The first time Jolinda Wade attended a college basketball game to cheer for her son, a future NBA legend, she was a mere three days out of prison. For Dwyane Wade, getting his mom back was the spark that ignited an incredible March Madness run.
New author Jolinda Wade is the proud mother of four children, including Olympic gold medalist and NBA Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade, who also wrote the foreword to her book.
Jolinda Wade will present the inaugural UC San Diego Earl W. Edwards Lectureship on Athletics and Society on July 13, 2026, from 6 to 8 pm on the La Jolla, California campus. She will deliver an inspiring, deeply personal conversation titled "Rising Beyond Circumstance: Faith, Resilience, and the Power of Community.”
Registration is $25 and includes admission to the lecture, a copy of Jolinda Wade's book Conquering Me: A Memoir of Courage, Faith, and Transformation, and access to a VIP reception. Register at: https://JolindaWade.eventbrite.com
Her story offers a compelling perspective on resilience and purpose, inviting audiences to consider how faith, education, athletics, and community support can help individuals rise above circumstance and realize their potential.
Jolinda Wade candidly speaks about her life’s many struggles because she feels her story can inspire others to persevere in the face of hardships and to find support in family, community, and a higher power.
“This isn’t a story wrapped in a bow. It’s raw. It’s detailed. It’s honest. But that’s exactly why it matters,” Dwyane Wade said. “Because someone out there needs to know that redemption is real. That healing is possible. That your past doesn’t disqualify you from purpose.”
Throughout her story, Jolinda Wade–now a pastor who has an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarianism–shares her harrowing journey, marked by paralyzing fear but sustained by fierce maternal love and an unyielding connection to faith.
Jolinda Wade candidly discusses her tumultuous life beginning on Chicago's South Side, marked by poverty and her mother's alcoholism, leading to her own substance abuse, teen motherhood, and a cycle of heroin addiction, homelessness, and incarceration. Despite these lows, her innate maternal instinct and faith persisted until a spiritual awakening prompted a commitment to sobriety and personal agency, including willingly turning herself in and serving time for an old warrant as part of her redemption.
Post-incarceration, Jolinda Wade underwent a "renaissance," earning her GED, pursuing pastoral training, and founding a ministry where her leadership, informed by her life experience, focuses on marginalized communities, emphasizing overcoming fear, personal responsibility, the power of choice, and finding self-worth through faith.
Presented as part of the UC San Diego Earl W. Edwards Lectureship on Athletics and Society, the lecture advances dialogue at the intersection of athletics, education, wellness, culture, and lifelong learning.
Earl W. Edwards served as director of athletics at UC San Diego from 2000 to 2025 and was appointed Athletics Director Emeritus following his retirement. During his tenure, UC San Diego Athletics achieved national recognition for both academic and competitive excellence. Under his leadership, the university earned multiple national championships, captured numerous conference titles, and established one of the nation’s leading scholar-athlete programs.
Henry DeVries is a former Forbes online columnist who is the chief book strategist at Indie Books International. He has ghostwritten, co-authored, or edited more than 200 business books, including his international bestseller, How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett.
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