I received a message from Ambassador Mounouni Dieguimde. Somehow, he had found the Earning Freedom podcast. Stories of other people who overcame challenges with the criminal justice system inspired him. He told me how authorities once targeted him for a bribery offense and charged him in federal court. Despite those charges, he has risen to become a successful leader. He is now an ambassador representing multiple West African countries. Listen to his story on Earning Freedom.
Christina McDowell led a charmed life before authorities arrested her father, a prominent securities lawyer. As a consequence of her father's misdeeds, Christina found her life in total disarray. She was a freshman in college. Yet her father had taken out credit in her name, leaving her with more than $100k in debt. She had to drop out of school and join the workforce. In today's podcast, she discusses her strategy for overcoming. She authored a best selling book: After Perfect
Now Christina works toward the building of a better society. Contact her at the following locations:
ChristinaMcDowell.com
Christina.McDowell1016@yahoo.com
Jimmy Hamilton served 30 years in federal prison. While incarcerated, he made a decision to live a life of meaning and relevance. He educated himself, earning a university degree. Jimmy's successful adjustment resulted in his being transferred to lower-security prisons. While confined at a federal medical center in Lexington, Jimmy provided hospice care to dying prisoners. His life shows that regardless of what bad decisions an individual has made in the past, it's never too early and it's never too late to begin preparing for success.
Life in Prison, Episode 2
Authorities convicted Jimmy Hamilton of a serious crime when he was 20. As a consequence of a conviction for murder, a judge sentenced Jimmy to life in prison. He began serving his sentence in high security penitentiaries. While serving a life sentence, Jimmy transformed his thoughts and adjustment. Those decisions he made while serving his life sentence resulted in his being transferred to lower-security prisons. He talks about how opportunities opened as he moved into a better environment.
Life in Prison, Episode 1
Jimmy Hamilton went to prison with a life sentence when he was 20 years old. Initially, he adjusted to the ways of the high security penitentiary. He engaged in misbehavior, used drugs, participated in violence. Then, an encounter with his grandmother resulted in his change. Jimmy tells his story on episode 1 of a multi-episode series about returning to society after a life sentence.
Marisa Feil is an immigration attorney in Montreal. She has a specialty practice that serves people with felony backgrounds in the United States. If those individuals want to travel to Canada, they need to coordinate permission from Canadian authorities. Marisa and her team have built a practice to help.
In today's podcast, Marisa talks about challenges individuals with felony backgrounds must overcome if they want to obtain permission to travel to Canada. Ideally, those people will have completed their prison and probation sentence. They also will have achieved a number of accomplishments that will reflect the individual's commitment to live as a law-abiding life.
Listen to Marisa's episode on Earning Freedom if you have a felony background and you want to learn how to position yourself for permission to travel to Canada. You may contact Marisa at the following locations:
duicanadaentry.com
Canadianimmigration.net
FWCanada.com
Twitter: @fwcanada
Kenyatta Leal continues his story of transforming while serving life in prison. As a result of his adjustment in prison, Kenyatta changed his mindset. Instead of surrounding himself with gang members and those who embraced the criminal lifestyle, Kenyatta focused on success. He educated himself. He introspected. He participated in programs that would condition him for success. Those decisions led to actions. His actions brought him to the attention of people who believed in him. When he concluded his prison term, Kenyatta had an internship waiting for him with Rocket Space, a premier company in San Francisco that serves the technology industry. Listen to Kenyatta tell his inspiring story on the Earning Freedom podcast.
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Kenyatta Leal overcame a life sentence. He grew up around gangs and crime. As a young man, he was convicted for armed robbery. While serving a five-year sentence, he earned his GED but didn't do much to change his life. After less than four years in prison, authorities released him. When Kenyatta returned to society, he resumed the same type of behavior that led him to prison the first time. He was only free for five months. Then, an officer pulled his car over. As a consequence of Kenyatta's criminal record, the officer searched Kenyatta's car. The search revealed a firearm and an arrest followed. Although Kenyatta thought he would be proceeded through the system for violating a condition of release, he faced new charges. After a conviction, the judge sentenced Keyatta to a term of 25 years to life in prison. In this first of two episodes, Kenyatta reveals how he transformed his life.
Antonio Hernandez grew up in a crime-infested area of New York. He sold drugs and became a member of the Latin Kings street gang before he was a teenager. In time, he built a name for himself within the gang as King Tone. As a consequence of his actions, he served decades in prison, always in high-security. While serving time in special housing units, he transformed his life. Now he contributes to society in positive ways, speaking in schools and prisons to help reform gang members into productive citizens.
Dan went to prison for convictions related to pharmaceutical drugs. He served a 42-month sentence. As a consequence of his participation in a drug-treatment program, the Bureau of Prisons released him 12 months early. He is now in a federal halfway house and he shares his story. You can read more about Dan by visiting his website at RDAPDan.com
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I've been recording an audio version of Success After Prison. Today I made a mistake and recorded one episode on audio, but not the video. So I had to redo the episode. Rather than throw away the audio, I decided to publish it as a draft. Let me know if the presentation works for you.
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In January I returned to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The warden of the United States Penitentiary in Atwater invited me. My purpose in going was to speak with the men about the Earning Freedom Mastermind Course. I'm really excited to announce that the men at USP Atwater will receive the Earning Freedom Mastermind Course, and also a library of Earning Freedom Mastermind episodes. I recorded those episodes to show people in prison how their behavior in prison would relate directly to their prospects for success upon release.
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Andres Lopez grew up in a rough part of Chicago. He described it as being filled with gangs and violence and crime. When he was a young boy, his brother was murdered in a gang-related incident. Rather than shying away from such behavior, Andres participated. He went to juvenile hall. Then he went to prison.
While incarcerated, Andres made a commitment to transform his life. He said the first step was to earn his GED. Then he enrolled in a correspondence program to earn a paralegal certificate. He developed writing and typing skills. And he learned how to avoid interactions with prisoners who fed into the negativity. Instead, Andres focused on success.
In today's podcast, Andres describes how his adjustment in prison resulted in his success upon release.
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Glen Smith sold more than $50 million worth of real estate in 2015. He is the most successful sales professional for the company that sponsors Earning Freedom. I asked Glen to share the strategy he used to develop strong skills as a sales professional. He said that he continues to develop his sales skills by learning from leaders like Ryan Stewman, the Hardcore Closer. Ironically, I featured Ryan on the previous episode.
I will use this episode as a resource to teach people in prison how they can develop skills that will translate into success upon release. But anyone can learn from a man who has closed more than $50 million in sales!
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Ryan Stewman emerged from prison to build multi-million dollar businesses. How did he do it? He lived a life of discipline and integrity. His work ethic reflected a commitment to be the best in the world at what he does. On today’s Earning Freedom podcast, we learn from a true mastermind of overcoming struggle and adversity. Ryan reveals techniques he used to become the Hardcore Closer.
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Ryan Stewman made bad decisions as a young man. He went to prison on two separate occasions. While inside, however, Ryan developed his skillset and prepared himself to emerge successfully. Exceptional communication skills resulted in Ryan becoming a leader in every venture he pursued. He became a leader working in carwashes, in mortgage banking, in sales, and in real estate. Today is an entrepreneur, earning millions through training and technology programs he offers. If you’re interested in sales, check out TheHardcoreCloser.com or like his Facebook page.
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Jeff Smith's Episode on Earning Freedom
Today's episode features Jeff Smith, a former senator from the state of Missouri's legislature. He talks about decisions that led him to prison and about his initial adjustment. While working in a food warehouse the federal prison camp in Manchester, Kentucky, Jeff took steps to document his journey. After overcoming some challenges upon release to enter the job market, Jeff persuaded a university to hire him. He now teaches students about government and the prison system. He also published a book with St. Martin's Press that is called Mr. Smith Goes to Prison.
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Dr. Jeffrey Perrotte Describes Transformation in Prison
Yesterday's podcast introduced listeners to Jeffrey Perrotte. In the early 1990s he was a promising businessman. Then, a decision to drive after drinking derailed his life. He collided with a vehicle that Jilly Rizzo was driving, and Jilly died in the crash. As a consequence of Frank Sinatra's fame and influence, authorities escalated charges against Jeffrey. He went to prison with a life sentence. Rather than sinking into depression, Jeffrey chose to make the best possible use of his time. He educated himself, earning an undergraduate degree, a master's degree, and a doctoral degree. In today's episode Dr. Perrotte describes how he uses his education to contribute to the making of a better society.
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Drunk Driving Leads to Murder Conviction
Today's Earning Freedom Podcast features Jeff Perrotte. As a young man, Jeff succeeded in business. He became so successful that he believed laws of drinking and driving didn't apply to him. After being convicted of one drunk-driving offense, he repeated his behavior. Unfortunately, while driving under the influence, his car collided with a car driving by Jilly Rizzo, one of Frank Sinatra's best friends. The high level of publicity associated with the case influenced Jeff's prosecution. He tells his story on the Earning Freedom podcast today.
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While browsing through iTunes I saw four new reviews of the Earning Freedom podcast. Really great to see that students from Dr. Nancy Lewis’ class at the State University of New York are using the Earning Freedom podcast as a resource. I read reviews from Kim G, Danitza Mendez, and from Natalie Solano. JR also left a review. JR asked whether I thought whether we should require formerly incarcerated individuals to share their stories with others who were going through the system. In today’s podcast, I responded, letting JR know that I thought people were most effective when they were authentic. If we required people to spread a message, we may find that many people less than truthful.
I hope that more innovative educators will follow Dr. Lewis’ example and use the Earning Freedom podcast as a tool to help more people understand prisons, the people they hold, and strategies to improve outcomes of our nation’s prison system.
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Thanks to Professor Nancy Lewis of SUNY Potsdam, criminal justice are being assigned work from the Earning Freedom podcast. The students will learn from people who've gone through the criminal justice system. I'm hopeful that they'll leave reviews of the podcasts on iTunes. If they have questions, I'll respond directly.
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On August 12, 2013, I concluded 26 years in prison. Two years later, I controlled assets worth more than $1,000,000. How did that happen? Today's podcast announces a new book that I'm going to begin writing. The book describes the specific path that I took. It also will show how others can employ these strategies to lift themselves from struggle to prosperity.
Paul Wright, founder of Prison Legal News, inspired me to write the book. We were having dinner one night in Sacramento. Both of us were in Sacramento to contribute to a judicial seminar in the fall of 2015. He suggested that I purchase an advertisement in Prison Legal News for books that I've written. After talking more about his readership, I concluded that in addition to offering books I've written about mastering the prison system, I should write a book about success after release.
Today's podcast outlines the book. I purchased the ad space and now I'm going to write the book. Those who would like a copy may read updates through my website at MichaelSantos.com
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Today I interviewed to extraordinarily successful entrepreneurs who overcame struggle. Chris Wheeler and Matt Winters didn’t have much of a formal education. Problems with substance abuse led them into other challenges, including time in institutions. Despite those setbacks, they put their heads together to build a Savage Eliquid, a vape company that generates more than $2 million in revenues.
How did they do it?
Turns out that building a successful business requires the same type of principled, deliberate decisions that we teach in the Earning Freedom mastermind course. Chris and Matt tell us that if they can do it, anyone can do it.
If you’d like to learn more from Chris and Matt, contact them at SavageEliquid.com
When I emerged from prison after 26 years, I wanted to build a career around my journey. Michael Port, author of numerous books helped me. While running in the early morning, I listened to an audio version of his mega bestseller Book Yourself Solid. His books offered actionable guidance that I appreciated. With an aim of sharing his wisdom with the Earning Freedom audience, I reached out and invited him to spend 30 minutes with us. I’m grateful to Michael for agreeing to his wisdom with our listeners.
Michael’s books include: Book Yourself Solid, Beyond Booked Solid, The Big Manifesto, and Steal the Show. He also hosts the popular podcast Steal the Show and, together with his wife Amy, founded Heroic Public Speaking. Together, Michael and Amy use Heroic Public Speaking as a resource to help people develop and master the art of public speaking. At MichaelPort.com, they offer an abundance of free content that anyone can use.
In my research to prepare for the podcast today, I found many strategies that we teach through the Earning Freedom Mastermind Course. Our listeners in prison receive the gift of listening to Michael Port directly through today’s podcast. To the extent that they incorporate his actionable strategies that include:
They will find opportunities to advance their prospects for success. Since people in prison will face challenges when it comes to navigating their way back into society and into the job market, they can learn a great deal from Michael’s books.
I purchased five copies of Steal The Show because that book will help listeners prepare for success. I’ll send one of those books to each listener who writes a review of today’s podcast on Apple’s iTunes. Send me a copy of your review, along with your mailing address, and I’ll send a book.
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Today I spoke with renowned film producer and TED talk leader Louis Schwartzberg and film producer Lara Everly. They lead a number of entities that inspire people to appreciate the beauty in our world. Their work has reached tens of millions of people around the world. Some of their businesses include BlackLight Films, Moving Art, and Gratitude Revealed.
Through Gratitude Revealed, they produce short films that help people grasp strategies to grow through struggle. Lara Everly produced the short film called Creativity. It's one of 16 short films they use to teach others how they can live lives of gratitude. They partner with leading entertainment companies, including Oprah's OWN network and Disney to spread a positive message.
Lara directed the movie Creativity to help women who were int transition after serving decades in prison. I'm hoping their work will show more people who live in struggle that they they tap into the power within to build lives of meaning and relevance. For those who'd like to see their work, I encourage you to visit the following website:
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