Jimmy Wu grew up in prison. When he was 16 he stole a car. Prosecutors chose to charge Jimmy as an adult—a “direct file” —exposing him to many years in prison. While locked inside of a juvenile prison, a mentor inspired Jimmy. He developed a love of learning, writing, expressing ideas in ways that would show he was more than the criminal charges for which he served time. That mentoring transformed Jimmy’s life.
On Jimmy’s 18th birthday, authorities transferred him from the juvenile system to a high-security state prison. Being slight of build and young, Jimmy felt vulnerable. In accordance with prison customs, Jimmy segregated himself by race. Although he lived in accordance with prison customs, he also worked to educate himself, developing his craft as a communicator.
After longer than 12 years, authorities released Jimmy. He began working a series of dead-end jobs. Frustrated because he felt as if he was wasting his life, Jimmy quit. He began speaking, writing, sharing his story wherever he could. By getting in front of audiences, Jimmy contributed to the dialogue of the need to reform America’s prison system. By delivering a powerful speech at a major university, Jimmy received an extraordinary offer. Julio Marcial, a funding director from The California Wellness foundation, and Scott Budnick, of the Anti Recidivism Coalition, recognized that Jimmy’s powerful testimony could contribute to efforts they were making to improve outcomes of California’s criminal justice system. With their support, Jimmy received an offer to begin working as a case manager for Inside-Out writers.
Jimmy lives as the change that he wants to see in the world. He tells his inspiring story on the Earning Freedom podcast today, showing that anyone can move beyond past bad decisions or current circumstances. He didn’t luck into transformation. Instead, he worked hard, investing the time and energy to develop new skill sets. By plying his craft as a gifted communicator, Jimmy opened new opportunities. Now, through his inspiring work at Inside-Out Writers, Jimmy inspires other young people to transform their lives so that they, too, can lead lives of meaning and relevance.
Contact: Insideoutwriters.org
Email: Jimmy @insideoutwriters.org
081: Profit Pathways Founder
Adam Farmer is an entrepreneur. He wasn’t always. Like many African-American men who grew up in the inner city, gangs and street criminals influenced his thoughts. He gravitated to the streets, and in time, dabbled in theft. To shape his thoughts, Adam’s father would drive him around Chicago’s rougher neighborhoods and expose him to the consequences of criminal decisions.
Adam graduated from high school and went on to attend a four-year university. While in college, Adam joined a group of friends in a mail-fraud scheme. Authorities did not prosecute him, but when Adam saw others going to prison for their role in the scheme, he straightened up his life.
After college, Adam started his role as an entrepreneur. He’d come too close to the criminal justice system and he understood that he had been blessed in being spared the wrath of a prosecution. He started a limousine company. After building his company into a fleet of cars, Adam launched a venture of building a portfolio of rental properties. Then, he transitioned into online marketing, teaching people how to enhance their prospects for successful, fulfilling lives. His course, which are incredibly relevant, teach four principals:
- Adam teaches students to know their purpose in life.
- Adam teaches people operate within their strength zone, maximizing their God-given talents.
- Adam teaches people to become servant leaders by helping others reach their highest potential.
- Adam teaches others how to recruit and build dream teams who maximize prospects for lives of fulfillment and relevance.
As a prison consultant, I work with people when they’re at their lowest point. By interviewing leaders like Adam, I offer guidance that others can use to overcome the challenges of their life—even those challenges include time inside of a federal prison. He shows that regardless of what bad decisions an individual has made in the past, it’s never too late and it’s never too late to begin living as a servant leader.
Reach out to Adam through the following points of contact:
Adam@socialleadershipacademy.com
Socialleadershipacademy.com
Profitpw.com
@Adamfarmertv
Craig Taubman: A Model of Community Leadership
In today’s podcast, Craig Taubman provides an inspirational message of leadership. He serves his community in extraordinary ways. Craig is a professional musician who produced many hits for Disney movies and television. Yet when a rabbi invited Craig to work toward the building of a better society, Craig agreed. Using his own funds, Craig purchased a synagogue to form the Pico Union project. The Pico Union project has consumed his life for nearly three years. His remuneration is the service that he provides to believers of all faiths.
- “If you are a person who believes,” Craig tells us, “You can change and grow.”
Craig brings several different faith groups together into the Pico Union project, serving thousands. Everyone is obliged to give back, and Craig shows by example. Even people in prison can enrich their lives by living as givers—they can give their time, they can give their heart, they can give their mind. Be present, Craig advises. Enrich the lives of others and you simultaneously enrich your own life.
- If I’m not for myself, then who will be for me?
- If I’m only for myself, then who am I?
- And if not now, when?
Listeners may reach Craig Taubman through his website at www.Craignco.com or through: www.picounionproject.org.
If you’ve been charged with a federal crime, you should hire a prison consultant. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the abundance of information from the free podcasts that I make available on PrisonProfessor.com and at MichaelSantos.com. By listening to information from others who’ve made it through the prison system, you’ll learn why a prison consultant can help you.
Prison Consultant speaks with Ryan Ryskamp:
In today’s episode on the Earning Freedom network, I have a second conversation with Ryan Ryskamp. Listeners who tuned in to my conversation with Ryan yesterday know that he served 37 months in a West Virginia federal prison camp. While in custody, Ryan found a lot of mentoring from white collar offenders who helped him devise business strategies that he could launch upon release.
Although Ryan was a college graduate and he did not have a substance abuse problem, he was successful in negotiating a 12-month time cut because of his participation in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Everyone should learn about the RDAP program to see whether they qualify for the 12-month time reduction. He appreciated the cognitive development aspects of RDAP. At PrisonProfessor.com, I offer guides that will help more offenders understand RDAP.
Ryan also spoke about his journey through the halfway house and home confinement. He served the final six months of his sentence under those conditions. While inside, he did not have access to a cellphone and he said that if authorities would’ve caught him with a cellphone they would’ve returned him to federal prison. My experiences differed, as I wrote in PrisonProfessor. Each jurisidiction differs, which is more reason for people to work with a prison consultant.
If you’ve been charged with a federal crime, learn as much as you possibly can to prepare for a successful journey. Hire a prison consultant if you have the resources. If not, visit PrisonProfessor.com or listen to the Earning Freedom podcasts daily.
A prison consultant should offer more than boilerplate information. With that end in mind, I share both depth and breadth of information in a variety of ways. Through PrisonProfessor.com I offer guides that individuals may follow to prepare for success. Regardless of whether the individual is a white-collar offender, drug offender, or facing any type of criminal charge, the individual should educate himself more on:
- The presentence investigation (PSI)
- Sentence mitigation strategies
- Alternative sentences
- Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
- Strategies to prepare for success after a criminal charge
In addition to the guides, those who want a personal prison consultant will find enormous value in working with me. In addition to the prison consulting services I offer, each day I produce a new podcast for free.
Prison Consultant speaks with Ryan Ryskamp:
Today’s podcast is the first of two episodes with Ryan Ryskamp. Ryan shares how he served 37 months inside of the federal prison camp in Morgantown, West Virginia. He entered prison as a college graduate. While in prison, however, Ryan describes how others mentored him. He served time alongside many white collar offenders who had worked as physicians, business owners, and investors. From those individuals, Ryan describes how he learned a great deal that would contribute to his success upon release. His initial transformation, however, came while he was in the county jail and he read the self-help classic, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
Ryan’s episode shows how an individual can derive a wealth of knowledge by learning from others. Although his lawyer didn’t prepare him for the challenges of confinement, he was able to navigate his way through by learning from others. He said that he would’ve found that knowledge invaluable before his time in confinement began.
If you’re looking for more information on the challenges of confinement, you’ll find expert guidance at PrisonProfessor.com, or through personal prison consulting services that I offer.
Tomorrow, we’ll offer part two of my interview with Ryan.
Ryan offered the following contact information for those who would like to connect:
How can a prison consultant help you? If you’re facing a criminal charge in federal court, you may want to consider working with a competent prison consultant. Your defense attorney will lead you through the guilt and innocence phase of the judicial proceedings. A prison consultant will help position you to serve the lowest possible sentence in the best possible environment. Equally as important, a prison consultant will help you develop a strategy to emerge successfully. Prison consultants accomplish such goals by helping you prepare for challenges that include:
- The presentence investigation (PSI)
- The residential drug abuse program (RDAP)
- Sentencing mitigation strategies
- Strategies to make the best use of time while in federal prison
At PrisonProfessor.com, visitors will find inexpensive guides as an alterative to personal prison consulting. Also, the Earning Freedom podcast on MichaelSantos.com offers free insight with daily podcasts that provide insight into living in prison. Today’s podcast includes an interview with James Anderson, the second of two podcasts of leaders within the Anti Recidivism Coalition.
James Anderson
James Anderson describes his journey through the criminal justice. As a child, he experienced severe trauma. His brother, an inveterate gang member and meth user, influenced him. His father beat him routinely. Before James reached his teen years, interactions with law enforcement became routine. In the eighth grade, authorities cited James for bringing a weapon to school. As a teenager he faced a life sentence when authorities charged him as an adult.
A mentor came into James’ life while he awaited the outcome of his criminal proceedings. In her love and genuine concern for his welfare, James describes how he began to work to prove worthy. He made a 100% commitment to reject the gang lifestyle and to begin preparing for a better life. At the conclusion of his criminal proceedings, a judge saw fit to limit James’ exposure to the criminal justice system to seven years. During the 3.5 years that he served, James received mentoring and support from Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti Recidivism Coalition.
Upon his release from confinement, James became the first fulltime employee of the Anti Recidivism Coalition. In that role he has traveled across the United States to speak about the injustices of mass incarceration and to speak about steps we can take to improve juvenile justice programs. He enrolled in community college. After two years of outstanding grades, he received news that UCLA accepted James and he is now UCLA bound. Upon graduation from UCLA, James anticipates a life of leadership and contribution. He aspires to prove worthy of the enormous support that he has received from so many. James lives as the change that he wants to see in the world.
If James can overcome a childhood of trauma, gang influences, and crystal meth to become a leading citizen that influences change, just think what you can do.
What value does a prison consultant provide? People who don’t have any experience with the criminal justice system sometimes ask that question. They believe that a defense attorney would serve as the solitary ally for an individual who faces criminal charges. In reality, an individual wanting to overcome the challenges that accompany a criminal indictment should prepare. If the journey ahead includes prison as a possibility, then the individual should learn from a prison consultant.
Although the Internet includes a lot of boilerplate information of questionable value, an effective prison consultant will offer more. That information would include:
- How to prepare for the presentence investigation.
- How to position yourself for the lowest possible sentence.
- How to position yourself to serve time in the best possible prison.
Individuals looking for that type of information will find a valuable resource in the self-directed guides available through PrisonProfessor.com. Those who want to invest in a personal prison consultant will find enormous value in working with me. Those who want to listen and learn from individuals who experienced prison will find some value in listening to the free daily podcasts available on MichaelSantos.com. Today I feature Kent Mendoza.
Kent Mendoza tells his inspiring story about creating a life of meaning and relevance while climbing through the juvenile justice system. As an undocumented immigrant, he said that he began living a destructive lifestyle when he was very young. He faced life in prison before he was even old enough to vote. He talks about serving time as a young gang member inside of California’s youth prison system. While in that challenging environment, Kent met his mentor, Scott Budnick.
Scott, a well-known Hollywood film producer, has a passion for improving outcomes of our nation’s juvenile justice system. To further that mission, he launched the Anti Recidivism Coalition. The ARC has been instrumental in changing laws that influence thousands of lives.
Today’s podcast of Kent Mendoza provides insight into the first of two young men who transformed their life while they served time inside of California’s juvenile justice system. Tomorrow we will feature James Anderson.
If these young men can overcome the trauma of spending their adolescent years being locked in cages, just imagine what you can do.
H2: Prison Consultant talks with CEO of Startup LeadLaunch.io
Each year, more than 750,000 people return to society after spending time in jails and prisons. Statistics show that more than half of those people will struggle after release. They will face challenges with employment, credit, and housing. An effective prison consultant can help those who want to help themselves.
Through PrisonProfessor.com, I offer a number of prison-consulting products. Individuals can download lesson plans to help them understand the presentence investigation, the residential drug abuse program (RDAP), and strategies to prepare for sentence mitigation or alternative sentencing. For those who want to invest the time to work with a personal prison consultant, I’m available. I wrote a number of books to teach strategies that empowered me through 26 years of confinement, and through Amazon, I offer a downloadable MasterMind program.
Each day, I publish a free podcast on MichaelSantos.com. Those podcasts offer strategies to empower people through prison, or they offer guidance from community leaders. In today’s episode, we hear from Adam Vine, CEO of LeadLaunch.io, a startup that offer Internet marketing services for small business.
I invited Adam onto the program because I wanted him to provide insight about the thought process that goes into building a successful startup company. He spoke about the importance of having a deliberate strategy, about using goals to guide, and about executing a plan relentlessly, in a methodical manner.
Listeners will find that the strategies Adam spoke about are unique to the startup world. Launching a startup requires the same type of deliberate aforethought that an individual must take to resume a life of success after confinement. Listen and learn from the guidance that Adam Vine provides.
He can be reached at Adam@LeadLaunch.io
Twitter: @leadlaunchio
From my perspective, a prison consultant should offer much more than boilerplate information. The culture of confinement differs in fundamental ways from anywhere else in America. It’s crucial to understand that culture and to prepare in spite of the negativity that exists. Through PrisonProfessor.com, I offer a number of inexpensive prison consulting products that will prepare individuals for such complexities as:
For those who want a personal prison consultant, I’m available on retainer. On Amazon.com, I offer a self-service prison-consulting MasterMind course that elaborates on strategies anyone can use to emerge from prison more successfully. At MichaelSantos.com, I offer daily podcasts to share strategies that empowered me through the journey or I interview other formerly incarcerated individuals who emerged successfully. I also speak with community and business leaders to share their visions of leadership. Presenting regular content from different perspectives and in different formats helps me serve others as a prison consultant.
Prison Consultant Speaks with San Luis Obispo County Probation Department: Working with At-Risk Youth
In today’s podcast, I have the privilege of presenting views from Ashley Greenway and Pedro Arroyo. Both Ashley and Pedro serve their community by working to help at-risk youth build self-esteem.
Ashley was a student in The Architecture of Incarceration, a course I taught at San Francisco State University. After she graduated from the university, Ashley was able to begin fulfilling her passion of working in the field of juvenile justice. She introduced me to Pedro Arroyo, who has built a career with San Luis Obispo Probation.
Both Ashley and Pedro told me about the innovative approaches they’re taking to help students make better decisions. Rather than giving them direction, they strive to inspire them through combinations of role playing and story telling. They measure the impact they’re having on the youth through pre-tests and post-tests that a clinical psychologist administers. I’m hopeful that the Earning Freedom podcast and webinar series may become a useful tool to practitioners who work with at-risk populations.
Many individuals who serve time aspire to reconcile with society by working at-risk youth. Both Ashley and Pedro offer insight that those who want to serve may take into consideration.
White collar offenders search for a prison consultant when a criminal indictment or the possibility of a prison sentence derails they’re sense of balance. I understand. They do not come from a criminal lifestyle and they don’t have many places to turn to for guidance. As a prison consultant, I offer services in a number of ways.
Through PrisonProfessor.com, I offer guides to prepare individuals for challenges. They may learn how to prepare for the presentence investigation. They may learn best-practice techniques to prepare for sentencing. They may want to read how the residential drug abuse program (RDAP) can result in their being released from prison early. Each of those prison-consultant guides provide an enormous amount of content at a modest price.
In addition to the prison consultant guides available at PrisonProfessor.com, I have an author page at Amazon where I offer several books and a prison-consultant MasterMind course. Further, each day, I offer a new podcast at MichaelSantos.com that I call Earning Freedom. All of that work supplements the private one-on-one prison consulting to assist individuals in preparing for the lowest possible sentence in the best possible environment.
In today’s podcast, I feature Dr. Thomas O’Grady, a top-ranked professional coach who offers guidance to business professionals. He has advised such superstar business leaders like Lee Iacocca, the former CEO of Chrysler, and Alan Greenspan, the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank.
Dr. O’Grady’s guidance is both timely and relevant to anyone who faces struggle, including those in prison. I invite business leaders like Dr. O’Grady onto the show because the guidance they dispense can strengthen anyone. An entanglement with the criminal justice system will derail those who fail to prepare. Yet those who know how to confront the challenge head on can position themselves to emerge stronger, with a recalibrated life and a fresh start. As Dr. O’Grady advises through his mentoring and coaching, an individual has the power within to build a new path and a better future. In fact, he uses that subtitle to advertise his podcast: Life Unsettled.
Read more of Dr. Thomas O’Grady’s wisdom in his upcoming book, The Mechanics of Breakthrough Success.
For more information on Dr. Thomas O’Grady, please visit the following links:
Thomas O'Grady, PhD
Bio: http://www.lifeunsettled.com/about/little-background-thomas-ogrady/
Author: “Mechanics for Breakthrough Success” (forthcoming) ; “Database Developer’s Guide to SQL Server 7”
Podcast Blog: http://www.LifeUnsettled.com
Podcast: http://www.LifeUnsettled.com/foritunes
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasogradyphd
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThomasOGradyPhD
Inspire! Motivate!
Dream! Create!
As a Prison Consultant I routinely field calls from individuals who’ve been indicted. They may have a defense attorney, but they want to learn about subjects like the presentence investigation or whether they qualify for early release through the residential drug abuse program RDAP. With a depth and breadth of experience that is unmatched in advising people as a prison consultant, I offer a number of options. Some choose the do-it-yourself approach through inexpensive guides I offer at PrisonProfessor.com. Those guides require a far lower investment as compared my prison consultant services. But I also offer an abundance of free content through the Earning Freedom podcast.
Ordinarily, I share strategies that empowered me through 26 years in federal prison. Or I interview other formerly incarcerated individuals who emerged successfully. Or I share strategies with community leaders and CEOs.
Prison Consultant speak with Matt McWilliams, The World Changer
Today’s episode features Matt McWilliams, an expert online marketer. I appreciate Matt for sharing insights with our audience. Business owners pay Matt hundreds of thousands of dollars each year so that he will teach them how to build effective affiliate marketing services. Instead of charging us, Matt generously gave his time and to provide an impromptu lesson on affiliate marketing services.
People in prison or the formerly incarcerated will find real value in Matt’s message. Employers may not be so willingly to hire an individual with a criminal background. Yet individuals who prepare can overcome those challenges if they learn the skill set that people pay Matt to teach. As a prison consultant, I encourage you to listen and learn from leaders who offer such expert guidance.
Those who want to communicate with Matt directly may reach him at the following email:
He also hosts The World Changer Show, where he podcasts under the motto that life is all about finding the inner world-changer inside of you, because everyone is created and born to be a world changer.
Twitter:
@MattMcWilliams2
When I’m working as a prison consultant, helping defendants prepare for the journey ahead, I suggest they begin writing. Writing helped me enormously during the 26 years that I lived as a prisoner. Equally important, the body of work that I created while serving the sentence helped me emerge with numerous opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t have existed. If you’re facing a prison term, then you may consider writing your prison memoirs as a plan to make it through.
LifeStoryTelling.Com
In today’s podcast, you’ll hear from Stacy Curtis. Stacy is a college writing instructor who also leads the Write of Your Life Podcast. Through her podcast, Stacy profiles people who are passionate about writing. I met her through the community at Podcasters Paradise. After a brief conversation, I invited Stacy to share her insights and strategies for people who may want to learn how to write.
She cited academic research showing that writing could help anyone through challenging circumstances. When individuals take the time to reflect, or introspect, they develop a sense of empowerment and they restore confidence. Without a doubt, writing can bring clarity of thought and purpose—useful skills for someone in prison.
Identifying 10 or 15 milestones in life would be a great place to start the writing process. Another list might include eight to ten areas of conflict. Evaluating where those conflicts and milestones intersect could provide inspiration for the memoir. She also suggested “free writing,” anything to get the process started. Rather than obsessing over grammar or structure, Stacy suggested that simply putting words on paper could help. As the story unfolds, the writer can spend time developing scenes, providing details that will help the reader experience the story through all senses.
Obviously, good writing takes a lot of time and work. The investment, however, can prove enormously therapeutic. It worked for me and it can work for others who want to restore their sense of dignity after challenging times.
For more information on Stacy Curtis’ work, her contact information follows:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WriteOfYourLife
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteOfYourLife
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/WriteOfYourLife/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WriteOfYourLife
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Writeofyourlife/posts
Instagram: https://instagram.com/writeofyourlife/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacycurtis
How can you receive an early release from prison through RDAP? What is RDAP? Part of my job as a prison consultant is to explain the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). The RDAP program is relevant to any individual who has been sentenced to federal prison. Why? Because RDAP is the only program available in federal prison that can result in an administrative time cut.
If RDAP is the only program that can result in a time cut, then why doesn’t every federal prisoner participate?
As a prison consultant, I answer those questions through a variety of ways. On my Earning Freedom podcast, I provide guidance on all aspects of living in federal prison. Through PrisonProfessor.com, I offer do-it-yourself guides that individuals can use to prepare for a journey through prison, including qualifying for RDAP. And through one-on-one prison consulting, I share strategies that empowered me through 26 years in federal prison. Those who choose to invest in working with me will position themselves well to advance through prison and emerge successfully, in the soonest possible time.
Today’s Earning Freedom podcast presents a follow-up interview with Salvador Castaneda. I met Salvador while he was serving a lengthy sentence in federal prison. At the time that I met him, he identified as member of the Paisa prison gang. Salvador transformed his life during his final years in confinement. He participated in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), resulting in his earning a 12-month time cut.
Salvador explains the structure of the RDAP program and offers insightful guidance that for anyone who anticipates time in federal prison.
Serving as a prison consultant allows me to work with people from every sector in society. Why? Because our nation’s criminal justice system will take anyone. Our country incarcerates more people on earth than any other nation. White-collar offenders with advanced degrees and multi-million dollar fortunes serve time in communities with people who don’t have any education and may be illiterate. Prison authorities may assign former corporate CEOs to serve time alongside prison gang members. How do individuals with such disparate backgrounds thrive in such communities?
As a prison consultant, I teach strategies that any individual can use as they strive to navigate the challenges of a criminal indictment. Through free podcasts available on Earning Freedom, people can ascertain the depth and breadth of my experience. Through lesson plans available at PrisonProfessor.com, people can pursue the self-study programs that will help them under the presentence investigation, the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), sentence mitigation strategies, and more; PrisonProfessor makes those course available at a really low coast. Those who want to retain a one-on-one prison consultant will derive value from the investment. They’ll get the benefit from all I learned during the 26 years that I lived as a prisoner.
On today’s podcast, listeners will learn from Salvador Castaneda, a former prison gang member who transformed his life while in federal prison. He has since been released and he is enjoying success in society as a law-abiding citizen.
Salvador Castaneda, Jr.
I met Salvador Castaneda during my 25th year of imprisonment. In his interview today, he tells our audience that he formerly considered himself a member of the Paisa prison gang. Salvador worked alongside me as I was developing the Straight-A Guide program. I’ve since modified that program for the MasterMind course available on MichaelSantos.com. Salvador tells the Earning Freedom podcast how adhering to a values-based, goal-oriented strategy resulted in successful return to society. Immediately upon his release from prison, he secured full-time employment. Success led to his receiving a full scholarship in a vocational program, a full scholarship to a local college, and advancement in his career.
If you face challenges with the criminal justice system, you will find inspiration in listening to Salvador’s story of success.
Prison Consultant: Mindset Training on Success
As a prison consultant, I teach those who have been indicted steps they can take to succeed. A criminal indictment traumatizes some people, taking them out of their element. Through the Earning Freedom podcast I share the strategies that worked for me, but I also interview others. In today’s episode, I feature Gordon Wat of GordonWat.com. Gordon served a lengthy sentence in prisons of every security level. Rather than allowing his troubled past to define his future, he shifted his mindset. Now he teaches others how to do the same.
Gordon Wat’s Journey:
After serving more than a decade in federal prison, Gordon transitioned into a halfway house. While in the halfway house, he had the mindset to take any job that would pay him a wage. He earned minimum wage parking jobs. Then, through masterful networking skills, he opened an opportunity to work as a bellman in one of the most popular hotels in Las Vegas. That position allows him to hear more than $1,000 per week—part time.
When Gordon is not working at his hotel job, he stays busy and productive. He volunteers in his community to teach other formerly incarcerated individuals how to succeed, and he creates video courses that he sells through online marketing campaign. Gordon has been free from the Bureau of Prisons for less than three years. Yet his busy schedule has allowed him to built a thriving part time business where he helps others find or create strategies that lead to success.
You can reach Gordon at any of the following contact points:
GordonWat.com
GoGetYourSuccess.com
Twitter: GordonWat
702-277-8360
As a prison consultant, I’m sometimes confronted with questions about how an individual can move beyond a criminal conviction. This question comes from white-collar offenders or people who’ve been convicted of business-related crimes. They worry about what kind of life they’re going to lead after prison. They worry because search engines will always publicize their crime and those challenges may limit opportunities. They can learn something from former gang members who turned their life around.
It’s my job to teach anyone how leading a life of relevance makes all the difference. In today’s podcast, Salvador “Pocho” Sanchez helps me to convey that message.
Homeboy Industries
Salvador “Pocho” Sanchez is the staff photographer for the famous Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. Homeboy Industries is an incredible organization. It strives to help the formerly incarcerated and street-gang members transition into society as law-abiding citizens. Homeboy Industries offers full support, or wraparound services. It provides the formerly incarcerated and gang members with educational training, tattoo removal. The nonprofit organization also places them in sustainable employment.
As the staff photographer for Homeboy Industries, Pocho helps to transform the self-images of former gang members. He provides high end photographs so they can see themselves in a more favorable light. Pocho is a source of inspiration, not only because of his work as a photographer, but because of his inspiring life story. He leads by way of example.
At the age of 11, Pocho joined a street gang in Northern California. His father was Irish and his mother was Mexican. Pocho said that he felt both rejected and disparaged by Mexicans and whites alike. Searching for acceptance and love, he found it with street gangs.
Living as a gang member and trafficking in drugs led to his troubles with the law. Despite that background, he tells an inspiring story of attending college, earning a double major in Chicano studies and History from Cal State Fullerton. Pocho continued his education, earning a master’s degree from San Francisco State University and then a second master’s degree along with a teaching certificate from the University of Southern California. Wanting to contribute to the making of a better world, Pocho taught in East Oakland and then began using photography to teach.
Pocho is an amazing artist, capturing images of people to celebrate their individual beauty. He sees the good in everyone and inspires to reach their highest potential.
As a prison consultant, I strive to portray images of people who become more than past bad decisions. Pocho is a great example of an inspiring story. He shows that anyone can choose to live a life of relevance and contribution, regardless of past decisions. I am glad to share Pocho’s story on the Earning Freedom podcast and I encourage others to visit his incredible work at the following links:
Homeboy industry address:
130 West Bruno Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
If you’ve been indicted, federal prison may be on your horizon, I can help. You may have a defense attorney. Yet a prison consultant should be a part of your team. Your defense attorney will assist you through the challenges of the guilt or innocence phase. Yet regardless of whether you’ve been convicted of a white-collar crime or any other type of crime, by understanding what happens after the conviction, you position yourself for the best possible outcome. If you want to learn about the presentence investigation, the residential drug abuse progam (RDAP), sentence mitigation strategies, I can help. Your due diligence on prison consultants will show you why.
Publishing from Federal Prison
As a prison consultant, I don’t only teach how to make it through prison. I teach people how to thrive through prison. One way people can succeed in prison is by developing writing skills. To the extent that an individual can learn how to string words into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs, that an individual can grow as an author. And publishing presents a magnificent way of passing time in prison. More than passing time, publishing from prison can lead to an income stream. More than income stream, publishing from prison can help an individual contribute to society and create opportunities that lead to a successful reentry after prison.
When I began serving my federal prison system in 1987, I didn’t have a prison consultant to guide me. But I knew that I wanted to emerge successfully. Publishing became an integral part of my journey. I published seven books under my own name during the time that I served, and I published more than a dozen books for other prisoners. Why? Publishing empowered me to live of relevance and meaning and contribution. I teach others that they, too, can empower themselves through a prison journey by publishing.
For more information, visit PrisonProfessor.com
If you’ve been charged with a federal crime, you want to talk with a competent prison consultant. I served 26 years in prisons of every security level. While inside, I prepared for a successful return to society in easily verifiable ways. Don’t take my word for it. Check out what the national media has said about my work. You will come away with certainty that I can help you to position to serve the lowest amount of time possible in prison, to serve your sentence in the best possible prison, and to return to society with prospects to resume your life as a successful citizen who lives a meaningful life.
Supervised Release:
Success after prison doesn’t materialize by accident. In fact, for most people convicted of federal crime, the sanction continues with Supervised Release after prison. In today’s podcast on the Earning Freedom network, I offer insight with regard to what Supervised Release means.
Federal judges typically impose a term of between one year and five years of Supervised Release. That term begins as soon as the individual concludes an obligation to the Bureau of Prisons. Standard conditions apply, and in today’s podcast, I go through the 16 Standard Conditions with a little bit of insight into what they mean. In addition to the 16 Standard Conditions, the judge sometimes imposes specific conditions on individual defendants. If you’ve been sentenced to a federal crime, you can review your judgment order to ascertain the conditions that will apply to you after you conclude your obligation to the Bureau of Prisons.
For those who want more information on Supervised Release, I recommend that you visit PrisonProfessor.com. I offer guidance that will help. If you’d like to position yourself for early termination of Supervised release, as I experienced, then contact me for one-on-one consultations. I’m happy to provide insight to those who retain me as a prison consultant.
I wish you success through the journey.
If you’ve been indicted, you may value my work as a prison consultant. I show people how to overcome current challenges by making deliberate choices. Deliberate strategies empowered me through the 26 years that I lived in federal prison and I’m convinced that a deliberate strategy can help anyone who needs to overcome struggle.
Many people who contact me face charges for white-collar crime or for business-related crime. Defense attorneys help them with the judicial proceedings. In my role as a prison consultant, I help them focus on what steps they can take to prepare for success through the journey. Besides working with clients to position them for the lowest-possible sentence in the best possible environment, I help them understand how they can use their time wisely so they emerge from prison successfully.
BrandYourself.com
One strategy that worked well for me was to write my own narrative. In today’s podcast, I’m pleased to present Patrick Ambron. While in college, Patrick joined friends from Syracuse University to launch BrandYourself.com. The innovative company provides resources for people who want to contribute to the narrative of their life. This service can prove especially useful for anyone who has a criminal record.
As Patrick discussed during our podcast today, no one can escape the power of an Internet search engine like Google. When people want to learn about someone else, the search frequently begins with an inquiry on Google. Individuals who fail to take action allow others to control what Google will present. Those who want to influence the narrative will take a more deliberate approach.
Patrick suggested a multipronged strategy:
- Build a personal website.
- Load regular content onto the website that will highlight the positive aspects of your life.
- Create a series of social media profiles.
- Cross link the website with the social media profiles so that Google has more content to share.
- Participate in other social media sites like Quora to demonstrate areas of expertise.
- Continuously add new and relevant content.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re in prison or you’re going to prison, you can find ways to stay relevant in the world. Through our MasterMind program, I showed the many ways that I was able to use my time in prison to prepare for success. You can and should do the same. Those strategies will help you mitigate the damage that articles about mortgage fraud, healthcare fraud, securities fraud, or tax fraud can cause. If you want to prepare for a better outcome from federal prison, then I urge you to use the guidance that Patrick provided on today’s podcast.
If you’d like to learn more federal prison, then continue listening to the free podcasts at MichaelSantos.com, consult the resources available through PrisonProfessor.com, or contact me for one-on-one consultations.
Prison Consultant: Understanding the Pre-sentence Investigation (PSI)
In my role as a prison consultant, I work with many defendants when they’re at the lowest point of their lives. Authorities have indicted them for a federal crime. They don’t know where to turn for reliable information. Their defense attorneys focus on navigating the guilt-or-innocence phase of the judicial proceedings. Yet for a defendant, the entire process is incredibly personal. In many cases, the defendants don’t have any idea what awaits them after the finding of guilt.
As a service to defendants, I strive to provide as much insight as possible. As a prison consultant, I offer insight that I learned from personal experience. I served 26 years in federal prisons of every security level. Further, I’ve published extensively about the criminal justice process, and I gathered information from countless others who experienced the federal prison system. I offer that information in a number of ways:
- Through free podcasts that I make available on MichaelSantos.com
- Through inexpensive guides that I make available through PrisonProfessor.com
- Through personal, one-on-one consulting for those who retain me
In today’s free podcast, I describe the importance of the presentence investigation. After a finding of guilt, the judge will order a federal probation officer to conduct the presentence investigation. That investigation will culminate with a report known to insiders as the PSI or PSIR or PSR. Either way, it’s an incredibly influential document that will factor in to where the defendant serves his time, and possibly, whether the defendant qualifies for programs that can result in time cut.
Those who are facing imprisonment should learn all they can about the Presentence investigation (PSI) long before they have the initial meeting with a federal probation officer. Regardless of whether the PSI influences the judge, the Bureau of Prisons will place enormous influence on the document. Defendants should invest the time and energy to prepare, and today’s podcast provides some free insight to consider.
For those who want more, I recommend the guide I make available at PrisonProfessor.com. Or contact me to inquire about one-on-one consulting.
Although I work with individuals and law firms as a prison consultant, I have other responsibilities. In today’s podcast, I provide insight on some of those responsibilities for a reason. I am determined to show individuals who’ve been traumatized by a criminal charge that they can rebrand themselves. It’s never too late and it’s never too early to begin sowing seeds for a better life. Those in search of a prison consultant do not have such optimism at the outset.
When the government indicts people for business-related crimes like fraud or tax-related offenses, the defendants can lose their sense of balance. They’ve built careers as law-abiding citizens and a criminal indictment totally derails them. The defendants hire a defense attorney to help them through the judicial process. When it becomes clear that prison can become a possibility, their research sometimes leads them to my work as a prison consultant.
In addition to assisting with their preparation for prison, I help them prepare for the presentence investigation report (PSI), I help them understand the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), and I help them understand sentence-mitigation strategies. Ultimately, the objective is to position the defendant for a successful journey. Defendants retain me to help them serve the lowest possible sentence in the best possible environment. Those who cannot afford to retain me for one-on-one consultations can always benefit from the lesson plans available through PrisonProfessor.com, or they may listen to the free podcasts available on Earning Freedom.
Through all of this work, defendants should see that there is life after a criminal indictment. The totality of my work should inspire anyone who faces time in prison. While serving multiple decades in prisons of every security level, I created opportunities to leave a meaningful, relevant life. Those strategies empowered me to continue a life of relevance upon my release. In today’s podcast, I provide some brief insight showing what I’m doing now. If a man can emerge successfully after serving 26 years in prison, just think what you can do!
Prison Consultant: Reading
People contact me when they anticipate that they may serve time. They’re looking for a prison consultant, someone who can provide guidance to help them through troubled times. Since I can only work with a few people on a one-on-one basis, I’ve created an abundance of content that is available at PrisonProfessor.com. The information I offer through that website helps defendants prepare for such issues as the Presentence Investigation Report (PSI), it helps them understand the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), Custody and Classification, the disciplinary code, and other matters. Through the Earning Freedom podcasts, each day I offer insight that also can help them through the prison journey.
Wade Danielson
Today I introduce readers to Wade Danielson. He doesn’t have any affiliation with the prison system. Rather, he is a successful entrepreneur. As a young man, he grew tired of working in corporate America and decided to launch his own venture. I spoke with him as he celebrated the anniversary of being in business for five years. During that short time, he built a business that advanced from startup to annual revenues in excess of $5 million.
Strategies Wade used to build a successful business can prove helpful to anyone. He describes reading as being essential to his success. Wade always reads with a pencil in hand, ready to take notes that will help him memorialize essential information. Wade loved reading so much that he decided to start a podcast. He calls his podcast the Entrepreneur’s Library. Through his podcast, Wade interviews authors of business and self-help books. Those conversations with authors serve his audience, but the interviews also empower Wade to make better business decisions.
If you’re embarking upon a prison term, I urge you to listen to Wade’s inspiring story. By exposing himself to great business literature, Wade says that he learns new techniques. They bring fulfillment to his life and keep him on track to achieving a higher potential. The secret to overcoming any challenge, whether it’s building a great business or overcoming a personal struggle, is to live deliberately. Wade’s commitment to reading sharpens his focus and contributes to his success. If you embrace reading, you’ll find that you too can become more successful—even if you must take a detour that includes prison.
The Entrepreneur Library Website
Prison Consultant: Inspire Prisoners to Prepare
An effective prison consultant must inspire prisoners to prepare. Preparing for a prison journey requires much more than understanding the fact-finding process that takes place in the judicial system. Defense attorneys will navigate the guilt or innocence process. Defendants also must understand the presentence investigation report (PSI), which will have an enormous influence on the prison journey. In addition, defendants should understand the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)—the only program that can advance a release date. People who’ve been indicted should understand custody and classification systems. They should understand the disciplinary code, visiting, and every other aspect of the labyrinth known as the Bureau of Prisons. The more defendants know, the better they can prepare for a successful journey and return.
Prison Consultant: Income Opportunities
Statistics show that formerly incarcerated individuals face enormous challenges after they conclude their obligation to the Bureau of Prisons. In an effort to inspire them to prepare, I present ideas for them to consider. Today’s guest on the Earning Freedom podcast teaches strategies to build an independent income online. His name is Patrick Conlon.
Patrick hosts the popular podcast “Selling Online Today.” It’s a show devoted to small business owners who sell products online. Patrick has built a career in Ireland working with small business owners. He teaches those people how to supplement their income by understanding big platforms that include Amazon and Ebay. In today’s podcast, I interviewed Patrick to learn more about how members of our audience could incorporate techniques he teaches in their preparations for success.
We all would like to believe that we pay our debt to society and then we’re allowed to move forward. But people who emerge from prison face ongoing challenges. Employers may refuse to hire them. Lenders may refuse to extend credit. Prospective partners may resist doing business with someone who was convicted of a felony. That’s okay. Embrace the new reality. Listen to leaders like Patrick Conlon and learn how to succeed anyway.
If you’ve been charged with a felony and anticipate that prison may become a part of your journey, then please listen and learn from the free Earning Freedom podcasts. Visit PrisonProfessor.com and learn from the inexpensive guides that will help you prepare. Or if you’d like one-on-one guidance, contact me. I have an unmatched depth and breadth of experience that will prove invaluable during these challenging times of your life.