Send us Fan Mail

Tristan Maes is 43, lives in the Treasure Valley, runs his own painting business — and as of April 6, 2026, has been sober from the addiction that has tracked him since he was 12 years old.

This week on Reformed N Reel, host Mario Hernandez sits down with co-host Wayne Burt and his old friend Tristan to talk about the long road from juvenile detention to a fresh sobriety date. They met inside Idaho's prison system around 2006 — both running with people they probably shouldn't have, both trying to "make a name." They've been in and out of each other's lives ever since.

Tristan is candid about all of it: starting weed and drinking at 12, escalating through county jail and a prison stretch from 2006 to 2010, the relapse that came one day after he'd put together a month sober, the felony drug charge that finally got his attention, and the rehab program that started turning things around. And in the middle of it, a story he keeps coming back to — Mario, asking no questions, taking over Tristan's truck payment while he was in treatment so he wouldn't lose it. That kind of loyalty doesn't show up in the gangster movies. It shows up here.

The conversation moves from prison stories to what real recovery looks like — his daughters Patience (18) and Malia, whitewater rafting on the river the Sunday before recording, jiu-jitsu training at 43, reading Psalms in the morning, and the two rules he's trying to live by: time, and consistency.

If you're early in recovery, mid-relapse, or watching someone you love try to find their way out, this one's for you.

"You learn more from a loss than you do a win. So just remember that — if you fall, don't give up." — Tristan Maes

Need a paint quote in the Treasure Valley? Tristan owns and operates Amazing Painting (interior + exterior, residential + commercial). Reach him at 208-761-8793.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Most episodes of Reformed N Reel follow the climb back — addiction, prison, recovery, return. This one goes the other way: deep into what actually happens inside. Host Mario Hernandez tells co-host Wayne Burt the worst story of his last prison term — eight days in solitary at Orofino for something he didn't do. Mario was keeping his head down, working a video editing job in the prison school, aiming for a dorm placement. Then an inmate connected to the tier's correctional officer decided Mario "thought he was better than everyone." Days later he was surrounded, cuffed, and dropped in the hole on a fabricated disciplinary report — with no one willing to back the claim. He fought it the only way he could: by writing over the facility's head to IDOC Central Office, which investigated and dismissed the charge. It was the lowest point of his time inside — and the moment that proved standing on the truth, even from a cell, still works. The chapter that should have broken him ended up being the one that confirmed he was already on the way out.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Mario and Wayne sit down with Kelsey Korvela, who 21 years ago walked into the Boise Rescue Mission as a homeless woman — not staff. Shaped by both parents' addiction and her own felony past, her turning point came when her father became the first in the family to get sober, sparking a ripple of recovery and faith. Today, Kelsey is an intake coordinator at that same mission, meeting people at their lowest with understanding instead of judgment. Generational struggle, transformed into generational healing.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Mario and Wayne sit down with Melanie Chroninger where melanie tells her story from being homeless to serving Idaho's citizens through their addiction.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Mario and Wayne sit down with this week's special guest, Rodney Araiza. Together, they discuss Rodneys journey as a young impressionable boy in prison to a man finding redemption and building a life for himself against all odds.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Mario and Wayne sit down with this week's special guests, Cosmo Zimik and Courtney Hastings, to talk about Empty Hand Combat DOJO and serving Idaho troubled youth. Cosmo shares how he left working as acorrectional officer and a chaplain to opening a nonprofit DOJO to help get troubled youth get off of the streets and empowering them by mentoring and training them. Courtney Hastings who is VP at TRACE, volunteers at Empty Hand Combat tells her story as a recovering addict and victim of domestric abuse and how Cosmo has mentored her. Join us for a powerful conversation about Loving our youth and conquering adversity.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Mario and Wayne sit down with this week's special guest Miya Ashby, to talk about rebuilding life after prison. Miya shares how incarceration impacted her life and her bout with breast cancer. Join us for a powerful conversation about her new path, loving herself and finding love.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Mario and Wayne sit down with this week's special guest, Jamie Sherman, to talk about rebuilding life after prison. Jamie shares how incarceration impacted his relationship with his daughter, his opportunity to regain stability through work at IHOP, and he reflects on the role drug court played in his recovery journey. Join us for a powerful conversation about accountability, family, and second chances.

Support the show