9 MAY. 2024 · Rayon Williamson pt. 2 Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org 00:00:22 Separating Himself from the Gang 00:14:30 Forging His Own Identity 00:22:15 Getting Out of Prison 00:30:00 “Little Freedoms” 00:40:45 Getting to Where He is Now 00:45:59 Meeting Amy @ My Story Matters 00:52:00 Power to Effect Change in the System

7 MAY. 2024 · Rayvon Williamson’s story is about wisdom. Incarcerated at 19 and told he wasn’t ever gonna get out, Rayvon set himself on the path of California prison politics. Looking to create a name for himself, he connected with his car and started doing the work as they call it. One day on the yard he jumped a guy and as per prison policy, a corrections officer fired a warning shot from the tower. He felt the bullet land in the dirt beside him as they guy he was assaulting threw him off him. On his way to the SHU, a concerned officer told him to never fight in the yard. “they will kill you”. While in the SHU, he started the process of self-realization. “No matter if I get out or not, I gotta do something I can be proud of”. Listen in as he tells his emotional story. Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org 00:00:00 Rayvon Williamson 00:01:26 Sponsors 00:02:50 His Young Life 00:07:00 Witnessing gang activity & drug use at a young age. 00:13:30 Building Street Cred 00:15:00 Earliest Charges & Juvie 00:22:00 Back In School 00:29:00 Sentenced for Life 00:32:15 In Prison from 17 to 44 00:44:50 Violence in the Yard 00:47:45 Hope for Release

2 MAY. 2024 · Jessica Sias has never even had a brush with the law. She is a daughter of immigrant parents who was the first in her family to graduate from high school and from University. Her natural sense of service and kindness has led her to a space, Academy of Hope, where she works with formerly incarcerated individuals to transition successfully back into society. She a perfect example of how anyone with the right mindset and desire to help can provide true and valuable service to people who are desperate for change. Enjoy my conversation with Jessica. Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 Jessica Sias 00:01:10 Sponsors 00:02:00 Finding Purpose through Service 00:05:30 Connecting People to Resources  00:08:00 Academy of Hope 00:10:00 Meeting Amy Chandler at My Story Matters 00:15:00 Success with Former Inmates 00:22:00 The Home 00:29:45 Finding Courage for Herself

30 ABR. 2024 · LeRon Barton grew up on the south side of Kansas City. His life in the inner-city was typical. He considers it luck that he escaped that world as many of his friends did not. Spending his time advocating for people still trapped in that world as well as the incarcerated and post incarcerated, LeRon is a well-spoken author who has done multiple TED talks as well. Listen in as he describes his concerns with the criminal justice system in America. https://leronbarton.com Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 LeRon Barton 00:01:08 Sponsors 00:02:25 Growing Up in Kansas 00:05:40 The Race Factor 00:12:00 Getting Out of the City 00:20:40 “Little Fires Everywhere” 00:27:00 The Substance Abuse Factor 00:34:30 The Road to Reform 00:40:40 “Thank God you fed me.”

25 ABR. 2024 · Growing up in North Philadelphia, normal life for Mark Chappell was anything but normal. Dominated by the inner-city street life, he started smoking dope during recess and spent most of his school days high. In and out of boarding schools that did little more than prepare him for prison, by the time he was 21 his was headed to prison for homicide. Listen in how he describes that experience including a long time in 23 hour lockdown and how that experience brought him to himself and with the help of a prison guard helped him realize that he wanted something drastically different. It is nothing short of a miracle that today he lives a good life free of drugs and crime working to help others from his neighborhood and everywhere choose better. Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 Mark Chappell 00:01:23 Sponsors 00:02:09 His Upbringing & Juvenile Boarding Schools 00:08:00 Communal Standards & Norms 00:15:30 Rewind to Juvie “This place is preparing you for adult prison” 00:19:00 Admitting Addiction 00:22:30 Learning the Hard Way 00:23:19 Back to Prison 00:28:00 Navigating Inmate Politics 00:30:10 Point of Self Reflection — “Belly of the Beast” 00:31:30 The prison guard that took Mark under his wing. 00:38:00 Changing on the Inside Despite A Hellish Environment 00:44:10 Finding Purpose & Resilience

23 ABR. 2024 · Brett Booker’s story is one of purpose and power. Unfortunately, as a teen, his focus was in the wrong direction. Living a mostly unsupervised life in the suburbs, his choices led him into a life of dealing and destruction. Finding himself headed to Leavenworth Federal Prison at the age of 20 he soon realized that he was not the big dog he thought. Listen in as he describes his experience there. And how a fateful period during a lockdown led him to realize he was not the person he wanted to be. In tears he started to focus his attention in the right direction; serving and blessing others lives. He describes that transformation for himself and how he shared it with so many others in and out of prison. You will be enthralled by his story. Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 Brett Booker 00:01:19 Sponsors 00:02:50 Early Exposure to Addiction 00:12:40 Selling Drugs & Graduating Early 00:18:00 Caught by the Feds 00:27:30 Waking Up 00:38:40 Responsibility = Power 00:45:55 Getting Released from Prison & Where He’s At Now 00:53:10 Advice for Younger Self

18 ABR. 2024 · Imagine spending 26 years in solitary confinement. Out of your cell 1 hour per day. No windows in your cell. Never being able to look in the a mirror. No physical human contact. The thought is mind numbing. Yet, Thomas Martinez had that experience. One of the first to be incarcerated in Pelican Bay Penitentiary in Northern California, that was his life for 26 long years in total isolation. Thanks to the resilience he acquired in his youth, not only did he survive, he was able to come to himself, developed himself and came out articulate, confident and purposeful. Thomas’ story is remarkable.  Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 Thomas Martinez 00:01:17 Sponsors 00:02:10 Young Life 00:06:28 Fighting His Father 00:09:55 His First Crimes 00:14:20 Personalized Adolescent Trauma 00:19:00 Prison and Solitary Confinement 00:32:00 Transformation of the Prison System 00:41:05 Released from Solitary 00:45:00 A Major Shift in Paradigm 00:51:15 The Mechanics of Denial 00:57:30 Released After 42 Years 01:06:40 Trauma is Real 01:09:50 Advice for Younger Self “The greatest tool I have in my toolbox is the ability to ask for help” - Thomas Martinez

16 ABR. 2024 · JP Granillo never stops. In his youth, he was driven in a direction that led him to being arrested for robbing a bank. Being imprisoned in the federal prison system kept him moving in that same direction. Then an 18 month stint in segregation brought him to realize he wanted something completely different with his life and since his release from federal prison in 2013, he has proven that. The founder of a non-profit, Youth Works based in Santa Fe, he uses his leadership talents to help the youth of his own neighborhood better navigate their lives. His endless energy and desire to serve are truly an inspiration. Listen in as we do a deep dive into the great work he is doing. Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 JP Granillo 00:02:05 Young Life 00:08:20 Summoning the Feds 00:15:30 Getting Creative 00:18:20 Held Back by Others 00:25:45 CEO for YouthWorks (http://santafeyouthworks.org) 00:39:13 What can you do right now? 00:40:10 A Society of Skewed Values 00:41:45 Workings of YouthWorks 00:54:00 Final Piece of Advice

9 ABR. 2024 · George Smith spent his first years in Compton California in the early 80s. When he was very young, his mom moved him south, out of the city to keep him away from trouble. And it worked, for a while. As he turned 16, a series of events led them back to Compton and in spite of never having any kind of trouble before, by 17 there was an incident that resulted in a double life + 44 years sentence. For 15 years he tells us what it was like in the middle of gang life of the prison system. Then it all changed as he had a spiritual experience that completely changed his path. He calls August 8, 2012 his birthday as he left the gang life and started him down a different path. That change led him to do something incredible that gained him a pardon from the Governor of California. An author, a counselor, and a mentor, he has, since 2012 lived a life of service and peace that is exemplarily. You will be amazed at his story. Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 George Smith 00:01:38 Sponsors 00:02:39 Young Life 00:08:38 Back to Compton at 16 00:15:08 Filling a Need 00:23:00 Double Life Sentence at 18 years old 00:30:35 A Moment of Reflection  00:47:40 Discovering Miracles 00:50:30 Being an Agent for Change 01:01:50 From Life-Sentence to Free 01:08:34 Advice for Young Self “Ask for help… It’s okay…” - George Smith

4 ABR. 2024 · This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview with Josh Penrod   Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy - http://theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - http://mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project - http://peacefulprisonsproject.com  00:00:00 Part 2 00:01:18 Sponsors 00:02:04 Utah’s Most Wanted 00:07:40 Standoff 00:12:17 A Moment of Clarity: Take 2 00:21:00 3.5 Year Sentence 00:29:39 We Want to Change 00:39:00 Finding Vision 00:48:00 My Story Matters | Captain Your Story 00:59:00 Advice