Episode 132: The Power of Hope with Derek Gordon

Episode 132 of The Mental Mettle Podcast steps outside the world of sports to explore something every competitor, parent, and leader needs: hope. Coach Matt Thomann sits down with Derek Gordon, Ministry Coordinator at a men’s homeless shelter in Peoria, Illinois, to talk about what hope looks like when life has truly fallen apart—and why it is still available, practical, and essential for moving forward.

Hope at Rock Bottom

Derek oversees the men’s downtown shelter for Pathway Ministries, working daily with 90–100 men who often arrive with nothing: no home, no steady work, and frequently no ID, income, or support system. Many are carrying heavy loads—past incarceration, mental health struggles, addiction, or sudden loss like a fire, death of a spouse, or job layoff. What struck Coach Matt is that simply walking through the doors is itself an act of hope: instead of giving up, these men choose to ask for help, even when shame and fear are screaming at them to disappear.

Derek’s own story includes a financial career, serious mistakes, time in prison, and a gradual redirection into ministry—experiences that now give him credibility with the guests he serves. He jokes that his “credentials on the wall” are less about degrees and more about a Department of Corrections number, but those years formed his empathy and showed him how God can redeem broken chapters into a calling. That lived experience lets him look men in the eye and say, “There is a way forward, and I’ll walk with you—but you have to take the first step”.

Is Hope an Emotion—or Something Deeper?

Derek shares how he started wrestling with hope by going all the way back to the story of Adam and Eve being removed from the Garden of Eden. He imagines their first days outside: scrambling for food and shelter, but also wondering whether the God who had walked with them would ever restore what was lost. That question—“Will He come through for us again?”—captures the heart of biblical hope: not wishful thinking, but a deep trust in God’s character and future promises even in a fallen, chaotic world.

For both Derek and Coach Matt, Christian faith anchors hope in something stronger than changing circumstances. Matt reflects on his own season of cancer, stroke, anxiety, and relearning how to speak and write; even at his darkest points, his relationships with Christ, his wife, family, and friends kept hope from fully disappearing. Derek describes waking up each day believing he’s already “playing from a winning position” because Christ has secured the ultimate victory, which reframes daily setbacks and suffering. That doesn’t erase pain, but it keeps despair from having the final word.

Gratitude, Vulnerability, and the Practice of Hope

A key theme in the episode is that hope is something that can be nurtured long before disaster strikes. Derek and Matt talk about the tight connection between gratitude and hope: when people intentionally notice small gifts—relationships, provision, second chances—they train their brains to look for what is good and possible instead of only what is broken. Gratitude, in turn, exposes how dependent everyone is on others and on God, which opens the door to healthy vulnerability instead of self‑reliance.

They caution that when life is comfortable, it is easy to neglect gratitude and assume good times will last on autopilot. Then, when a major loss hits, people have no “hope muscles” to fall back on. By practicing gratitude consistently—after Thanksgiving is over, in ordinary routines, not just in crises—people are better prepared to interpret hardship through a lens of trust rather than panic. Derek notes that gratitude also interrupts the cultural drift toward constant self-focus by turning attention outward: to God, to others, and to the needs of the community around us.

Walking with Men in Crisis

On a practical level, Derek’s day at the shelter starts the moment he steps out of his car: someone is usually already walking or running toward him with an “emergency” that may or may not look urgent to outside eyes. Because many guests live with PTSD, serious mental health conditions, and addiction, small situations can feel enormous, and dismissing them only deepens distrust. Derek’s first task is to bring steadiness, kindness, and safety into the building—reminding men that they are not alone, and that their crisis can be worked through one step at a time.

From there, he and his team focus on extremely tangible wins: securing IDs and Social Security cards, teaching basic budgeting, helping men keep important documents safe, and connecting them to mental health or addiction services. He often tells new guests that he will walk every step with them but cannot walk it for them; they must decide to show up, tell the truth, and work the process. When men return after relapses or setbacks—which is common—small gestures like pulling their old paperwork from a file can signal, “I haven’t given up on you,” and rekindle a sense of possibility.

Fear, Depression, and the Battle for Perspective

The conversation also acknowledges how powerful fear and depression can be. Derek describes some guests who manage to survive at the shelter but remain emotionally frozen—sitting all day in the day room, unable to take next steps even when they have skills and a workable résumé. In those cases, the issue is not simply lack of opportunity but an internal collapse of hope: they no longer believe their actions will meaningfully change anything. Those situations, Derek says, are among the hardest he faces.

Matt and Derek contrast fear and hope as opposing forces: where God calls people to hope, an enemy would gladly keep them trapped in fear, anxiety, and worst‑case thinking. One way to push back is to radically shrink the to‑do list. Instead of obsessing over 150 things that must go right to “fix my life,” Derek encourages men—and listeners—to focus on one small, doable action, like getting out of bed, making the bed, attending a meeting, or attending a job interview. Each small win becomes evidence that change is possible, especially when it is paired with gratitude and honest reflection.

Hope for All of Us, Not Just the Shelter

Although Derek works at what many would consider the bottom of society’s ladder, he and Matt are quick to point out that the gap between “normal life” and homelessness can be surprisingly thin. A few bad decisions, a death in the family, a fire, a layoff, or untreated depression can send anyone into a spiral faster than most people want to admit. The kinds of hope, gratitude, and community support cultivated at Pathway Ministries are not just for “other people”; they are practices every person needs long before crisis hits.

For listeners, the episode offers several takeaways:

• Hope is not naïve optimism; it is a decision to trust God’s character and future even when circumstances look bleak.
• Gratitude and vulnerability are practical ways to nurture that trust day to day.
• Emotional comfort and peace come less from controlling circumstances and more from shifting perspective and where hope is placed.
• Relational support—people willing to tell hard truths, walk alongside, and not give up—is essential in rebuilding a life.

Episode 132, “The Power of Hope with Derek Gordon,” is a reminder that hope is both a gift and a responsibility: something to receive, practice, and offer to others who can’t yet see a way forward. To learn more about or support Pathway Ministries and their work with men experiencing homelessness in Peoria, visit Pathway Ministries: From Poverty to Progress through Jesus.

For more conversations on mental toughness, resilience, and faith—and to schedule a free coaching session—connect with Coach Matt Thomann at coachthomann@gmail.com or visit www.mentalmettlelifecoaching.com.