A Special Anniversary Event Highlighting Better Decisions’ Life-Changing Five Step Decision Making Process, Featuring a Collaboration with Thistle Farms
Better Decisions is celebrating 40 years of transforming lives with a special community event in Nashville sharing a meaningful and uplifting experience. Moving beyond a traditional gala, this anniversary gathering offers a welcoming space to connect, learn and be inspired, while showcasing the organization’s proven Five Step Decision Making Process, grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, as a practical and empowering tool for everyday life.
Throughout the evening, guests will see firsthand how this life changing framework is making a difference for women at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center (DJRC, formerly the Tennessee Prison for Women (TPW), and through programs connected to Thistle Farms. More than a celebration, the event extends an open invitation to the community to engage, discover and be part of a mission that continues to create lasting impact.
The event will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 10, 2026, at Thistle Farms in Nashville and tickets can be reserved here.
Better Decisions Founder and lifelong education advocate Candy Markman will serve as the keynote speaker, bringing decades of leadership and insight to the event’s central message of empowerment through education and informed decision making. The panel will feature a distinguished group of voices, including Allie Colleen, country music artist and mental health advocate; Kathy Masulis, the longest serving executive director of Better Decisions from 1997 to 2015; Damian Chandler, marriage and family therapist and lead pastor of Living Room Nashville; Karen Thompson, Assistant Vice President of Community Impact at HCA Healthcare, sought-after speaker, and creator of leadership framework Reimagining Method; Rashad Rayford, keynote speaker, poet and corporate trainer who focuses on supporting mental health and behavior change through storytelling and Lisa Waddle, Better Decisions Board Member, volunteer teacher, mentor and security advisor.
Entertainment for the evening will feature performances that reflect both artistry and personal transformation, including a live set from Allie Colleen, whose music and advocacy continue to resonate with audiences nationwide. Spoken word artist Rashad Rayford, founder of Elevate Your Vibe, will deliver a powerful performance rooted in storytelling and emotional connection. The program will also highlight Amalia Gawlikowski, a job readiness program assistant and trainer at Thistle Farms, as well as a Better Decisions graduate and accomplished singer songwriter, whose journey embodies the mission and impact of the organization.
For four decades, Better Decisions has provided prison mentoring at the DJRC and formerly TPW, adding collaboration with Thistle Farms in 2006. The organization operates primarily through dedicated volunteers and maintains a lean structure with paid roles limited to an executive director and a part-time program director. Founder Candy Markman brought together a group of women dedicated to restoring lives of women often invisible to society and developed the curriculum in collaboration with experts from Vanderbilt University. Rooted in principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Better Decisions’ program provides participants with practical strategies to recognize patterns of thinking, evaluate choices, and make more constructive decisions.
Eliza Cheng, Executive Director, Better Decisions shared, “For decades, Better Decisions has had the profound privilege of walking alongside women who society had forgotten, and witnessing them rediscover their own power. What we’ve seen in those rooms has moved us deeply, and this event is our way of sharing that with Nashville. The tools that have transformed lives in our program – self-awareness, confidence, intentional living – have a way of touching anyone who encounters them. We would love for you to experience that firsthand. Come as you are. Leave with something that stays with you.”
“I am so proud to be a part of the 40-year legacy of Better Decisions. Since 1985, Better Decisions has been helping at-risk women learn decision-making skills to shape their futures. This celebration will bring these practical insights to all women in the Nashville community, and we hope everyone leaves feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on whatever life brings,” added Caity Craddock, Board of Directors President, Education Consultant at Vanderbilt University.
Due to confidentiality requirements within the correctional system, the organization is often limited in its ability to publicly share testimonials and success stories from program participants. As a result, the upcoming anniversary event will focus on sharing the organization’s educational framework and the impact of its work through dialogue, expert insight, and community engagement.
Better Decisions has long maintained a values alignment with Thistle Farms, the Nashville based nonprofit known for its mission of radical hospitality and unconditional love. Hosting the anniversary event at Thistle Farms highlights a shared commitment to transformation, dignity, and second chances.
“Ever since I began mentoring with Better Decisions at Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center and Thistle Farms ten years ago, I’ve used the Five-Step Decision-Making Process in my own life. I taught it to my children and shared it with friends because it truly works. When the Board began discussing a 40th anniversary event, we immediately thought the best way to celebrate is to offer our expert-built curriculum to the wider community. I’ve always seen it as one of Nashville’s best-kept secrets, and it feels like the right time to share it,” expressed Tatiana ‘Tajci’ Cameron, Event Producer, Board Member and Mentor, and internationally awarded musician.
The event will feature a panel discussion centered on learning to see situations clearly by distinguishing facts from emotional
reactions, gaining clarity about personal goals rather than avoiding difficult choices, expanding possibilities through an open mindset, evaluating options through practical tools and community support, and ultimately acting with accountability and purpose.
About Better Decisions
Better Decisions is a Nashville-based, volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to helping women make better choices and build brighter futures for themselves and their families. Since 1985, the organization has empowered incarcerated and at-risk women through education, mentorship, and compassionate support. The program combines individualized mentoring with group classes to teach essential life-planning and problem-solving skills. The curriculum was developed with the guidance of Dr. Milton Burglass, the originator of the decision-making program, and with contributions from the Ecumenical Institute and the Schenectady Thresholds program. These foundations, along with years of feedback from students, mentors, and teachers, have created a living curriculum that continues to evolve to meet the needs of our participants. Better Decisions has been serving women at the Tennessee Prison for Women, now renamed the Debra Johnson Rehabilitation Center (DJRC) and since 2006, and has also partnered with Thistle Farms to expand its reach and impact.
About Thistle Farms
Thistle Farms is a Nashville-based nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to helping women survivors of prostitution, human trafficking, addiction, and exploitation heal and reclaim their lives. Founded in 1997, the organization provides a safe place to live, comprehensive support services, trauma-informed care, and meaningful employment opportunities through its residential program and social enterprises. With a mission grounded in the belief that “love heals,” Thistle Farms offers two years of free housing, healthcare, counseling, and job readiness training, as well as opportunities to work within its social enterprises, including handcrafted products and community spaces, fostering dignity, financial independence, and lifelong community support for women on their healing journeys.