How Will You Stand Out?

If federal prosecutors brought charges against you, there’s a good chance that a sentencing hearing is in your future. Do you know what steps you can take right now to position yourself for the best possible outcome?

No one can change the past, but the decisions we make every day put us in a position to influence the future. I created our platform, PrisonProfessorsTalent.com, to help people facing challenges with the criminal justice system prepare for a better future.

We built this platform to provide a free and structured pathway for anyone to memorialize their journey of growth, demonstrate their commitment to success, and influence the opportunities that await them on the other side of the gate. By creating a profile on our platform, members of our community get to sow seeds that will influence their future. And I get more resources to advocate for changes within the system. 

We incarcerate too many people. They serve sentences that are far too long. The changes I’d like to see include:

• More access to community confinement, or alternatives to incarceration,
• More furloughs for those who qualify,
• More mechanisms for people to earn freedom.

To get those changes, we need more resources that will help us persuade a cynical audience.

I’ve been through the journey and I know we can do better. When I was 23 years old, DEA agents arrested me. A jury convicted me of leading a drug enterprise. I went to federal prison with a 45-year sentence. I served 26 years in high-, medium-, low-, and minimum-security prisons. After eight years, I was as ready as I’d ever be to go home. Yet mechanisms didn’t exist for me to get out.

While inside, I built my own pathway to success. It would help me while I served my sentence, and once I got out, generated millions of dollars in income, and launched a nonprofit to help others do the same.

How did I do it?

Simple: I never waited for someone else to create a program for me. I didn’t make excuses. I took action every single day. And now, through Prison Professors Talent, our nonprofit gives everyone in our community the exact same opportunity—totally free.

Think of PrisonProfessorsTalent.com as a purposeful version of LinkedIn—for people in prison. It's your chance to:

• Tell your story.
  
• Document your growth.
• Show your value.
• Build support.
• Prepare for success.
  
  

Whether you're just getting started or already doing the work, our platform gives you a way to prove the work you’re doing to anyone who's watching—judges, attorneys, case managers, family members, employers, or clemency boards. And it gives me a resource to advocate on behalf of all members of our community.

Here’s how to get started in building your presence on Prison Professors Talent. Create a strong profile by following each of the steps below. You’ll earn points toward our leaderboard—and build your credibility:

Write Your Biography

• Don’t let the government’s version of your story be the only one people read. Describe who you are, what you’ve learned, and why you’re committed to becoming better.

Keep a Daily Journal

• Document your daily decisions and intentions. Reflect on how your actions are aligned with your goals. Show that you’re thinking like the CEO of your life.

Submit Book Reports

• Tell us what you’re reading. Why did you choose that book? What did you learn? How will it help you succeed after release?

Draft Your Release Plan

• Visualize your return to society. What will you do? How will you contribute? What challenges will you face—and how will you overcome them?

Gather Testimonials

• Invite people who support you to leave testimonials on your profile. Their endorsements add strength to your case for leniency or opportunity.

In building your profile, you’re building assets that you can use to self-advocate. Every entry—every journal, every book report, every update—becomes part of your body of work. These assets can shape how decision-makers view you. They can help influence:

• Early release opportunities
• Transition to home confinement
• Clemency or commutation support
• Employment prospects upon release

We use the leaderboard to highlight those who are doing the work. We share that leaderboard with business leaders, policy makers, and correctional stakeholders to prove why rehabilitation matters and how change is possible.

You show the proof—we build the coalition.

If you help others inside build their own profiles, you become an ambassador. That means more points, more recognition, and more impact.

Imagine teaching a class on business, parenting, or wellness inside your facility—and encouraging others to document what they’ve learned. Not only do they grow, but you grow as a leader.

We’re building a movement—one profile at a time.

👉 Visit PrisonProfessorsTalent.com
👉 Open your profile
👉 Submit your biography
👉 Start your daily journal
👉 Send in your book reports and release plan
👉 Invite others to support your journey

Self-Directed Questions

To help you get started, here are five questions you can answer in your journal or biography:

1. What does success look like for me after release—and how am I preparing for it today?
2. What lesson have I learned from my past choices, and how do those lessons shape my goals?
3. What am I doing every day to bring value to myself and those around me?
4. Who are the people I want to influence or inspire through my story—and why?
5. What can I teach others inside this system to help them prepare for a better future?
   
   

Answering these questions shows how you’re build your case for a better tomorrow. Everything we do—every course, every lesson, every platform—is free, because I know how much better our system could be if more people inside had a way to prove their worth and earn their way home.

The system won’t change unless we change first. Take the next step. Build your profile. Be the CEO of your life.

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