Course

Success after Prison

This self-directed workbook shows how preparation opens the door to extraordinary results after incarceration. During my own journey, I developed a three-pronged approach: pursuing academic credentials, contributing meaningfully to society, and cultivating a strong support network. Inspired by lessons from remarkable leaders, this strategy led to millions in earnings and a successful transition into purposeful work—empowering others to achieve their fullest potential. Use these proven principles to create your pathway to lasting success, transforming adversity into opportunity.

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In 2016, I delivered a keynote address at a judicial conference attended by over 1,000 participants, including federal judges from the Ninth Circuit, prison administrators, and representatives from the Department of Justice. During my presentation, I called on the audience to join me in advocating for meaningful reforms that would empower individuals to work toward earning their freedom.

That presentation became a turning point, leading to opportunities to take a more active role in promoting these reforms. I began collaborating with the Bureau of Prisons, the California Department of Corrections, and other law enforcement agencies. My core message was simple: if we provide a clear pathway to success after incarceration, more individuals will follow it. By incentivizing the pursuit of excellence, we can create a system where both individuals and society as a whole thrive.

That keynote speech, inadvertently, inspired me to write Success after Prison. It's a self-directed workbook, the third part in a series:

  • Earning Freedom showed how leaders taught me how to think differently. By thinking differently, I could create an adjustment strategy that would keep me motivated while serving multiple decades in prison.
  • Prison: My 8,344th Day shows readers how to life intentionally while going through every day. It prompts people to think about the decisions they're making, and how those decisions relate to the life they want to lead upon release.
  • Success after Prison is a follow-up workbook, showing the relationship between decisions I made while in prison, and the income opportunities that opened because of those decisions. It provides readers with a reason why they should live deliberately while serving the sentence.

Everyone must choose how to navigate their sentence, and those choices directly influence the opportunities ahead. Hard work and strategic decisions can pave the way toward achieving the highest level of freedom in the shortest time possible.

This workbook shares how I built multiple income streams after my release from prison—each tied to the deliberate choices I made while serving time in facilities of every security level. I didn’t wait for government programs or waste time dwelling on the barriers of incarceration. Instead, I anticipated challenges and focused on overcoming them.

Through Success after Prison, readers will find inspiration and practical strategies to take charge of their lives as if they were the CEO of their own future. The self-directed exercises encourage focused effort and preparation. Readers are urged to create a profile on PrisonProfessorsTalent.com to document the ways they’re using their time inside to build a foundation for success after release. By investing in these efforts, individuals can develop self-advocacy skills that lead to greater liberty and opportunity, as quickly as possible.

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Supporting videos & Podcast EPISODES

Silicon Valley Ted
Corporate Events
Pioneer Industries
Fund Raisers
California Wellness
Keynotes
Prison Presentations
Prison Presentations
US Berkley 2013
Universities

Principles we teach

The origins of our self-directed courses began with readings of Socrates, Frederick Douglass, Nelson Mandela, and modern leaders who teach us how to live as if we're the CEO of our life. To overcome any crisis, or build solutions, follow the principles of our Straight-A Guide.

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Attitude
Attitude
By adopting a values-based, goal-oriented mindset, I could more easily navigate the complexities of confinement. Instead of seeing all that was bad around me, I could find ways to conquer adversity and work toward a brighter future. It opened a better attitude, empowering me along the way. Attitude influences success.
Aspiration
Aspiration
During my sentencing hearing, I remember Judge Tanner telling me that I'd be an old man before I got out of prison. He sentenced me to 45-years. Life could have seemed bleak. Yet I returned to my solitary cell with a new vision. Leaders had taught me to focus on what I could control. Through reflection and aspiration, I found a path to purpose.
Action
Action
We should expect obstacles, but we can't allow them to define our path or limit our pursuit of success. The Straight-A Guide became my framework for persevering through challenges and obstacles, helping me focus on the action steps I could take each day, regardless of what adversity I had to endure. Take bold action steps to build success.
Accountability
Accountability
To transform our lives, we need tools that allow us to measure progress. Those tools, which we call our accountability metrics, empower transformation. While serving 26 years, accountability tools helped me take full ownership of my actions. They kept me moving toward the milestones I had to work toward each day.
Awareness
Awareness
To climb through adversity, we've got to keep our head in the game, staying aware of every opportunity around us. The more we think about what we're striving to build, the more aware we become of action steps we can take. Others become aware of our commitment, too, which creates a virtuous cycle of growth. Awareness opens opportunities to succeed.
Authenticity
Authenticity
To empower ourselves while climbing from adversity to success, we've got to be authentic. We don't grow confidence by talking. We have to take meaningful steps, adhering to a plan we established on our pathway to success. If we prioritize our actions, then develop our tools, tactics, and resources, our commitment becomes self-evident.
Achievement
Achievement
Incremental achievements can help anyone climb out of adversity and into a life of meaning, relevance, and dignity. We start by defining success, then lay out the plan with incremental steps. As we reach milestones, we grow our self-confidence. This strategy helped me grow stronger while serving 26 years in prison. Celebrate little achievements.
Appreciation
Appreciation
Adversity is part of life, and there will always be more. The 26 years I had to serve helped me learn how to appreciate the blessings of my life. Living in gratitude is a powerful tool for transformation. Even when living amidst challenges, we can open doors to hope and opportunity. Gratitude creates space for growth, resilience, and success.

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Who we serve

We offer resources that people who are going through a crisis or challenge can use to recalibrate. It's never too early or too late to begin building pathways to a better outcome. Each individual can build a body of work that opens opportunities for the next phase, empowering them to live meaningful, contributing lives.

Incarcerated Learners

Get access to our lessons, books, or self-directed courses. Regardless of what staff do, you grow.

Correctional Facilities

Improve the culture of your facility, inspiring people to learn. Be the change you want to see.

Defense Attorneys and legal profession

Offering resources to help people develop assets for self-advocacy, building mitigation stories.

Family, loved ones, & Friends

Download daily lessons to inspire people in custody. Help them build self-confidence and prepare.

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