Los Angeles based 70 Million Jobs was founded by Richard Bronson, formerly of New York. You know, the home field of Wall Street? Where the Wall Street Wolf story took place? Well, Richard was a partner in that company and lived the crazy life for some time. He then left, moved to Florida and started his own company, another financial services company that grew to $100 Million with over 500 employees. But the same Wall Street greed was there and a lot of things Richard did were illegal. The saving grace was that he and his partners paid back all the investors before being prosecuted, which probably made his sentence as light as it could have been. Even going to prison was a relief to Richard, as the constant pressure of untangling the web they has spun was having a huge drag on his life, the guilt and sense of embarrassment being part of it including the loss of all his friends and wealth. So he came out of prison completely the opposite of the life he had been living: broke and homeless as opposed to having private jets, mingling with celebrities and gambling the night away in casinos. The time he spent in prison humbled him, but did not prepare him for release. He wasted a couple of years figuring out what to do with the rest of his life, and he found a non-profit organization to work. He enjoyed the food for the soul he got out of it, but decided the organization was not really having an impact. And that impact, he decided, was lowering the recidivism rate. So that gave him a goal and his calling in life. He launched a for-profit company that took an approach which employed technology and being aggressive business people - showing employers the "profitable" practice of hiring ex-felons and those with misdemeanors. That was a win-win-win; the employers got a benefit, the ex-incarcerated got a job, and 70 Million Jobs made money for the investors. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Interconnected and interdependent is how George Galvis, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, sees the world his organization is building. He takes a view of history where he broadens the context of events and particularly the versions of history. It inspires him to move forward working with young people with experiences similar to his. As early as three years old, George remembers fearing domestic violence and his mother's life; his father at maximum rage and his mother turning blue from lack of oxygen. And, as happens so often, George then repeated what he had experienced. He took his rage and violence to the street as a young man. At 17, he was arrested and charged with a felony. He was lucky that he was not a legal adult, so his sentence was not as severe as it could have been. He then entered community college and started moving on, always worrying about his record becoming public knowledge and hurting his chances for advancement. Then he met some influential people who taught him cultural awareness which meant healing was a big part of his daily life. Community involvement was another leg of the stool and George interpreted that to mean activism as well as connecting. He then organized resistance to some California ballot issues he deemed to marginalize specific groups. The last component was higher education, learning the vocabulary and framework to express himself and his views. He took that to the hilt, transferring to UC Berkeley and graduating with honors. Thus the foundation for CURYJ. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Want to take the guesswork out of your next big surprise party? Then have an all-day spa delivered to your home, hotel room - basically anywhere - by Pamper Perfect Mobile Spa. But that's just one of the side businesses for dynamo Allison Garret, a motivational speaker and life coach. Born to teenage parents and put up for adoption immediately, what was supposed to be a short term stay with adoptive parents turned into long term. Then her birth mother died of leukemia at 19 when Allison was a two-year old. Allison went through the foster care system, which was a tough journey. She dropped out of school in the eighth grade to take care of her siblings. A move from New York to Delaware did not work out well and she started running away to be "on her own", for which she was not prepared. Petty crime led to the in and out of the courts routine until she was declared a habitual offender, after which she received a seven year sentence in the Pennsylvania system. The shock made her figure out how to change her life. With two small children at home, Allison was at least fortunate to serve two and a half years before being paroled. And she used that time wisely, to research what opportunities she could pursue, and NOT pursue. As a felon, she identified 250 professions she could not practice as an ex-felon. So the idea of a mobile spa was born, as often happens, out of necessity! She knew people in the industry and it became her first business. From just asking friends and family to come over for a party, it literally grew from there. Coaching and speaking came after she told people over and over her story of having a felony charge on her back, no money, no credit and only the drive and confidence to succeed. So the "How did you do it?" question led to the book and her writing career. Allison realized she was in prison long before she was incarcerated, and that realization has set her free. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Artist, organizer, advocate and speaker, Aimee Wissman is a machine. An Ohio native, Aimee had a lot of instability growing up and those insecurities led to a heroin addiction at age 16 that lasted about 10 years. She did, however, manage to graduate high school and get a couple of years of college. But bad relationships and bad choices put her in the prison system. Aimee tried to get treatment before that, but the typical system of expensive treatments, no insurance, yaddah yaddah made it impossible. She did use her incarceration time to make a short film, reflecting how she tried to change her life but nothing was available in her situation. A burglary and robbery charge were considered violent crimes, so her sentence was harsh. Aimee gave birth to her daughter about a year before starting her sentence and tried to shake her drug habit. However, a domestic altercation with the girl's father threw a wrench into that path. Coupled with an eight-year sentence and a maximum security incarceration for the first two years, Aimee had her face-the-music moment. She began making art objects to send to her daughter to keep connected, and that gave birth to a full-blown program that was running full steam by the time Aimee left the system. Others have produced their own films and and have gotten public notoriety giving rise to a larger discussion of why people go to prison, and particularly, why women go to prison. And if you have a chance to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in the near future, you can see Aimee's work on display. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Founded in 1971 by Morris Dees, an Alabama lawyer and businessman, Morris saw an obligation to stand up for the disenfranchised. He sold a successful book publishing company and started a law practice to give them a voice. Jackie Aranda Osorno is a staff attorney at the law center. A self-described "Latinx queer woman", Jackie immigrated from Mexico and experienced legal systems that categorized and pigeon-holed people by stereotypes. After graduating from law school, she went to Southern Poverty Law Center for a couple of years, then left to do some immigration work, then returned where she currently resides. She deals with revising the legal system to direct sentences to be more in line with the crime, and treatment as opposed to long incarceration and real rehabilitation as opposed to warehousing with no change in behavior. In particular, dealing with prison systems that are overcrowded and understaffed is a huge challenge that she and the SPLC are addressing currently. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

No, not an ice cream flavor, Cheri Garcia is a vibrant personality, really more of a machine. Absolutely not from a broken home or the typical tough background, she was the ideal kid. On the cheerleading team, pitcher for the softball team, anchor for the school newspaper - the ideal kid. So what happened? She decided to try meth with the promise to lose weight. That did happen, but so did her interest in all the good things she was doing. As an addict, people stop caring about their former lives and that's exactly what happened to Cheri. Miraculously, she graduated from high school and managed through sheer will to cold turkey. Then she focused in on her life's goal, being a journalist on TV. She got a job in the newsroom and also pursued other entrepreneurial passions, such as teaching gymnastics. She then took her ability to the prison system, helping inmates in their entrepreneurial programs establish a business or career. Since starting a business with "fifty bucks and a bus ticket" was not viable, she shifted to helping get released felons prepare for and get a job. Having now put herself out of a job, she figured that now connecting those ex-felons with employers, and second-chance hiring was born. With a great name, Cornbread Hustle now finds itself with more demand for employees than they currently can meet, a real change in hiring philosophy on the employer side. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Brian Stanley is a Court Advocate for the East Harlem, New York City, for Avenues for Justice. Which means, he helps save young lives by giving youth who have been caught up in crime a second chance to straighten out their lives for the good. And the results are impressive. Through "AFJ" as they call it, young adults receive drug rehabilitation, education, counseling and job training to create a path to a successful life on the outside. And their results are impressive. AFJ has been at it for 40 years, and at a fraction of the cost of incarceration per youth, their website boasts that 90% of their graduates stay out of prison, versus the incredible high recidivism rate of the current prison system. Brian himself was arrested at 18 facing felony charges that gave him a chance to keep his records sealed if he got his life straightened out. He did, and went on to Howard University successfully and inspired him to want to show other troubled youth that there could be a second chance to a better life and was obviously drawn to AFJ and its mission. Perhaps the largest accomplishment of AFJ is its "partnership" with the court system. They intervene when they feel there is a youth who could successfully navigate their program and give the courts an alternative to incarceration. This model is one that definitely should be copied and recreated throughout the country. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A middle school dropout, James Monteiro left his mother's house, moved in with a woman 10 years his senior and was "exposed to things no 15-year old should be exposed to". That experience set James up to spend the next 20 years or his life incarcerated up and down the east coast. Upon release, he only had his 8th grade education to fall back on and that led him back to prison, a repeating cycle. His last incarceration of 10 years made him think he never wanted to go back and he began working on getting a college degree. He got his associate degree, but a bachelor degree on his prison pay was out of reach. But he had people who believed in him and he was able to get the degree before release. However, as the Re-Entry Campus Program's website says, it's one thing to be locked up in prison, it's another to be locked OUT of society. So began Re-Entry Campus Program, to help other incarcerated souls achieve a college degree whether out of prison or still in. Nationwide, there are 90,000 incarcerated people taking college courses, but after release, there is no tracking of who is following through and finishing to get their degree. That's where Re-Entry is their safety net, helping them with financial aid, enrollment, proctoring exams and so forth. And so far, there has been little recruiting, almost everyone finds Re-Entry by word of mouth. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Damien Linnane's first book, "Scared," is a reflection of his unusual background. From inner-western Sydney, Australia, Damien's father met his mother, a social worker, while in prison for robbery. His parent's relationship was rough, leaving Damien caught in the middle. This dynamic, combined with Damien's experiences of child abuse, manifested as anger issues leading to the violent incidents that put him in prison. Although sentences in Australia tend to be lighter than those in the US, Damien still had a few years in front of him, including therapy. Diagnosed with autism, he had to move to a large city for the specialized treatment, which was not funded. Moving meant losing his job, leaving him with no money to pay for the therapy, or stay in place and violate his court order and go to prison. Catch 22! He wound up with two years because he had $1,200 to hire a psychiatrist, but if he had $20,000, he would not have even gone to prison. But that's where he started his book, which he credits with making him take the time to write. And he wrote it in five months because of the focus of his time, which is very fast in the eyes of most writers. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Focusing on the Austin, Texas community, the Austin Justice Coalition supports, teaches and advocates for black, brown and poor people by influencing local government and creating policy. Originally from Houston, Chas Moore, who heads the Coalition, moved to Austin because of sports. His brush with the law happened in high school, where he was caught up in a bad crowd and an incident gave him a record. But with that record and the subsequent stigma of being an ex-felon, Chas became a strong advocate for changing a system that punishes ex-felons with essentially a life sentence for many crimes that are not that serious. Chas had to sit in jail every weekend throughout high school and left him totally unprepared for college and the racial stigma of being black. He participated in marches and demonstrations, but came to the realization that long term improvements could only come with policy and law change, and so began the genesis of AJC. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Theme music "Free" written and recorded by Dave Dahl, all rights reserved, motherfuckers This weeks podcast brought to you in part by soap-on-a-rope, when you don't want to drop stuff Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Arriving from Ethiopia with his parents to the US to make a better life, Five Mualimm-ak's parents found that being black meant a struggle. So they joined community groups for survival and provided services in the Bronx including day care and other necessary services to the neighbors. His mother joined a group that provided assistance to women who had just been released from prison and has since passed. Five grew up outside the "compound" and travelled extensively with his father, who also taught martial arts and self-defense to men and women. Five grew up in service, always taking care of others' needs. As he grew older, he joined a street military organization, and participated in barter programs, where people could trade services for food. He then wanted to get into real estate and that is where his incarceration started. His time in isolation and incarceration is what gave him the impetus to start the organization and advocate for those who have suffered torture as part of correction. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Return guest, Marcus Bullock of Flikshop, in state prison starting at age 15, has a great story. He doesn't make any bones about it, he enjoys what he does. Flikshop connects those incarcerated with their family through a myriad of social media. As he says, "My Tik Tok is talkin'". His company helps share the joy and fun a family is having with their incarcerated loved one by taking photos or stills from video, then printing them on a postcard and sending them. To any person, any prison, anywhere in the country. Phone calls cost a lot, so do pads and laptops. The Flikshop postcards are very affordable to allow more families to connect with their incarcerated. Marcus knows that getting mail is the highlight of the day in prison, and human interaction of a postcard is only surpassed by the in-person visit. And that isn't even happening in this COVID environment. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A black-owned, contemporary soul food restaurant located in Portland, Oregon, Chef James Bradley has brought fame to the restaurant even in these lockdown times, no easy task. Growing up in rural North Carolina with a preacher father, James has retained his love for the south and all his family there. However, his father wanted the family to experience life, and so moved them rather frequently. However, moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania turned out to be a shock. After experiencing a culture of respect and manners in the south, James was abhorrent exposed to an angry and dirty black culture in Harrisburg. He had to learned to fight brutally at the age of 12. He began to rebel in more and more violent ways, as that was the right way to act, not reading a book or doing something relaxing. In a very bad fight, he beat a man savagely and started his felony record. Having a preacher for a father got James a break to go to college after serving a limited time. There was more drama, but James has kept his love for all people, friend or enemy. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

With an "outlandish" resume', Wendy Jason is transforming the world and the justice system with her Justice Arts Coalition, which highlights felons and ex-felons who are artists. With 25 years in social services, Wendy wanted people who grew up thinking they weren't wanted that they were wanted. It's been about bringing voice to those who have been marginalized. Later in life, she began to see how art could be the medium for helping people feel self-worth. Coupling that with her drive to serve, her experience in grad school, including teaching a creative writing class for a prison group, she realized people could share their stories in a trusting way and that brought a lot of people out of their shell. Her first experience was answering the question, "Why are you here?!?". Being a no-bullshit person, Wendy answered forthrightly, gaining both respect and trust, and solidified her belief that this is what she was meant to do. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Thanks for being our guest again and bringing your inspirational story to us, Eugene Brown! Author of the book, "From Pawns to Kings" and portrayed in the movie, "Life of a King", Eugene spent 18 years in prison for participating in a bank robbery at 20. The game of chess in prison taught him much more than a game, or to think, or to compete. It taught him the moves you make in life will make you a pawn or a King - the choice is yours. He has been making great moves since then and the biggest one is to pass that lesson along to others, especially the young people. Having an end-game is the most important thing to know before you make your first move. Eugene stresses that ignorance is the biggest impediment to everyone's enlightenment and the more we can shine light in a dark corner, the better society gets. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Justice Arts Coalition member, Carole Alden, is currently dodging the fires in Utah. Born in France as part of a military family, Carole moved back to the US as a baby, moved around the western states plus a stint in New Zealand, getting married and settling in Utah. With an artists' bent "from birth", Carole was constantly scanning for all the elements to make something; rocks, sticks, clay. A high school teacher encouraged her to feel she could make a living as an artists and that was the catalyst. "Aggravation is the mother of Invention" became her motto and adversity was her partner in prison, pushing her to learn to create. A self-proclaimed idiot savant when it comes to crochet, Carole's first notoriety as an artist came with creating a salamander while in prison and sending it off; the big start. Married to a man who pretended to be kind and loving, he turned out to be a con artist to marry and defraud his string of wives. When he realized Carole was not a goldmine, he became abusive and tried to kill her. Not getting police protection and cornered by him one night, Carole shot him and he died. Politically, the environment was against her and she had to take a plea bargain and gave up. She received her sentence and served partly in prison and county jail, which was much more restrictive than prison. But she overcame and now shares her talent to help heal. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Danny Wilson and Tracy Schlapp, musicians, were inspired by Johnny Cash's prison concerts and became determined to bring music and other art forms into Oregon's prison system. And their determination was tested, as a rigid system is not easy to get through. But an ally inside the system helped them navigate the "nos" and solve the security issues. Tracy is a visual artist and was also passionate about seeing the effect of involving inmates in creating art and delving into individual expression and discovery. From the music performance point of view, it's been very rewarding for Danny, as the audiences are very appreciative of the volunteer effort of the band. And no cell phones going off during the show! The audience talk after the performance was even more rewarding for the couple, as engaging with the appreciative audience was enlightening. So many of them wanted to share their story and how they were using their incarceration to prepare for a better life after release. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Another alumni of FPP, Ashley Dorety was struggling with alcohol and an abusive relationship, was a Mom and going to school, ALL at the same time. It came to a head when she was in a drunk driving accident where her passenger was injured and that led to four years of incarceration, because of the laws surrounding the accident. Her two-year-old daughter also was in the car so that complicated even more. The daughter was considered a victim of the crime and Ashley didn't see her for nine months because of the bureaucracy between DHS and DOC. But she joined made herself be busy in prison and wound up meeting Jessica Katz of FPP who helped her work with DHS and get to see her daughter. The rules and regulations of prison weren't known by DHS and thought Ashley wasn't communicating when in fact she couldn't. But Jessica kept helping and eventually Ashley got to be guardian while in prison and help heal the trauma and get set for a transition after release. And coming to grips with being an alcoholic who can be sober was the big breakthrough and life is bright and good. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast very Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A graduate, advocate and outreach volunteer for the Family Preservation Project, Nova Sweet was born in a tepee in Ashland, Oregon, eldest of four children of a single Mom. But she led a dual life. At school, she was a great student, liked by everyone, but in private she like to raise cane. She was tall, six-foot four and was an athlete who played basketball at Louisville; impressive. She continued to put on the straight laced face in school but smoked pot and ran with the fast crowd behind the scenes. But she graduated and received a degree in criminal justice. Paradox here? Her relationships with men were twisted as she looked for a father figure to fill the void left by her father and stepfather who were always drunk or absent. She moved back to Oregon and had a very bad relationship that led to more drinking, drugs, and incarceration. That couldn't stop Nova, however. After release, she received her second Masters' Degree in Social Work. Now with a value system that is her rock, Nova can take her story to others and use it to get them through their difficulties and not hide her past. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Our recurring guest who always has something new, Sean Beers, founder of Portland Product Werks, is an avid fly fisherman, in addition to a Bonzi skier. And now he's taken the lemons from COVID-19 and made a gallon of lemonade. The "secret" is planning ahead, which Sean did indirectly years before. He realized owning a brand three years ago was key and started doing that. With no knowledge of COVID beforehand, when it hit Portland Product Werks had alternatives. That meant putting their marketing dollars into direct-to-consumer sales, since many of their retail bricks and mortar were shut down. And cutting every expense possible including rent but NOT cutting personnel. Happy to be doing well when most of the working world is not, Sean stays humble and grateful for what they have and also keeps his team aware that what goes up can go back down. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com