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In this inaugural season follow the journeys of two ex-offenders, Keron and Kia, from their troubled pasts to their entrepreneurial aspirations and plans, they are taking control of their lives,...
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In this inaugural season follow the journeys of two ex-offenders, Keron and Kia, from their troubled pasts to their entrepreneurial aspirations and plans, they are taking control of their lives, and as they hustle to create a new future you’ll be inspired by their grit, passion, and perseverance to succeed. We'll also look inside the lives of other ex-offenders who have become successful entrepreneurs and the organizations that are available to help those who know their future lies ahead, not behind. Join me, Lisa Reilly, for a groundbreaking, episodic podcast series where the belief that failure isn't final has never been truer.
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The Hustler Files
The Hustler Files
NOT ALL MONSTERS ARE STRANGERS
13 JUL 2024 · Alicia and Jenna both grew up in middle-class, 2 parent homes. Alicia was a top student and leader in her school. Jenna went to a private school and had a typical teenage life. But while Alicia and Jenna lived 3000 miles apart their stories became intertwined because they both became victims of human trafficking while still in High School. Even worse, the men that trafficked them, were known to them, and their families. For Alicia, it was her high school soccer coach, and for Jenna, it was her boyfriend. You would think in 2024 that being held captive or forced to have sex for money, or be an indentured servant and live in bondage to another person, went the way of slavery, but it hasn’t. One in three runaways in the U.S. becomes trafficked by another human. There is no cookie-cutter version of a human trafficker or the men who pay to have sex with these women. While there are men who are trafficked, it is a relatively small number, but nonetheless, a violent crime, and for those who have been or still are trafficked, fear, shame, and trust are the biggest factors that keep them tied to their traffickers. It takes a village of love, trust, and therapeutic endeavors to return these victims to their families and communities.
FROM PRISON TO PRESIDENT
4 JUL 2024 · Terah Lawyer is the first to tell you that her lived experience as a formerly incarcerated woman, absolutely fell into the ‘wrong place, wrong crowd, wrong time’ adage. Terah spent 15 years behind the wall, but realized early on, in her incarceration, that her mission was, as she states, “to love on the women” who were behind the wall with her. Taking that leadership role in prison and continuing to educate herself, receiving two associate degrees, was pivotal in preparing her for the work she would take on, once released. That work, in reentry and rehabilitation led Terah to advocate for other justice impacted individuals and not surprisingly it didn’t take long for her to take on the role of Associate Director of The Homecoming Project, an initiative that provides formerly incarcerated people with room to rent with matching housemates. From there Terah was asked to join CROP (Creating Restorative Justice and Programs) and was just recently promoted from Executive Director to President. Visit crop-org.squarespace.com to learn more about their holistic approach to reentry and services for those who are coming home from prison.
THIS PLACE IS NO RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN MUSICAL
4 JUL 2024 · There are three comparisons one can make between the musical South Pacific and the Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay. Number 1, both involve islands, Number 2, both involve the U.S. Military and Number 3, both are created after a significant interaction with warring factions – World War II and September 11th. Guantanamo Bay, also referred to as Gitmo, is in Cuba and the military prison there first opened after the September 11th attacks. While the prison was created to house the worst terrorists, many detainees were not even Al Qaeda fighters, but villagers, turned in by their fellow countrymen, for large ransoms. At one time there were 779 people detained, and the reports of torture and abuse were real. Listen in as Attorney’s Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg share their own experiences on Guantanamo, where, of their own volition, traveled to give council and represent a handful of detainees.
WHEN YOUR MAIN PRODUCTION IN LIFE BECOMES CHANGING PEOPLE’S LIVES
19 JUN 2024 · In 2003, Scott Budnick was an EVP at Green Hat Films. One evening he was invited to attend a writing workshop at the juvenile hall through the InsideOUT Writers program. Many of the young people in that program were facing adult prison sentences, and even worse, when released from the juvenile halls and prisons across California, many were returned to incarceration. So, the man whose day job was writing and producing, decided to orchestrate another production in 2013, a production whose mission he aptly named The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), its main mission, end mass incarceration. But ARC’s ongoing success, in workforce and housing programs, higher employment and lower recidivism rates, takes a well-trained village of team members and volunteers. Under the leadership of Executive Director, Sam Lewis, they continue to rewrite the ARC narrative by changing lives, changing laws, and changing the perception of justice involved individuals.
FROM PRISON BARS TO REBAR & MORE
10 JUN 2024 · In the very male dominated field of Ironworkers, Bricklayers and Cement Masons, otherwise referred to as the Trades, a guiding light to help justice impacted WOMEN succeed after prison, has taken shape. Outside of Seattle, Washington, Business Agent, Heather Kurtenbach is leading the charge to see women who are nearing the end of their time behind the wall, participate in a program called TRAC, Trades Related Apprenticeship Coaching. TRAC is run by the Department of Corrections and the local trade unions and offers qualifying women a course in a trade, which then guarantees them a job upon their release. Down the road a piece in Portland, Oregon, Anna Martin is also leading the charge to help women at the Coffee Creek Correctional Center find success upon release. With some entrepreneurial spirit and an Ironworker background, Anna pulled together her local trades in Cement Masons and Bricklayers to form U-PACT, also an apprentice-based program. U-PACT is grant funded and not only offers the training and curriculum to the incarcerated women, but also the wrap-around services needed for equipment and clothing. With such a shortage of employable people in the U.S., these programs are a shining star to help justice involved individuals start over.
DEFYING THE ODDS, ONE STATE & ONE JUSTICE IMPACTED PERSON AT A TIME
10 JUN 2024 · Imagine spending a full day, as a volunteer, sitting right next to, or across from, a justice impacted person, except you’re behind the wall with them! You’re shaking their hand, sharing ideas, their ideas to transform their lives, maybe start a business when they get released, and at the end of the day, watching them put on a cap and gown, maybe the first they ever had, and walk across a stage to accept a graduation certificate for participating in a program that brings leadership, empowerment, self-care, healing, and entrepreneurial ideas to paper. Well at Defy Ventures, you don’t have to imagine it. Since its beginnings over a decade ago, Defy Ventures has connected 7,200 volunteers with almost as many justice impacted individuals behind the wall. They’ve also connected many of those same individuals once they are released and have met reentry stability goals, with people and programs to move them forward with their business ideas. None of what Defy Ventures accomplishes is easy, but with Executive Directors, like Melissa O’Dell of Defy Ventures Illinois, even providing opportunities to ONE individual, like Cordelia Spivey, is life changing!
TO NORMALIZE OPPORTUNITY, WE MUST FIX THE TALENT PIPELINE PROBLEM
29 MAY 2024 · Here in the U.S., there is a belief that the education and workforce systems are broken. At Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national non-profit, they believe it’s time to tap the full potential, skills, and aspirations of more than 70 million people with records, living in the U.S. As part of JFF’s commitment to that effort, they created the JFF Center for Justice & Economic Advancement. Under the guidance of VP Lucretia Murphy, she and her team are focused on providing a road map for federal, state, and local leaders, so they can fine tune and apply their efforts to ‘normalize opportunity’ for people with records.
COMPASSION IS THE #1 INGREDIENT FOR A 2ND CHANCE
28 MAY 2024 · No one could ever accuse Liz Buxton, Director of Operations at the Western MA Food Processing Center, of having a small heart, especially when it comes to Fair Chance Hiring. Even her wife wrote about her on LinkedIn after this episode aired on @WHMP Radio. ‘My wife constantly amazes me. She's an incredible human and inspirational leader. She leads with her heart. It's what makes her, and her impact, so special.’ And her impact is special. Just ask her Floor Supervisor, Scott Savoie, who served five years behind the wall before finding work at the Food Processing Center. As he puts it, he wasn’t sure that he’d ever find a job once he returned to the community. In his former life he was a mechanic, but years of bending over an engine had taken its toll. With Liz and the Food Processing Center, Scott is able to take his mechanical skills and transfer them to the upkeep of the processing equipment. He’ll be the first one to tell you that having the opportunity to start a new career and work with Liz has been two of his greatest blessings.
FROM DECARCERATION TO KIDS WITH FLOPPY EARS
15 MAY 2024 · Sheriff Patrick Cahillane will tell you that as an elected official of the people, his first responsibility is to the community. But as part of that citizen responsibility, Sheriff Cahillane is also progressive in his thought processes and actions, and as such implements programs and opportunities that will not only help those in his charge, behind the wall, but also those who are released and are in the process of re-entering the community, and like on part of this day, it’s all about creating a human connection between the incarcerated men and a handful of floppy eared Nubian goats.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A WORLD-WIDE EPIDEMIC, AND THERE’S NO CURE IN SIGHT
15 MAY 2024 · Kristy Norbert may look like a typical soccer Mom, but ask her about her non-profit organization the Empower HER Network, it’s 11 locations across the U.S. and how every day, she and her team which includes trauma-informed Advocates and former Survivors (the name given to those who have found their way out of a human trafficking situation), are operating from the exit ramp for those who are still caught in the web of human or even labor trafficking. Luckily for some, the Empower HER Network has been able to provide programming, housing, job opportunities and most of all a place of trust for those who have experienced this horrific way of life.
In this inaugural season follow the journeys of two ex-offenders, Keron and Kia, from their troubled pasts to their entrepreneurial aspirations and plans, they are taking control of their lives,...
show more
In this inaugural season follow the journeys of two ex-offenders, Keron and Kia, from their troubled pasts to their entrepreneurial aspirations and plans, they are taking control of their lives, and as they hustle to create a new future you’ll be inspired by their grit, passion, and perseverance to succeed. We'll also look inside the lives of other ex-offenders who have become successful entrepreneurs and the organizations that are available to help those who know their future lies ahead, not behind. Join me, Lisa Reilly, for a groundbreaking, episodic podcast series where the belief that failure isn't final has never been truer.
show less
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| Author | Lisa Reilly |
| Organization | Lisa Reilly |
| Categories | Society & Culture |
| Website | - |
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