Family & friends

Empowering People

Our nonprofit provides free resources to help your loved ones navigate the challenges of the criminal justice system. We offer books, courses, and self-directed lessons designed to help individuals prepare for better outcomes during sentencing, incarceration, and beyond. With these resources, family and friends can play an active role in empowering their loved ones to build resilience, document their growth, and work toward successful reentry and lasting freedom.

Soft White Underbelly

Mark Laita is a renowned photojournalist who created the impactful platform Soft White Underbelly. With a dedicated audience of over 10 million followers across YouTube and other channels, Mark provides a compelling space for individuals to share their stories of struggle and resilience. I was honored when he invited me to participate.

When I visited Mark’s studio in Santa Monica, I was accompanied by my friend Matt Bowyer. Matt is well-known for extensive media coverage portraying him as one of America's largest bookmakers. His notoriety intensified following a widely publicized scandal involving baseball star Shohei Ohtani, his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, and prominent Las Vegas casino executives. Mark initially intended to profile Matt, and through that connection, I had the chance to share my own story.

In the studio, Mark initially suggested I discuss experiences related to large-scale drug trafficking. However, I explained that my narrative was different. My journey was more about the process of recalibrating and rebuilding after profound adversity. Prison provided the backdrop, but the essence of my story was deeply human, highlighting strategies taught by influential mentors. Mark usually conducts interviews by asking questions, but he suggested I might tell my story uninterrupted. So, I sat down and spoke unscripted for an hour.

Million Stories

The Singleton Foundation sponsors numerous programs aimed at teaching financial literacy to underserved populations. One such initiative is the FacePlant series, which highlights inspiring stories of individuals who've faced significant adversity but discovered pathways to rebuild and transform their lives. I was honored when they approached me to feature my journey.

People entering the justice system often feel overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. They need to know their current crisis doesn't have to dictate their life's trajectory. Every individual has the power to make strategic decisions during difficult times that can lead to positive outcomes. To share my experience, the FacePlant producers visited my home and created a high-quality video interview. In it, they explored the pivotal choices and mindset shifts that allowed me to move beyond the daunting challenge of a 45-year prison sentence.

Influential leaders guided me to adopt new ways of thinking, enabling me to recalibrate my perspective and rebuild my life from the inside out. These transformative lessons carried me through 26 years of incarceration and laid the groundwork for establishing multiple income streams after my release.

We are all navigating our personal journeys toward new chapters in our lives. By preparing proactively and thoughtfully, we position ourselves to seize emerging opportunities. That's precisely the message I aimed to convey through my story in this brief but powerful video.

Ted X

I transitioned from federal prison to a halfway house on Monday, August 13, 2013. The work I completed during my incarceration opened doors to unexpected opportunities and support from people I didn’t even realize were following my progress. Among these supporters was an editor at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Carole, my wife, had been helping me share my journey through several blogs that we published. My goal was always to illustrate how intentional use of my time inside prison laid a foundation for success upon release.

These proactive efforts significantly impacted my chances for a successful reentry into society, a journey detailed extensively in my book, *Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term.*

Within a week of my transition to a halfway house, an editor from the San Francisco Chronicle reached out to me. He wrote that he'd been following my journey through the blogs my wife published for me. He asked if he could profile the story for readers who would want to know more. That initiative resulted in a feature article the newspaper published on Thanksgiving weekend in 2012. It became a pivotal point in my journey, opening doors to further opportunities, including an invitation to deliver a TEDx talk in Silicon Valley.

Straight-A Guide

The Straight-A Guide is the cornerstone of every course I create for individuals navigating crisis. I'll always be deeply grateful to the mentors who guided me in developing this transformative framework. In this video, I share the profound impact these mentors had at various stages of my journey, offering encouragement and insight to anyone facing challenging times. My story underscores that it's never too late to recalibrate, make intentional decisions, and forge a pathway toward a brighter future.

The Straight-A Guide outlines a clear, actionable path, taught through ten comprehensive modules:

1. Define Success: Clearly visualize the ideal outcome to navigate beyond your crisis.

2. Set Goals: Establish goals that align deeply with who you're determined to become.

3. Attitude: Commit fully and passionately to achieving your defined success.

4. Aspiration: Cultivate a vision of your best life—one filled with purpose, meaning, and dignity.

5. Action: Consistently act in ways that reflect your commitment to your goals.

6. Accountability: Develop systems and tools to measure your progress and hold yourself accountable.

7. Awareness: Remain vigilant and fully engaged each day, letting your commitment become evident to others.

8. Authenticity: Avoid superficial success; live as the genuine leader of your own life, making deliberate and resourceful decisions.

9. Achievement: Celebrate incremental successes that cumulatively lead to significant opportunities.

10. Appreciation: Embrace gratitude daily for all blessings and opportunities that come your way.

Mastering these ten modules enabled me to overcome the daunting crisis of a 45-year prison term, transforming adversity into a meaningful and successful life. I firmly believe anyone who learns and applies these lessons can similarly recalibrate and rebuild their lives. This video provides an overview of these powerful concepts.

Testimonials

[AI-generated images to preserve privacy] We receive unsolicited letters from people in jails and prison every day. They describe how daily lessons from Prison Professors motivate them to prepare for success upon release.

Making an Impact

We create targeted content and resources specifically for the unique needs of each group we serve—including family members, people facing charges, justice-impacted individuals, correctional staff, universities, businesses, and media professionals. All of our content shows that regardless of what challenges a person faces together, we can always work toward better outcomes.