I D E dot O R G. [00:24:17] And we're on Instagram, Facebook, at Rockside ranch. And then and then the podcast is also a good place to start. We've got a couple episodes in there that are talking more specifically about the ranch, but most of the podcast episodes, are, are really geared around tools for restoring relationships. [00:24:35] And tools for trying to get out of ruts that it feel impossible to get out of. And so the podcasts, I think you've mentioned it earlier, but the podcast is Restoration Matters and run most of the podcast platforms so you should be able to find it. [00:24:53] J. Rosemarie: Okay. [00:24:54] Great. And I know I'll put the link in the show notes so people can get in touch with you quicker. [00:24:59] [00:25:00] Okay. Yeah. Sure. Craig, thank you very much for coming and talking to us today. Anything else? [00:25:05] Craig Thompson: No, thank you for my, for, for having me and for your time. And I just really appreciate what you're doing and the way that you're serving solo moms out there. [00:25:13] J. Rosemarie: Yes. Thanks Craig. [00:25:15] Craig Thompson: All right.
