Coffee With E

From Prison to Purpose, How Da’Laine Simpson Built Bro2Go and Changed Lives

• Erica Rawls

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After serving 90 days in Dauphin County Prison and losing his mother shortly after, Da’Laine Simpson turned grief into purpose. In this episode, Erica Rawls talks with the founder of Bro2Go to talk about resilience, leadership, and creating space for healing.

Da’Laine shares how he rebuilt his life, launched a nonprofit, and now supports individuals returning from incarceration across Central PA. From navigating grief to creating long-term impact, this conversation is a masterclass in leading with intention.

Guest Info:

🌐 Website: Bro2Go.org

📸 Instagram: @officialdalainesimpson


 📩 If this conversation inspired you, pass it on or leave a review to support the show.

#DaLaineSimpson #Bro2Go #ReentryPrograms #LifeAfterIncarceration #PrisonToPurpose #BlackLeadersPA #CommunityImpact #GriefAndGrowth #FaithAndLeadership #CentralPAStories #CoffeeWithE #EricaRawlsTeam



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Erica Rawls:

Hey you, I have a treat for you. I had the privilege of sitting down with Da'Laine Simpson. He is the founder of Bro 2 Go, but before that he was in prison y'all. And in the same year he lost his mother. And you know what? He continued to fight for purpose and for impact. I need you to stay tuned because he has a great story of triumph and overcoming. I promise you I'm getting goosebumps talking about it. Listen in y'all. This is good. I can't believe I have Delaine be, delaine Simpson in my seat. Yes, yes, you were trying to dodge me. No, you were trying to dodge me. No, you were trying to dodge me.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I was coming no.

Erica Rawls:

No.

Da’Laine Simpson:

No, because there's no dodging. For me it's either a yay or a nay.

Erica Rawls:

I know that's right. That's what I love about you You're just so.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yeah, there's no in between.

Erica Rawls:

No, in between, no shades of gray, nope. Yeah, I love that. This is what you get. I love that. So, Delaine Simpson yeah, so I'm excited to have you in the chair only because I think you're such a dynamic person and the people that I have conversations with are dynamic, right, and they truly have a story to tell. Right, and you're not even done living.

Da’Laine Simpson:

No, Because you're a baby, I just started, you just started. I started.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, you did. You did so. I would love for you to share your story with our community, because I think that you have a lot to offer. Yeah, so let's start from the beginning.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Well, again, I am Delaine Simpson.

Erica Rawls:

Yes.

Da’Laine Simpson:

What is Delaine Simpson? Yeah, what is? It's a question I've asked myself for the past two years. So people are like oh, you know you're a community leader, you know I'm a federal employee, I'm a union president, local yeah, from New Cumberland Army Depot.

Erica Rawls:

Everywhere. Where is Delane on?

Da’Laine Simpson:

social media. I just won my second election last week as union president. I ran unopposed, really Ran, unopposed, really, ran, unopposed. I also am a national council president for DLA, which stands for Defense Logistics Agency, for 23 DLA sites.

Erica Rawls:

Wow. And then Wait, but how old are you?

Da’Laine Simpson:

I'm 36.

Erica Rawls:

See.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Last month turned 36. See 36. You did all that, but around that now now. I would have never seen myself, never would have seen myself.

Erica Rawls:

Okay, so tell us more.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Never would have seen myself so one starting for the federal government at 18,. I was a mama's boy. I lived at home still, but I was still trying to figure out who I was. Who am I?

Erica Rawls:

And that's not uncommon.

Da’Laine Simpson:

It's very you're young, but it's trying to put in all these different things right. So I'm trying to put in church because I'm a minister, um, and I'm also trying to put in my sexuality, because at that time I wasn't even openly gay.

Erica Rawls:

And now I, you're a minister, okay, so what denomination? Church Baptist, okay, baptist Baptist, baptist denomination, okay. And you were struggling with yeah, with my own.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I wasn't struggling with my sexuality, I was struggling with how to be comfortable and being accepted and saying, wow, will I be accepted?

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Because even you're saying, huh, 17 years ago, um, where we're at in today's world is not where we were at then. Right, it's not. Gay marriage wasn't even legal no you know.

Da’Laine Simpson:

So we've come so far, but struggling and trying to find out who I am and 18, I was spoiled, lived at home, my mom, I was Everything. People was like oh, if my mom was still alive, would you still be at home with your mom? I'm like yeah, you think so? I think so, I don't think so, but I believe that life is intentional in what happens. Not saying that I wanted my mom to die, because that's whoever wants that.

Erica Rawls:

Right.

Da’Laine Simpson:

But if that part of life didn't happen, I wouldn't be where I'm at today and a lot of people say, oh no, you wouldn't. No, I wouldn't be because I was spoiled. I know I was. You know there would have been nothing to push me. You know, on the responsibility piece, I had tickets, traffic tickets, left and right, yeah, and it took my last time to go to court and see Judge Lindsey. I've been dealing with Judge Lindsey since I was a kid. I'm serious With even just you know truancy going to school.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

But this last time I saw him I'll never forget. I'm in the booking center for Dauphin County and he's literally looking down when they say he was the judge. I'm in the booking center for Dauphin County and he's literally looking down when they say he was the judge, I'm like, oh, he's been my judge, yeah. So I've been like like this is it? I'm trying to dodge and I know I got warrants, I know I do. Yeah, I'm like literally did my deal. Okay, they tell you to stop driving. Like you don't got a license, I got keys. That's how I felt it. Literally. That is how I felt. But it took the last time for me to go in front of him and he told me you have seven consecutive driving without a license. I'm done talking to you. You will serve 90 days in Dauphin County Prison.

Erica Rawls:

You went to jail.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I went to jail.

Erica Rawls:

I want to take two seconds to share with you that this particular episode is brought to you by Rob Shaw and Allstate Insurance. If you're looking for someone to give you insurance, whether it's home insurance, car insurance go to him. He is your guy. Thank you, rob, for sponsoring this show. I'm like how old were you then? I?

Da’Laine Simpson:

was 28. I was 28. I was 28, but this is my year, follow this. So he was like Delane I know you're not a bad kid, but I'm tired of saying the same thing. Okay, so he's like I want to make you work for lease eligible. So I did about three weeks in accounting. Then I went to Dauphin County work for lease. Okay, In Work Release is where I started Bro to go. Literally I came out with my logo.

Erica Rawls:

Really.

Da’Laine Simpson:

In Work Release.

Erica Rawls:

In Work Release, in Work Release. So what was like the light bulb moment that made you want to?

Da’Laine Simpson:

Seeing what other people didn't have. I'm like God. People don't have home plans because they have no home to go to. They have no resources because there's no organizations that they can even tap into. You know, and I tell people all the time, broader go wasn't designed for me right it was designed for the people that I saw, because at this time um my mom was still alive.

Da’Laine Simpson:

So my mom's picking me up for grocery, for work, all of that, my mom is still here okay so I didn't have that, so I came up literally with my traffic Like that's the logo, Bro to go. I'm like this is what this is going to be. These are the services we're going to provide. And a lot of guys in there. They're like oh, you're jail talking. I'm like I've never been to jail.

Erica Rawls:

Well, ok, so I don't know, what that means. Ok, yeah, what does jail talk mean?

Da’Laine Simpson:

Jail talk is when a lot of people say, all these bright things and big things they're going to do when they get out, ok, oh, I'm going to marry my lady, I'm going to buy my own. And then they get out and they most likely do the opposite. So I'm like, well, I don't know what that means, so that's not me right. So I got out, never forget, um June 29th 2017 I was there from March to June.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I got out. I'm like, yep, I know everything that I'm doing. And I literally got out, started googling. I didn't know a thing about a non-profit, I didn't know what a 501c3 even meant, right, no clue, um. But I knew I wanted to make a difference. I knew that, even with this setback, that God is going to give me a major comeback, a major one. And at first, you know even you know being incarcerated you're embarrassed, right. It is that, oh my God, what do people want to say? You know all of that, people at work. What are they going to say? And I remember when I didn't even want to stay in this area because I'm like God, how will people look at me for being incarcerated? And my mom literally pushed me when she was like, when did you start caring about people? When did you start caring about people? And for me it was an aha moment. I was like, hmm, I can let this push me forward or push me backwards.

Erica Rawls:

Right.

Da’Laine Simpson:

But either way, I got to be pushed, so got out June 29, 2017. And here catch this I was sentenced to 90 days between Dauphin County Prison and work release and here, when I came home, I only had 90 days until I would lose my mom. So my mom was picking me up two, three times a week and here the whole time. My mom has cancer and doesn't even know it.

Erica Rawls:

Oh, wow.

Da’Laine Simpson:

In September my mom got ill, came home from a trip and she's laying on the couch. I'm like, okay, it's a flu, it's cold. You know, everyone gets sick.

Erica Rawls:

Right and here.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Two or three days went by. It's like, oh, it's not the same. So she went to the hospital on a Sunday. Never forget it Went on a Sunday. They're like, oh, okay, we think you got pneumonia. Okay, that was Sunday.

Erica Rawls:

So she went to the ER ER.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Osteopathic. That was Sunday. By Monday it was like well, sunday they admitted her. Monday. It's like, oh well, we see something else, we're going to run tests, ran tests. Well, we think we see cancer Tuesday. You have cancer. Wednesday is stage four.

Erica Rawls:

No Stage four. What type of cancer?

Da’Laine Simpson:

Oh, I forget, I can't say them. My brother, my twin knows it like that You're good, yeah, yeah. But literally my whole life. Mind you, I'm just coming home and mind you, 90 days is nothing, but when you ain't never, right, baby, that's something okay.

Erica Rawls:

That's a lot it is. So here I am. In four days you have to wrap your mind around. Okay, you may have pneumonia too. Okay, you have stage four cancer.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Right.

Erica Rawls:

That's a lot to take in. It's a lot.

Da’Laine Simpson:

And here my mom just got a brand new house in Linglestown Beautiful house, it wasn't quite like this, but it was almost there and my little brother's 15. She's taking care of my older uncle who's handicapped, and my little sister just had a baby. The baby's four months and my mom's raising the baby as my sister goes back and forth to school. So here my mom is sick. I'm like God you got to be kidding me, right. She'll get through this, because there's no way you're going to take her from us in this time. Well, september 27th my mom passed away. I watched my mom.

Erica Rawls:

What month did she go?

Da’Laine Simpson:

September, in September, september, september 9th she went in the hospital by September 18th. September 27th she was gone 18 days. My mom was gone.

Erica Rawls:

So how do you wrap your mind around that? Because you were only how old 28. You were 28. Okay, so you're 28 years old.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Right.

Erica Rawls:

And you were going through trying to figure out who you were.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yeah.

Erica Rawls:

Right Serving time, bro to go. You started that not knowing even what a nonprofit was. And then your mom's taking care of you, she gets sick, she's in the hospital and then, nine days later, Right. She passes away.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Just like that.

Erica Rawls:

Delane. How did you deal with that?

Da’Laine Simpson:

It's crazy. As I look back, I don't even know how I don't and I watch literally you imagine seeing your parent on the couch, and you always have. I was already going to come home, but my mom never came home, never came home, and it was literally one of those things where I'm like what am I going to do? How am I going to get through this? Like, I have a little brother that's 15 years old, he's in high school, you know. But what am I going to do? But I'll never forget the day my mom was going in they trying to get the I guess the thing shaped for her head for chemo yeah and my mom was like fighting and they put her in a thing.

Da’Laine Simpson:

She's wiggling back and forth like she didn't want to do it. And I remember the guy in the radiation place. He's like, well, the only way you can go in is if you know um, you sign this waiver, because you go in with the radiation, you may not have kids. I said, well, yeah, I'm not having kids either way. Anyway, ok, so I'm going in. Now we're forgetting this area.

Da’Laine Simpson:

My mom, I held my mom's hand and my mom gave me this look like don't make me do this, don't make me do this. And I just stopped and I called my siblings, I called my family members and I told myself I'm not making her do this, my mom doesn't want to do this. It was a look that I will carry with me my entire life, like it gave me your mom. There's a look that you can give your kids and they know they know you ain. Look that you can give your kids and they know they know you ain't gotta say nothing. Right, it's one of those looks, but it wasn't a look like I was in trouble. It was a look like I need you to understand she didn't want to go through it right, that was literally tuesday.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Okay, we met with the doctors me and my siblings that night for hospice care. My brother stayed at the hospital by two in the morning. My brother called me. He said you gotta get to the hospital. By 2 in the morning my brother called me. He said you got to get to the hospital. Tell him I got there. My mom was gone, yeah, but I knew it was a look she gave me. So here I am still trusting God.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Still trusting God, because at this point trying to understand anything else will make me go just crazy. So I'm like God. This is part of the journey, because I was away for 90 days so those are 90 days less than I have with my mom that year to only come home for a few months. And here God said you thought that that was the test. You don't even know what you're about to go through.

Erica Rawls:

Right.

Da’Laine Simpson:

And literally, miss Erica. A month before I had a dream. This is no imagination, no lie. I had a dream that it was five, six limos in front of our house. Now my grandma she was older Lost my name a couple years after my mom, but she was like oh, in her 80s, yeah, she is 90. So that was more OK she lived a good life. Like this is Renee, she's already talking about her funeral, she was, so I was like okay, this is for her.

Da’Laine Simpson:

It is what it is, but I had it, saw it in the morning, I'm like ah. The day of my mom's funeral. I'm in my mom's bedroom getting dressed. Getting dressed, I look out. What do I see? The dream that I had just a month ago, the same exact way, I kid you not. To this day it still chills up my spine because I saw it. So here, god was preparing me and what I thought was a test, I thought 90 days of prison, that's nothing.

Erica Rawls:

You lose a parent, okay, when your life was falling apart and now you've got to build it back up, okay. Hey, I'm hoping you're enjoying this episode of Coffee with E. I had to take 30 seconds to share with you one of our sponsors for this episode, top Construction. They are a premier construction company located in central PA, so if you live in Dauphin, cumberland, lancaster and Lebanon counties, you want to check them out. Not only are they reliable, they are reasonable and they get the job done. Now let's go back to the episode.

Da’Laine Simpson:

But that was all one year.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, so how did you? Okay? So for the um, the child right or the young adults that lost their parent, whether it was through cancer or through some other, um way like how did you get through that, Like, what was like, what did you do?

Da’Laine Simpson:

Because it could have been easy. I worked, so you worked your way through the group I worked, my mom passed on September 27th. My mom had a service fit for a queen, and I mean like a queen Glass carriage, white horses all of that yeah. We buried my mom October 7th. I had my second Vertigo meeting on October 11th and a lot of people told me like you need, you know, to take a pause. I said no, I can't. Literally, my board is meeting in my dining room. My house looks like a flower shop.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yeah, you know, plants and flowers from the funeral, all over. Literally, people are like, oh, you need a plus or no? This is how I'm going to get through this. And I literally worked with no excuse. With no excuse, I got to turn my pain into purpose. Okay, because I've seen people become alcoholics. I've seen people get on drugs. I've seen people become alcoholics. I've seen people get on drugs. I've seen people go this way, that way, trying to figure it out.

Da’Laine Simpson:

So I got to work and in my working I found out who Delane was. Yeah, and that's crazy, because I'm the person even for my federal job. Back then, hey, you're going to work, leave one of the books Me. Look, I have four hours. I had to burn it. Now I have like over 500 hours. You know I go to work every day. Um, I lead a whole labor union of 2300 federal employees. You know the delane. Back then to the delane. Now I'm so damn damn proud of who Delaine is because I didn't think I would be where I'm at today. I didn't and I just think, if I would have gave up, if I would have listened to the naysayers, how many people allow family members mind you, ms Erica, family members, tell me even bro to go. Well, why would he start an organization like that? When there's this organization, there's that organization. But it's not me, it's not my vision, it's not my dream it's not what I believe a reentry organization could look like.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yeah, but if I would have listened to the naysayers, where would I be?

Erica Rawls:

right, right, yeah, and I think that that speaks volumes to who you are right because, okay, here you are. So many people make excuses for not doing, and that was me.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I was the biggest procrastinator.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Biggest procrastinator and even with Bro To Go, I remember working on all of these things. My mom told me she's like, just remember this, you're not going to be able to help everybody. And even on days when people have come into my program and I've lost them to overdose, they went back to jail and I feel sometimes defeated. I remember my mom telling me you know you can't help everyone, but again I didn't give up.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

And that's my message to anyone. People say well, how do you do it, you don't give up. We have good days, we have bad days. Look in the world today where everyone's saying you know, you know um mental health and I believe in mental health. It's so real, you got to take time for you. But on my way here I was thinking, as I don't believe there's a method to really succeeding. You just have to do it in your own way. You do Now. Is everyone built like me? Will everyone have a story like me? No, and I don't wish it on anyone to have a story like me, because the worst thing that could happen to me in my life was losing my mom.

Erica Rawls:

Right, right it is.

Da’Laine Simpson:

It is the worst thing. But then there's the thing of if my mom was here, would I be where I'm at today?

Erica Rawls:

No, I wouldn't be, and some people are like, oh, you can't say that she might be an enabler to what you possibly should be, or no, I would have been an enabler, I would have been oh, you know.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I'm a homeowner. My parents weren't even homeowners, okay, so mind you, I'm breaking generational curses and things that weren't done before you know my parents. They weren't in a community such as me. I'm breaking generational curses and things that weren't done before you know my parents. They weren't in a community such as me. I'm probably the first in my family, right?

Erica Rawls:

So yeah, you are a person to know in the community.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yeah, oh yeah, because guess what? I want to be Delaney. And even in my struggle, what is my struggle? Is the world, especially our community, right, the black and brown community telling you you can't, um, serve god, you can't preach to people if you're gay. That could have set me back, yeah, and my biggest fear was my sexuality, setting me back from leading employees to leading a re-entry organization. If I'm open about this, who's going to deal with that? You know, people think gay and they think the rule pause and all of that. But you have people that are elite, that want to be a business and be intentional about that.

Da’Laine Simpson:

And make a difference and make a difference. And now, do I wave a flag? No, but am I comfortable who I am? Yes, and do I wave a flag no, but am I comfortable who I am?

Erica Rawls:

Yes, because I am making a way for another young man that is in school right now that you know his parents are saying you like, how did you share that with your parents?

Da’Laine Simpson:

So to the person that's struggling my mom always knew, so so really my mom and my family.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I can ask, I can ask you it wasn't it wasn't my mom or my family, yeah, it was more me still caring about the community in the world. Because I knew now, I always knew that I was special. Okay, I knew that God has something for me and I always thought it's going to be ministry, right, cause I love God Um, I love the word. I thought, oh, yep, I'm going to be, you know, the next Jamal Bryant. You know that's going to be my thing. And here is funny how you could think that the way you're going to be known, your biggest purpose, is not going to be what you think it is.

Erica Rawls:

No.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Here mine was serving time and I told people God didn't put me there, but God taught me why I was there. Okay, how many times have we missed the message through the journey?

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I had a lot of people you know, oh, you know I'm in in this, but what did you learn from it? What did you learn? Every day it's my goal to learn, because guess what, miss erica today will never happen right so what did I learn from today to better my tomorrow?

Da’Laine Simpson:

what did I learn? To now push back to my staff, to my family, because I, especially my family, like my mom, was going pretty much. I have one grandparent left, my grandmom, and I see it even with her. You know, we're getting older, so I'm like you know, I am the crown in my family, hence the crown. I'm the crown in my family and they're like now you have to like my siblings. They were like oh no, you're not. But I believe if they could be truthful with their self, yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

It's the lame, because I believe in yeah, I believe in being a leader, and we always hear the phrase heavy is the head that wears the crown Right. But my message on that is how many people's head can't even wear the crown? How many people can't Right Everybody?

Erica Rawls:

People that try to wear your crown.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Right, and I say this especially for today's world. You look at YouTubers and people on social media, socialites, right? Everybody wants it like that. But how many people want to work for it? Right, how many people want to work for it? And I always say everybody wants the blessing, but nobody wants to struggle.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They always see what you look like in the clouds.

Da’Laine Simpson:

They don't know the story. You know, I always tell people you see the glory, but you don't even know the story.

Erica Rawls:

Right.

Da’Laine Simpson:

The nights I was ready to give up. The nights I've cried, the nights I've struggled. Now, trust me, even through losing my mom. It took me a long time. My first year was like a dream. Okay, okay, it was Christmas. Mother's up, my mom and her boyfriend. They would go out of town to different places, you know. So, even on the holiday, it wouldn't feel like nothing. That was year one. Now, miss Erica, year two, it was like this is real.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

This is real and it took for me to get through that part, to say this is going to be a part of the journey. It's a part of the journey One year here I tell people and this is my message to anyone and everyone don't rush life. My little brother always say don't rush life.

Erica Rawls:

He's trying to say this Because everyone thinks that they have to have it all together by a certain age, or, you know, they didn't succeed.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yeah, yeah.

Erica Rawls:

So please expound on that please, don't rush life.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Prime example I'm 36. In four years I'm going to have a birthday party, right, and I know I'm going to have a big party. Four years I'm going to have a birthday party, right, and I know I'm going to have a big party. I'll be 40, right, but am I in a rush to get there? No, because in four years, who will I lose? What will I suffer through?

Da’Laine Simpson:

But so many people just speak. I hear a lot of young people. I can't wait until I turn 18. I bet my little brother said the same thing, but he never imagined, when he was getting dressed for prom, that mom wouldn't be there. Or when he was putting on his cap and gown and we were at the farm show for his graduation, that he would see posters of mommy loves you, but his mom wasn't there. Don't be in a rush to get there, because you will get there eventually. But don't rush life, because here I always had a not a rush, but more of an anticipation to get there, yeah, and here I never knew that when I got there, that my mom wouldn't be there right, don't rush life because you will get there, as I said in the beginning, my grandmom.

Da’Laine Simpson:

she turned 79 last week. Um, my grandmom has been out at the hospital probably three, four times this year. Will my grandma be here when I turn 40? I don't know. I know she doesn't want to be here if she can't be in good health, so would I want her to be here? No, so I don't want to rush it because you want to cherish it.

Da’Laine Simpson:

You want to cherish it. You want to treasure it, you want to value it. Because time is just like that it's in the blink of an eye It'll all be over. So I try to be intentional about letting it flow, because I don't want to rush it this episode.

Erica Rawls:

It's because of them we're able to bring this great content to you. Are you searching for a fabulous place that does lashes and eyebrows that slay, or hair removal that just makes you feel so great. You want to check them out. Now back to our show. Okay, so, just like I thought you want to come and tell an impactful story, Is it impactful? It is. It's really good. I think you're. Yes, I believe that you. Why is it impactful? Because you, at a young age, you actually took on the armor of living in your purpose, in spite of what other people would say to you the naysayers and a lot of people. They don't do that. They struggle with, okay, at that young age, really figuring out who their true identity is and what they stand for and who they truly are. It's not about your title or your position. It's like who is Delaney Dixon?

Da’Laine Simpson:

Because that'll all be over.

Erica Rawls:

That'll all be over. That'll all be over. So it's all said and done. So for you to figure it out so early, that's just like now. That gives me goosebumps.

Da’Laine Simpson:

You think it's early. So this is the funny thing I think I was late. See, no, I do. But you know what gets me. You know what keeps me going is I never think I'm there, right? So a lot of people are like how did you get here? How did you do it? I'm like, well, where did I get to? Yeah, and it's what I reflect on, what Maya Angelou told Oprah. Oprah said that when she built her girls school in Africa, it's the biggest thing. She said, maya, this is the biggest thing. This is my legacy. How do you know what your legacy is? Maya Angelou said well, you're not even done living. I'm not even done living. So in 2025, people know me as the union president, as the Broderick Gold guy, but 10 years from now, it could be a whole different world.

Erica Rawls:

Right.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Who knows? You know, Because I don't know, but I do know that the journey and the storm. I'm just glad I made it through Because I think there's so many people who haven't made it through. They lose a parent, they lose a spouse, they lose you know their mind and they never get back.

Erica Rawls:

Right when they lose that sort of fun, one they never get back.

Da’Laine Simpson:

They never get back. They never get back on the horse, they never get back. And I thank God that I was raised to have faith. You know we're looking in a world today where you know everything is teaching you owe. You know we're looking in a world today where you know everything is teaching you oh, you can't see God, you can't. You better believe in something.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Ok, you got people going to the left to the right. You better believe in something. You have to, and I tell people I don't care you believe in a monkey or elephant, you better believe in something. Because when you don't have faith in anything else, when you're not able to pray, it is a great relief to me at the end of the day to get on my knees and pray. I watched my neighbor, up until she's about 89 years old, get on her knees at the altar of church and pray. And was she just praying for her? No, but she was praying for her family, and I'm intentional about having a relationship with God, praying for her family. And I'm intentional about having a relationship with God, about praying, about taking time for me, and you taught me this, so you taught me about going on. Do not disturb. Yes. And there's a message with that right?

Erica Rawls:

Yes, how many times do we just?

Da’Laine Simpson:

keep going and going, and going and going and going, never shutting off. But we don't go and do not disturb. I have made it my life's work in the past 10 years to pour into other people, but guess what I forgot to do?

Erica Rawls:

Pour into yourself.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Pour into myself. I forgot to somewhere make Delane a priority. Sure, you know I have a great husband. Am I ready?

Erica Rawls:

Great husband.

Da’Laine Simpson:

You know, I have a great family, I have great organizations, you know. But what am I doing for Delane and we miss that. So, as of today, I start my first set of piano lessons. Yeah, I'm gonna learn to play. And because last week I'm literally sitting in my desk and I had an aha moment like okay, I won right after I won my election yeah, I said okay, I did this, but what am I doing for me?

Da’Laine Simpson:

what am I doing for me? I'm doing all of these different things, but what am I doing for me? Yeah and you told me about putting my phone on do not disturb at 7 pm and a lot of people say, oh, that's early. I said no, it's not, Because you know what it gives me time to do Now. Mind you, it's not that I can't check my phone, that's right. But I'm not being alerted to check my phone.

Da’Laine Simpson:

That's my message to a lot of people Go on, do not disturb. There's no problem with going on, do not disturb, because if you can't take time to not be disturbed, you can't take time for anything else.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, and to take that even further, you know the ambitious people. They think you have to grind, grind, grind, grind, grind 24-7, right so? But high performers, if you think about it, high performers, they know how to take a break. Yeah, yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

And I've become. Let me tell you, I have become so intentional about that. So before I even just, I laugh at myself sometimes I have a plan on and I'm like God, when did I become this person?

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I told Freddie, like from just five years ago to now, I'm on this schedule. I'm on this 6.45, 7 o'clock, the latest rise time. Yes, rise time I'm on since I moved into my new house. Yeah, from the best relative I'm on since I moved into my new house yeah. From the best realtor. I'm on this thing now. Where I take time for me in the morning, I take 60 minutes of me right when I watch the Today Show. I love Craig Melvin. Okay, Shout out to the Today Show. I love Today Show.

Erica Rawls:

Oh God.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I watch it every morning. I drink my coffee. Before I moved. I was in this rush right Like oh, I got to get the Duncan by seven 30.

Erica Rawls:

I got to do all of these things. Is your favorite coffee place?

Da’Laine Simpson:

It is, oh God it is. I love Duncan.

Erica Rawls:

I'm just not feeling. Duncan, you like Starbucks, oh honey yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

No, it's Duncan, America runs on Duncan. I should get paid for that, america paying for that. America runs on Dunkin'. But here I was in such a rush, right. And now let me tell you there is a different feeling when you are a homeowner and I'm not even just saying that because it's you, but there's a different feeling because now I'm not in a rush to leave my house. I take my time. I'm well intentional about being organized for my day. Yeah, okay, taking time for me. You're absolutely right, high performers, aren't?

Erica Rawls:

they look good and they're high performers. That's right, but taking time for you, yeah, I take time to work out.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Um, at least I want to say twice a week, but every sunday I I love that, yeah at least I go to Bing Bing Fitness Bishop. What is?

Erica Rawls:

it.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Look at you, bing Bing Fitness, calling out all kinds of businesses, but I've been going for 10 years, oh wow.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Every Sunday for 10 years. 10 years Because I also believe in healthy living, right, yeah. So what does that mean For the black and brown community? We fail to healthy live. Okay, we see people this is funny, my old pastor preached about this that black people, we'll go to a funeral, we'll bury someone from a heart attack or diabetes and then, right after that, we'll be eating all the foods that gives you a heart attack and diabetes. We eat fried chicken. We eat collard greens. Collard greens are good, but anyone tell you, put that ham hock in it. Okay, we eat in collard greens, our collard greens are good, but anyone tell you, put that ham hock in it. Okay, we eat big macarons. All of these, it's true, though, right, all of these things, yes, but again, high performers, they watch what they drink, right? Right?

Da’Laine Simpson:

I lost my granddad at 58 of a massive heart attack. Oh wow, in 2002. Back then, I was 13. Too, back then I was 13. Thought that was old. But, miss Erica, today you look at today's world and you're like I'm like 58. Like my pops was young, yeah, very young, very young. But what is different from then to now? How we eat, how we take care of ourselves, drinking more water, you know, going to the grocery store, not buying snacks, because if you ain't at home you can't eat it. Now do I have my weaknesses? Last night I indulged, and three scoops of cookies and cream. You're allowed, you know, but I'm like there's sometimes I gotta tell myself I'm delane simpson, I deserve this cookies and cream not on delane's.

Erica Rawls:

It's so stone creamy so okay I did, yeah, so I indulged too yeah, you know I'm pretty simple.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I like my turkey hill brand, you know, oh genius, yeah, I'm. You know I'm pretty simple, I like my Turkey Hill brand, you know, oh genius, yeah, I'm basic. You know I'm going to walk.

Erica Rawls:

You are not. There's nothing about you. That is basic. Let me tell you.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I think I am anyway.

Erica Rawls:

Stop.

Da’Laine Simpson:

People are like I like to be like Delaine, you're bougie, I'm like I'm not bougie, have more, and that it doesn't take for the rah-rah you know, to make it. No, you can be you and you can be a leader, and that's my biggest message to anyone.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, no, that is really good. So I need for you to brag on yourself a little bit more about Bro To Go. Okay, so the purpose of it, how much money you have been raising right and the impact that you have made in the community. Can you please share that, because that's important. I do not want you to leave this seat until you share.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Absolutely, because we may be able to help somebody. Oh, and that's always the message.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

So, bro To Go. We turned eight years old this year. September 9th is our anniversary. Yeah, eight years, god you imagine. I started Brodergo the same month I lost my mom.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yeah, that's crazy Same month same year, I lost my mom. But here we are, brodergo. We have two offices, one in Harrisburg, 1821 Fulton Street, and one in York, 101 South Queen Street, open five days a week, providing services to ex-offenders coming out of county state and federal prison. Our goal is that when a person walks out from being incarcerated, they can walk into Brodeur Go and they can receive their vital documents. They need their ID, their driver's license, their birth certificate. They need help looking for a job, because it's a different world, right? Right, we're not going even into your McDonald's with a paper application, it is a tech world. So we have to teach today's world how to be technical, ok, how to apply for jobs. Ok, you can even do court on Zoom. So in our office we have a computer lab in both spaces where people can log on and do their court hearings on Zoom, can log on and do their court hearings on Zoom, where we're teaching them about how to remote work. You know, because it's a different world.

Da’Laine Simpson:

It is a different world and a lot of people it's not their background that holds them back, it's their skill set that holds them back. So it is our biggest intent to teach them how this new world looks, because people will fail if they don't have anyone training, and I'm showing them.

Erica Rawls:

So criteria for is it anyone that's just ex-offender, or do they?

Da’Laine Simpson:

have to come out of jail and say they don't come right to us. It has to be within six months, and we had to do that to put some type of barrier, because, if not, people come to me. One guy said well, I got on 2012. 2012, sorry, in 2018. And it took you to 2024 to get here. Now, brother, I didn't see you walk past my office every day.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Ok, so we had to put some barriers on when you can come into the program. But other than that, yeah, we're going inside Dauphin County Prison twice a week teaching life skills class, teaching them that, ok, this is how you can make it, because I believe a lot of times when we're not, when we're not capturing them and granted, they're already captured because they're in jail, but are we capturing their mental? Ok to say, hey, this is what you can do to make it when you get out. Ok to say, hey, this is what you can do to make it when you get out. And it has been successful to where we have people that are incarcerated, they get out. Yep, I was with Mr Brent in Dauphin County Prison. I was with Ms Sonia in York County Prison, because Bro To Go is in both prisons.

Erica Rawls:

Oh, twice a week OK.

Da’Laine Simpson:

For the males and the females. We serve females too, right, and at a time I was going to make another organization called SIS to go, but there was no reason because the name Bro to Go has become so rich.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

To now try to make anything else for being Right. So we're rich within just Bro to Go and going inside the prison offering those services and then once they complete six groups in prison, they get a certificate of completion they could use for court to show that they have been in some type of class and even on the outside. So every month at both offices we hold a class, we give lunch. After we're picking up the folks from work, release they're coming to the office and we're giving people hope.

Erica Rawls:

Okay, just in case you don't know, these episodes are brought to you and funded majority from my real estate team, the Erica Ross team. So thank you for continuing to support this channel and if you're looking to sponsor in any way, one of the best gifts you can give us is a referral. So if you know anyone that's looking to buy or to sell, reach out to us. We are here to help. So then, what is the percentage of the people that, after they go through this program, they're getting jobs and to be able to get back on their feet? Do you have that?

Da’Laine Simpson:

So for last year our numbers, we had at least about 62%, which is good. That did not go back to prison, that did not have an arrest record, and they got a job. And it's not just a job, it was a career Right, because no slight on younger people. But when I was 14, I was getting a job.

Erica Rawls:

Mm-hmm.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Okay. But once I turned 18, I got a career. I started working for the federal government. People in today's world, they don't need a job, they need a career. What is a career? A career is having leave to take your family on vacation, on medical benefits, dental benefits. That's what a career is, something that is self-sustaining and long sustaining.

Da’Laine Simpson:

There's a difference. So many ex-offenders are taught that, oh, just go and get a job. But when you're not getting paid enough in that job, what do you do? You go back to what you know. So I'm teaching my staff that we're not looking for jobs, we're looking for careers. So companies know, oh, yeah, companies know, when Bro To Go is calling, I'm not calling because this person did everything right, I'm pretty much calling because they did everything wrong. But they need a chance. And people say, oh, you're a second chance program. I'm like, absolutely not. I'm a chance. Because guess what, if you're like me, you're on that third, fourth chance. But it could be that one chance when you get it right. We limit ourselves when we say the word two Second. You imagine if God treated you like second right. Well, god said well, I gave you this before. This is your third time. I can't do it. No, we have to give people hope, we have to give people belief that guess what there can be a better day.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, thank you, absolutely. Yeah, you just no, seriously. That was very inspirational. I'm sure people in the community are going to appreciate this.

Da’Laine Simpson:

And you sat down in my seat I know you ankle me with ease, e I told you how to get all dipped and pretty this morning to get up here. But, um, yeah, I'm intentional about my story and my message. Yes, and I'm intentional about who I let interview me too. Right, because the message that you're giving to a person, you want it to be perceived in the right way.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah.

Da’Laine Simpson:

And everybody won't perceive it the right way.

Erica Rawls:

Right.

Da’Laine Simpson:

They won't. You know, when you just have anyone. You look at a lot of celebrities where they're like they don't let everyone interview them, but if Oprah Winfrey interviews you, that's it. Right, right, that's it. If Oprah Oprah Winfrey interviews you, that's it, and I feel like you are our Oprah Winfrey. Okay, what you are. Let me tell you it's a pleasure for me. Thank you, because not only even knowing you, not even a whole year, right, but to be able to connect and I always tell people, energy matches energy. There are people that are in my closest circle, that are my friends, that have only been my friend for about two or three years and you would have thought we known each other forever yeah, because energy matches energy.

Erica Rawls:

It's so true, that's so true.

Da’Laine Simpson:

Yes, and we're both born in march no, I was born in february, february 27th oh, a day before um jesse's, my husband.

Erica Rawls:

Yes, okay, that's what it was.

Da’Laine Simpson:

I knew it was something because you're a pisces, oh, too right, yes, yes, pisces okay. Even though when people ask was something, because you're a Pisces, though, too right, yes, pisces Okay. Even though when people ask me before, like oh, you're a Pisces, like no, I'm Baptist, you know, I don't say no, I'm Baptist.

Erica Rawls:

I hear you, I hear you. I don't mean all that, I mean it's all that. So yeah. Thank you so much. I appreciate this, not only the comments. We would love to hear from you, to get to know you and actually, if you have a question specific to something that Delane said, I promise you we'll get back to him. I will be texting him and say hey, you need to get out there because people have questions for you. So, thank you so much. Thank you, until next time, see ya.

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