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Welcome to the All My Friends Are Felons Podcast. Join host Mark for a compelling journey into the transformative power of those trying to rehabilitate and change their lives following...
show more
Welcome to the All My Friends Are Felons Podcast. Join host Mark for a compelling journey into the transformative power of those trying to rehabilitate and change their lives following their experience of the prison system. Your host Mark, has spent years on the inside and has witnessed firsthand how education can turn anyone’s life around. With a focus on compassionate advocacy, we strive to share the narratives that shatter stereotypes and showcase the power of learning behind bars. Drawing from his time working with the incarcerated, Mark brings you face-to-face with current and former inmates who have harnessed the power of learning for change. Join us as we explore the uncharted territory of second chances and spotlight the potential that exists within everyone, regardless of their circumstances.
show less
All My Friends Are Felons
All My Friends Are Felons
1 OCT 2024 · Vandrick Towns grew up in a tough neighborhood surrounded by many great influences. His was a close nit, hardworking, religious family. He was heavily involved in all these things as will as his prowess as a young football star. Then, when he was 16 years old, after a football game, we was struck by a bullet that lodged in his calf and changed forever the trajectory of his life. His fall was fast and furious. In spite of having no previous experience in gang life, he was drawn in and jumped in with both feet. Then, within just over a year, he was in jail facing a double life sentence. Listen in as he tells his articulate and amazing story of his free fall into hell, his survival skills he learned, how he comes to himself and then faced an identical situation where his good decision would send him down a road where he has spent the past over 17 years helping himself and others find true peace and success. Vandrick is an amazing human being. His story is lifechanging.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Vandrick Towns
00:02:02 - The Other Side Academy
00:02:21 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:03:10 - LA in the 80’s
00:06:50 - Surviving a Shooting
00:08:40 - Joining a Gang for Revenge
00:18:00 - Landing in Prison
00:28:50 - Earning a Reputation
00:30:45 - Returning to His Roots
00:33:00 - Losing his Mother & Brother on the Same Day
00:35:50 - Coming to a Fork in the Road
00:45:15 - Granted Parole on July 4th
00:51:13 “We’re more alike than we are different.”
00:52:20 Teaching Law & Ethics in the Prison
00:55:10 Final Piece of Advice
24 SEP 2024 · Growing up in Compton California in the early 90’s Yanira Armster was living a great childhood. Then one day she discovered some photos in her Dad’s desk that unraveled her life. He was living a double life with a second wife and family. Feeling betrayed and somehow responsible, she jumped headlong into the gang life. Never using herself, she started selling drugs and at the age of 17 found herself in a courtroom facing a triple life sentence. Listen in as she tells her amazing story of survival in the prison system and then her transformation as she started to thrive. She tells how the board found her “suitable” and in 2015 she was released. Her emotional story is worth a listen.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Yanira Armster
00:01:33 - The Other Side Academy
00:01:48 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:46 - Young Life
00:04:02 - Finding out that her dad had another family.
00:07:55 - Creating a New Identity
00:11:38 - Arrested at 17
00:20:29 - ‘Prison Saved Me’
00:22:05 - Three Life Sentences
00:27:35 - Her Prison Experience
00:36:00 - Letting the Seed Grow
00:44:07 - “Watch Me”
00:49:30 - Found Suitable and Going Home
00:52:00 - Becoming a Counselor
00:56:47 - Final Piece of Advice
17 SEP 2024 · Corey Glassman was living in a great family. Mom, Dad, sports, camping, things were great. Then tragedy struck. He father, his hero passed away and his life went into a tail spin. The loss for him was devastating. What’s more, the “replacement” father figures were complete failures and he found drugs and alcohol. Sentenced to a 25 to life sentence when he was 17, Corey first survived prison life then he came to himself and started to thrive spending the last 15 years of his time growing, help and serving. He tells a powerful story of the effort required to regain credibility for himself and receive redemption. You won’t want to miss the story of Corey Glassman.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Corey Glassman
00:01:32 - The Other Side Academy
00:01:47 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:45 - Losing His Dad at 9 Years Old
00:06:48 - A Very Complicated Relationship
00:12:20 - From Peer Pressure to Murder
00:14:50 - Sentenced at 16 Years Old - 25 Years to Life
00:17:25 - Surviving Prison
00:21:00 - Getting Involved & Finding Hope
00:33:25 - Communal Accountability
00:38:58 - Found Suitable Two Times & Rejected by the Governor
00:42:35 - Winning On Appeal
00:46:50 - Returning to His Child Self
00:48:00 - Operations Recovery Services
http://OptionsRecoveryServices.com
00:49:05 - Corey’s Life Now
00:50:35 - Final Piece of Advice
10 SEP 2024 · Imagine growing up in a white picket fence life; tight, close knit, religious family, loving parents, great brothers, tons of friends, sports etc. That was the life of Collin Cooper. Returning from his LDS mission he finds himself dealing with a lower back injury acquired from participation in high school football. He fell into the opioid epidemic at the turn of the century followed by 15 years or so of the lies and pain caused by addiction. His is not an uncommon story. In and out of every rehab in his area as well as in and out of jail found him ready to end his life. Listen in as he recounts the emotional time when his mom comes to get him, weighing 119 lbs, his weeks in the hospital regaining his health and his enrollment in The Other Side Academy, where Collin has his life back. This is a story you don’t want to miss.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 Collin Cooper
00:01:33 The Other Side Academy
00:01:52 My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:35 Colin’s Background
00:09:00 Back Injury Prescription
00:11:00 Dipping His Toes
00:14:01 Realizing He Was Addicted
00:17:44 Landing in Jail
00:20:00 Cheating Drug Court
00:25:59 The Haven in SLC
00:29:38 High at the Wedding
00:33:15 Come to a Head
00:37:37 Rock Bottom & Asking For Help
00:41:28 The Other Side Academy
00:50:20 TOSA Saves Lives
00:53:30 Last Piece of Advice
3 SEP 2024 · Jessica Searle spent all of her early years dealing with dysfunctional parents. Drugs, alcohol and even abuse were part of her young life. She left home at 13 living in the Mission district of San Francisco where she was jumped into a gang. Finally finding herself in Utah, any hope of change vanished as she continued down the path of drugs, and bad relationships. She lived that way for 25 years until she was finally done. Enrolling in The Other Side Academy changed her life. Now she is articulate, authentic, and purposeful. She is not the person she spent 38 years becoming. She has a light in her eyes and hope in her heart. Her story is one of triumph over insurmountable odds.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Jessica Searle
00:01:36 - The Other Side Academy
00:01:50 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:40 - A ‘Hectic’ Childhood
00:04:45 - Early Abuse
00:06:28 - Learning to Hide from Good Influences
00:08:35 - Finally Opening Up About the Abuse
00:10:20 - Running Away
00:13:55 - Moving Back in with Her Parents & Culture Shock
00:17:17 - Pregnant at 15
00:20:30 - Surgery & Opiates
00:23:59 - Going on a Crime Spree & Landing in Prison
00:27:02 - A Moment of Stability
00:28:00 - Starting to Slip
00:29:14 - “Lighting Myself On Fire to Keep Everybody Warm”
00:33:58 - Losing Her Partner & The Kids
00:38:35 - Her Mom Passes Away
00:41:28 - Writing to The Other Side Academy
00:49:40 - 4 Years at TOSA
00:54:00 - A Piece of Advice For Herself
27 AUG 2024 · Leticia Ledezma’s young life was full of struggles. Her young dreams of growing up to be a lawyer soon gave way to following her brother into the street life where she remained for the better part of 25 years. Her current bright smile was, for so long covered in drugs and abuse and pain and hopelessness. A continuous cycle of bad relationships and a life that found her booked into jail 40 times, with no idea how to escape what she found a “normal”. Then things changed as she was introduced to The Other Side Academy. Now over 7 years sober and living a great life, describes her transformation where she is full of hope, optimism and purpose. You will love her story.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Leticia Ledezma
00:01:29 - The Other Side Academy (TOSA)
00:01:44 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:30 - Growing Up in the Party House
00:05:38 - Caught with Narcotics at 14 Years Old
00:08:59 - Pregnant at 18
00:13:15 - The Cycle
00:18:02 - Losing Her Kids
00:24:43 - The Beginning of the End—TOSA
00:28:30 - The Other Side Academy
00:34:30 - Struggling with the Rules
00:37:00 - Deciding to Jump All In
00:38:40 - “I Feel Like I’m Leaving Him Behind…”
00:42:45 - Now 7 Years at TOSA
00:43:45 - Destiny Garcia’s Non-Profit, Clean Slate Utah
cleanslateutah.org
00:44:14 - Not a Felon Anymore
00:47:10 - Choose Your Hard
20 AUG 2024 · Jessica Grundie describes her young life as “typical to me”. It was however, anything but functional. Domestic violence, drugs and alcohol were all around her daily home life so much so that at 11, DCFS came knocking and she went to live with an Aunt and Uncle for a time. Rather than, as so many kids do, look to drugs and alcohol to hide her pain, she turned to anger. Fights and juvenile detention were a constant part of her young life until one day, at 15 years of age, while trying to escape from a detention facility, she stabs a worker. Sentenced to 5 years to life in the state prison, she sends her first 5 years in max; 23 hour lockdown. Her story is heartbreaking yet her outcome is glorious. Join me as she tells her story losing the anger and finding peace.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Jessica Grundie
00:01:42 - The Other Side Academy (TOSA)
00:01:57 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:47 - Her Young Life
00:05:25 - DFS Intervention
00:13:25 - Grand Theft Auto @ 12 years old
00:16:15 - Learning to Prefer Incarceration
00:27:15 - That Escalated Quickly
00:35:30 - They Loved Me The Way They Knew How
00:38:25 - Prison Summary, from 15 to 27
00:47:40 - Graduating Odyssey House
00:52:15 - “Talk to Somebody”
14 AUG 2024 · Dylan’s Gibson's young life started in trauma; duplicitous, addicted parents, a predator baby sitter, divorced parents at age 9. All of which he thought to be “normal”. Though successful in school and very successful in soccer, the rest of his life was chaos. To make it worse, at age 17, his father and brother were killed. And then things went downhill. Finally, after countless arrests, 52 incarcerations and 9 years in prison, the allowance of a judge, a nudge from his grandmother, and the audacity of the people at The Other Side Academy, Dylan’s life starts to make a turn. Listen in as he describes his new life of service and help and vision and purpose.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Dylan Gibson
00:01:24 - The Other Side Academy
00:01:43 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:24 - Earliest Memories
00:14:10 - Near Death Experience
00:20:50 - Changing Peer Influence
00:27:30 - Losing His Father & Brother to DUI
00:33:37 - Recognizing His Addiction
00:40:32 - In & Out of Jail 52 Times
00:44:00 - The Other Side Academy
00:54:00 - Becoming Vulnerable
00:59:50 - The Other Side Builders
01:02:00 - Anyone Can Change
6 AUG 2024 · I first met Amy Chandler in December of 2022. Her story is much different than that of most of my guests. Her vision of providing individual growth and change to people in all walks of life is transformational. The visionary founder of the non-profit My Story Matters, Amy is undaunted in her quest to help every person get out of the survival mode we often all live in and live a life of vision and purpose. With a singular change model that provides individuals with the tools to permanently improve and transform their lives, she is having a lasting positive affect, not just in the criminal justice space but in every space.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 Amy Chandler
00:01:21 The Other Side Academy
00:01:39 My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:03:12 Amy’s Background
00:06:24 One Step at a Time
00:10:04 A Thousand Teenage Refugee Stories
00:11:24 Trying to Keep Up With the Growth
00:12:28 Considering the Incarcerated Population
00:13:40 Evolving into a Trauma-Informed Model
00:16:11 “What sets us apart?”
00:20:35 Entering the Incarcerated Space
00:31:29 Brief Snapshot of the Framework
00:36:47 Who is this Curriculum For?
00:43:05 “We are a catalyist for lasting transformation…”
00:46:15 “What do you want?”
801-477-7071
mailto:office@mystorymatters.org
30 JUL 2024 · Gerald Cypert tells his emotional story from a humble position of forgiveness, acceptance and moving forward. Surrounded by disfunction during his entire young life he plunged into criminal behavior at an early age. It’s hard to believe that the man I interview is the same man from the first part of his story. Thanks to two separate experiences that brought him to himself and the sheer grit of self-determination mixed with a strong intellect, he has spent the last 11 years, helping others, both inside and outside of prison find their way and rebuild their lives. Gerald tells his emotional story that will truly touch your heart.
Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org
00:00:00 - Gerald Cypert
00:01:18 - The Other Side Academy
00:01:34 - My Story Matters
00:02:34 - Drugs Hidden in the Christmas Tree
00:08:35 - Moving to CA to live with Mom
00:09:27 - Molested by a Break-in
00:12:30 - Reacting/Adapting Without the Proper Care
00:18:58 - Taking Criminal Behavior into Adulthood
00:20:48 - From Cocaine to Meth
00:23:38 - Convicted for Stealing
00:30:10 - Getting Stabbed 32x in Prison
00:33:48 - Killing a Man
00:36:48 - Losing Hope & Sinking into HIs Sentence
00:38:40 - The Impact of Scott Budnick & a Creative Writing Group
00:47:09 - Losing His Mother & Becoming a Certified Addiction Counselor
00:48:57 - Requesting a Sentence Modification
00:55:58 - Getting Out!
00:57:09 - “You can get anything out of your life!”
Welcome to the All My Friends Are Felons Podcast. Join host Mark for a compelling journey into the transformative power of those trying to rehabilitate and change their lives following...
show more
Welcome to the All My Friends Are Felons Podcast. Join host Mark for a compelling journey into the transformative power of those trying to rehabilitate and change their lives following their experience of the prison system. Your host Mark, has spent years on the inside and has witnessed firsthand how education can turn anyone’s life around. With a focus on compassionate advocacy, we strive to share the narratives that shatter stereotypes and showcase the power of learning behind bars. Drawing from his time working with the incarcerated, Mark brings you face-to-face with current and former inmates who have harnessed the power of learning for change. Join us as we explore the uncharted territory of second chances and spotlight the potential that exists within everyone, regardless of their circumstances.
show less
Information
Author | Mark Hugentobler |
Organization | Mark Hugentobler |
Categories | Personal Journals , True Crime , Documentary |
Website | - |
- |
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