I felt like a mistake.

I can't explain why but I just never felt like I belonged or was good enough.

Then I found drugs and alcohol and they felt like the answer.

I made worse and worse decisions until, just after my 18th birthday, my decisions led me to arrest and prison.

Only in prison, having lost everything, did I find the freedom to choose a different way to live.

I got a lot of help, did a lot of work and, after 19 years inside, earned the attention of the Governor of Viginia who believed in me enough to give me a second chance.

After receiving a condional pardon, I started working with people inside of jalis and prisons. I founded Second Chancer Foundation to bridge the gap between incarceration and opportunity. Over the years I realized it's not just people inside who can benefit. So, in addition to Second Chancer Foundation I help people free themselves from mental, physical and emotional prisons. Sometimes the work is helping them realize that they deserve it, that they are not a mistake. Other times it means navigating the complexities that stand in their way.

Whatever the issue, my goal is to help people be free. Sharing my story, writing, teaching and coaching are ways that my mistakes and my experiences help others avoid the same pain I experienced.