9 Nov 2026 12:00
Raised to Be a Criminal: A Conversation with Mike Wangstad Part 1
What do you do when the only coping mechanisms you know stop working? In this first of two conversations, Thom Knoles talks with Joh Jarvis, founder of The Light Inside, and Mike Wangstad, who is incarcerated at the James River Correctional Center in North Dakota. Mike speaks candidly about his childhood, his addiction, and the day he first learned Vedic Meditation. Listen to or watch this conversation, then come back for Part Two.
Episode Highlights[00:45] Welcoming Joh and Introducing Mike
[03:28] Marijuana, Misconceptions, and Forced Sobriety
[08:04] Chance, Friends, and a First Meditation
[11:07] A Childhood of Chaos in Minneapolis
[13:54] Raised to Be a Criminal
[16:36] The First Arrest and Probation
[18:22] An Awkward Bible Study Flips a Switch
[22:29] The Suitcase of Dirty Laundry
[25:32] Relapse, Meth, and the Standoff
[28:09] A Son in Trouble Sparks Change
[30:14] Reset to Zero in Prison
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