Dora Gilreath is the communications assistant at Good Dads. She joined the team in 2024 and has Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in creative writing at Missouri State University. She loves reading, writing and anything related to theater.
Mike Weist
“There’s something to be said when you bump into someone in the community and see them interacting positively with their children,” says New Pathways facilitator and father Mike Weist. “You know you’re doing something that’s far better than yourself.”
Because of Mike’s past personal struggles in life—including addiction and the temporary removal of his children from his care—he is intimately familiar with, and can relate to, the obstacles many participants in the New Pathways for Good Dads program face. After getting clean and making regular court appearances to regain custody of his children, Mike realized just how important active fathers are to the wellbeing of their children.
“(Children) need us to be there and be supportive of them so they can continue to mature and grow,” he said. “Good Dads has given me a platform to give me that active role to be a positive influence.”
Mike takes his role as a father seriously, stressing the importance of presence and availability and teaching those values to fellow fathers.
“Fatherhood provides a certain purpose to my life,” he said. “I push myself, because it’s not about me. (Fatherhood) drives me to maintain my emotional wellbeing so I can be a buffer as (my children) manage their emotions.”
Mike points to two people who were pivotal in his decision to become a Good Dads facilitator: Marlissa Diggs, Director of Grown-Ups Programming at The Alliance of SWMO, and New Pathways facilitator Jeremy Kitchingham. Both Marlissa and Jeremy suggested Mike would be a good fit to teach Good Dads classes at The Alliance. Mike knew Jeremy through recovery channels in the community. Jeremy shared his own journey to becoming a Good Dads facilitator in his own spotlight.
“I don’t even know how my name entered the hat,” Mike admitted. After giving it some thought, he reasoned, “maybe I should be involved in helping new guys in their quest to become better fathers.”
While Mike certainly faced challenges during his recovery journey, he views them as a kind of blessing in disguise. They’ve allowed him to better encourage participants to give themselves a break, be open-minded and have courage.
“I’m a big believer of hope,” he said. “It’s possible to overcome; it’s a matter of ‘am I going to do it or not?’”
One of Mike’s favorite aspects of being a Good Dads facilitator is seeing the progress dads in the program undergo. Mike feels encouraged when seeing positive change in the fathers in his classes, because he knows they’re absorbing and applying the lessons they’ve been learning.
Another reason why Mike loves the Good Dads program is that it’s about progression rather than dwelling on the past. Many fathers in his class carry feelings of guilt and shame due to past mistakes, but because Mike overcame similar struggles, he feels he can be a positive influence for these men. He referred to the classroom space as a “judge-free zone.”
“What has happened, happened,” he said. “Overcoming (these) internal feelings stops a lot of people from giving it their best efforts. How are we going to pick ourselves up and move forward?”
After six years of facilitating, Mike has seen and heard plenty of success stories. One participant who hadn’t seen his children for 12 years ended up gaining full custody. Another had the chance to travel to Oregon and see his child for the first time in five years. Mike likened the Good Dads program as planting roots and seeds to see what grows.
“It’s good to watch others grow,” he said. “It validates my personal struggle and journey to become a father. It’s okay that I went through those things, because it has allowed me to do these other things.”
Thinking about becoming a facilitator yourself? Mike says: Just do it! Before going into it, he says to remember that being dependable and encouraging is more important than being perfect.
“(Facilitating) is not about perfection,” he said. “Every Monday night, those guys know Mike’s gonna be in that basement. Provide encouragement, and you’d be amazed what people can do for themselves. We do a pretty good job of that at Good Dads.”
Both current and future facilitators are encouraged to utilize their strengths to support fathers attending classes. For Mike, he tells the men about his own recovery journey and provides data and statistics to show how important fathers are in being a positive influence in the lives of their children.
“Whatever can be overcome, provide hope that there’s a brighter way forward,” he said.
