felony inc podcast

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

Jessica Katz had an opportunity to go into the New York prison system to advise inmates on their familial rights. This led to applying for a job that put her the Family Preservation Project to help understand why people are in prison as opposed to focusing on just the punishment, which doesn't help decrease the recidivism rate. So for the last 17 years, she has been in charge of the project. Never an inmate herself, Jessica realizes she is lucky that she can go in and out as she pleases, but as a mother she relates 100% to the mothers who are locked up. Visits are definitely a big part of the program, but rebuilding the humanity and dignity into the incarcerated mothers is what creates the healing and solid families after they are released. Our very own host, Meg Thibodeaux, an ex-incarcerated mother, has volunteered to mentor in the program. Mothers also participate in the rebuilding of mental health of their children, who obviously are traumatized over the separation and the shame and stigma of a mother in prison. 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

While hiding under a tree in rainy Portland, Oregon, Tobias of the band Soft Kill gives this interview; very Portlandish. He grew up in the other Portland - Maine - and was raised by his Mom while his father was a musician on the road. Suspicious his parents were addicts and battling with his stepfather, Tobias gravitated to a crowd that got into trouble and the path led to doing bad stuff. He wanted to be part of an older crew and did what he needed to impress them, a typical situation. It was cocaine to heroin and all the crime that goes with keeping supplied. He was looking at 21 years of prison time. Now out, he is lead singer of Soft Kill, but that didn't happen until he confronted the fact he was an addict. It was Narcotics Anonymous that helped him to see that life could exist without drugs and alcohol and now he's out in front of the audience and creating music for all to enjoy. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Brian Lindstrom was shaken with the story of James Chasse, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia who died in police custody in Portland, Oregon on September 17, 2006. So disturbed with the outcome after the DOJ got involved and no action seemed to be taken, he subsequently produced the film "Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse". Continuing his curiosity with the penal system and its effect on people and families, he was struck with the movement to get children into prison with their mothers to help the healing process and particularly to keep the family together after the mom's release. "Finding Normal", 2007 was his work, getting inside the prison to document three long-term addicts trying to rebuild their lives with the help of peer counselors. Lindstrom made the film on a budget of $5,000, shooting and editing himself. It was broadcast on Oregon Public Broadcasting and is the only film ever to be shown to inmates in solitary confinement at Oregon State Penitentiary. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A former guest, Coss Mart's background in a nutshell: In lacking health, energy and shape, Coss got inspired in prison and changed his lifestyle, body and mind. And he used this inspiration to start ConBody, a physical and online fitness company. Here's the latest: Coss's small space workouts, which were designed for the prison cell, now work for all the quarantined people during the pandemic! It's a life skill to be resourceful in prison and with so much of the population staying home and operating digitally, ConBody is the answer to staying in shape in this environment. And there's a special connection here. Our co-host, Meg Thibodeaux saw Coss' company pitch as part of Defy, a program to fund and sponsor companies started up in prison by inmates. Now a going concern with a tremendous reputation, Coss has kept his company going by hiring well. First of all, he hires employees he can trust, so things can be delegated. Secondly, a great work ethic so people will show up and perform. He partners with many non-profits companies to help put potential employees through their paces prior to hiring. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Born in Arkansas, Slink Johnson's family moved to Inglewood, California after his mother remarried. Coming up in an urban environment, he learned a lot from his upbringing which led him to rap and hip hop. He was introduced to the world of big time entertainment by his fellow performer "Short" (for short) who continues to be a great friend and considered a family member. A self-proclaimed clown of the party, Slink found comedy a natural profession and a chance encounter with a film maker gave him a chance to perform in front of the camera. That chance put him in front of Aaron McGruder and in the film "Black Jesus", which was a launching point for Slink. His career is in full swing and he gives the advice that has gotten him there: Put eight hours a day into yourself. If you have a job, put your time there, but also put the eight in for yourself. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

He married his Corrections Officer. At the moment of the taping of the show, Matt was moving from his home to New Mexico with his wife, also his former CO. Now that's a sense of humor. Their house, vehicles just happened. He was a minister months after leaving prison, has become a youth minister and has a non-profit in almost no time. Matt and his wife have a food pantry they run out of their house, giving food and clothing to anyone in need, no stipulations. They love everyone regardless of belief or no belief at all. Matt never forgot how he was released from prison with no support whatsoever and how he turned to God to to keep from going back to prison. It has worked incredibly well for Matt, so maybe someone has a plan for him, as well as a sense of humor. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Zack Nolan has two companies, PDX Contractors and Mountain View Recovery, feed each other and ultimately help recovering ex-felons. Zack's PDX Contractors is his real estate investment company. He invests in land, builds houses and sells them in a for-profit entity. Mountain View Recovery offers housing and rehabilitation to those ex-felons who are recovering from addiction. The COVID-19 situation has impacted both companies, but surprisingly, both employees and recovering patients are proving very resilient. Zack took his own experience in rehabilitating to grow what is now a 120-bed organization he has grown from square one. And his experience is deep: He went into the penal system at the tender age of 14. But that harsh incarceration early offered him the chance to start giving back at an early age. Which means he has a long way to go and that's great news for those who need his help. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Founded by a husband and wife duo, Charles Simpson having been incarcerated, Bridges to Change was founded in 2004 to help released inmates navigate the patch to integrating into society again. A home was set up specifically to offer ex-felons a base of operations, and then additional houses were set up to focus on recovery and mental health issues. There are now around 60 such houses in a three county area around the Portland metro area. There are programs for those who need a short term helping hand and a model for those in treatment services. Those with a higher need stay in a single family home with more staffing and there and there also is a continuum of care for those in need of a longer runway. Monta Knudson spent about 18 years in and out of incarceration, and it wasn't until he had the support to help him with his transition that he made the change. And when he was offered a chance to mentor other inmates just released, he jumped at the chance to help others. That was the Bridges to Change organization of which he is now the CEO. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Scott Jennings has been helping inmates bring out their entrepreneurial nature with his program since the beginning of it. He addresses the drug dealers first in a group, pointing out they already have mastered the principles of supply and demand. They have recently made it into jails to do their teaching. And because of the pandemic, they have now pivoted to Zoom, which has allowed Scott to teach to amazingly expanded audiences. And he has some great lessons. How much money does it take to start a business? Scott stared Fit Tech Assembly with $75 and an old pickup truck and tools. He's now a million dollar business. The lesson? Focus and work hard and stay with your dream. And the power of Zoom in teaching? It allows more of the digital world in the videos, spreadsheets and documents that can be put on the screen while the teacher is presenting. Scott continues to evolve as a person and as a role model. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

In the time of pandemic, Meg and Dick discuss adapting, being flexible and handling the unknown. Plus, how the COVID-19 spread is so much worse in jails and prisons, with the dense living conditions, and how little the public is told about it. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Coming from a neighborhood with basically third world conditions, Eugene Brown was trouble pretty much from the beginning. So prison time was almost preordained. Eugene has been a barber before incarceration and that trade kept him plenty busy behind bars, as everyone had to shave and be bald then. He read voraciously, but became intrigued with the game of chess as those in the yard were a fascinating group. Luckily, he was taken under the wing of a great mentor who taught him the basics of chess: There's an opening, a middle and an end. Just like with life, chess is a pattern. And you should always remember: YOU are the KING and make your moves accordingly. When you accept your kingship, you stay out of prison. That's the foundation for his club that caters to the youth in need of this lesson. And the Big Chair? It's a real thing. A landmark, 19-foot tall chair from 1926 that's close to the clubhouse, so it acts as a directional. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Until he started "using", Kirk Charlton was a pretty good by his own account. But brushes with the law, including some Fed time landed him behind bars for over 20 years. Luckily, he began his career in prison, becoming acquainted with his gift as an artist. Only out on his own for a few months, Kirk has had to adapt to the fire hose of information and stimulation. Occasionally overwhelmed with social media, a colorful world and interaction with others, Kirk is navigating successfully but there are some exasperating days. The Art Inside Out program he developed a the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institute has helped a lot of AICs. But not in big, Ah-Ha type moments, in more gradual, therapeutic steps. Kirk got AICs into the program by bating them with art. Almost all AICs love art, as it an activity that lets them create and share. And for some, it becomes expression and a way to figure out why they are where they are. Kirk feels the big lesson with art is to teach sufficiency, an extremely valuable to AICs. Being sufficient is enough; expecting perfection and then feeling inadequate when it's not achieved leads to despair and depression for many. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Return guest Georgia Durante has seen the stunt driver business change. More often than not, the drivers need a second job to keep alive; it's more part time and the advertising business has taken over the movie business. It takes a team that has worked together to pull of a great stunt, and Georgia hasn't been working the client side like she used to. And the current pandemic hasn't helped, when people can't get close to each other. Plus, she books a home - where Sharon Tate was murdered, incidentally - and has had cancellation after cancellation, which means refunds that are making cash flow really tough. The first portion of a movie in which she is involved now is trying to figure out how to finish it, with millions of dollars in the lurch, all Hollywood problems right now. But the pivoting point for Georgia is "The Company She Keeps", a Netflix series or feature film about her life. Started but now suspended during the lockdown. But when the production gets back on track, Georgia wants to double for the woman who doubles for her. Think about it. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A return guest, Emily O'Brien has pivoted her Canadian business since the last show to be called ComebackSnacks.com. Her women-owned business hires ex-felons, is a social enterprise and she's working to get other businesses to change their social policies. In this particular pandemic, Emily's business is lucky in the fact they produce food so they have remained open. However, adjustments are being made, including free deliveries. Their stores are located with other grocery stores which has kept their doors open. All employees have been kept on payroll so far,. She credits her time in prison as teaching her to adapt with new and extreme situations. And house arrest made it a lot easier to deal with the current isolation and keeping busy. When she entered the prison system, Emily was privileged in the fact that she had family and resources. Once she realized how few people had any resources in the prison system and were essentially doomed, it spurred her to work for social justice. Oh, and let's not forget to mention she started her popcorn business in prison, found some amazing recipes, and started the business on the outside, growing to the enterprise it is now. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Meg Thibodeaux and Dick Hennessy, Felony Inc hosts, talk about their incarceration experiences to let the public know rehabilitation is not really at the top of the institutions' lists. Health, both physical as well as mental, is low on the totem pole and our hosts have seen fellow inmates die for both reasons. The recent pandemic doesn't help, with visitations from family, friends and attorneys not allowed to see the inmates. And with the close quarters of the prisons and the changing of the prison personnel bringing in contact from others outside of the prison makes for a very bad situation for contagion. Connection to the outside also very limited and important to rehabilitation. Phone calls are being listened to and letters take forever to go out, be read and responded to. Video calls are great, but way too expensive for the masses in custody: Kitchen jobs pay the inmate twelve cents - yes, you read that correctly - but if you are fortunate enough to get a shop job you can get a whopping seventy cents and hour. Is this slavery? Inmates are purposely dehumanized to keep control and because society has decided this is punishment. But dehumanizing does not produce a human that will eventually be back out in society, and that's what lands so many back in the institution rather than being productive citizens. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Selling drugs at 11 and incarcerated at 17, Lawrence Carpenter knew he was an entrepreneur, it just took some time to realize he was in the wrong business. Now with a family, he thanks them for saving HIS life, because being there for them has given him the strength to live on the bright side of the law. Deciding to start a business, he wanted something he could do now - not after four years of college - and something that didn't take a lot of investment to get started. So, cleaning offices was a natural. At first, he tried to find out about how the business was approached successfully and asked those in the business how it worked. He found people wouldn't really share much information with him, so he just had to jump in, fail, get back up and keep going to figure it out. Which he did. Lawrence has discovered the power of relationship-building, and even though his business is based on contracts, it's always that human connection that keeps the business. And the ex-felon stigma? It has hurt Lawrence once in the past, just because of the restrictions on the contract, but he has overcome that by always being dressed professionally and acting professionally. He says that when you do that, your background never becomes an issue. 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Established author and professional audio voice, Todd Brown joins the Felony Inc. family yet again. Even with all his success, Todd never forgets to appreciate where he has come from and where he is at the moment. He still gets up in the middle of the night, walks around his home and touches everything, just to remind himself of how good life is. For the first time on the show, Todd talks about his childhood, where his mother took a beating from her husband on a regular basis. He was so outraged at the man that when he was 12, he took the shotgun stored in the closed, pointed it at the man point blank and pulled the trigger. "Click" was the only sound it made, as his mother had made the man unload the gun some days before, unbeknownst to Todd. Another beating for Todd and you get the picture. Todd ran away at 16 and a bus driver who noticed he rode the bus often to avoid going home and took Todd into her home until he got out of high school and joined the Navy. Fast forward: Now with about 40 titles under his belt, Todd is a known national quantity. And his current family situation is stable; even though his present wife is his fourth wife, they are celebrating their 18th anniversary. It can happen and Todd's great attitude is proof positive. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Returning to the show to continue inspire ex-felons to stay on the right side of the bars, Sean Beers has an update on his world-wide enterprise. Defying all odds, Sean has evolved from ex-felon to attorney, CPA and now CEO of Portland Product Werks, an international clothing brand wholesaler. He recommends a book, "David and Goliath", by Malcolm Cladwell. These short stories about individuals who came from not-so-sumptuous backgrounds to become successful points out that sometimes overcoming tough circumstances can be an advantage and not a disadvantage. As Sean says, it may not have been the smartest thing to dig himself a big hole from which to climb out, but that's the way it happened and he dealt with it. The shock value of the LA County jail was what it took to turn him around, but it worked. So what's been happening? Sean's company is licensing Pendleton footwear and the Dovetail brand is taking off. Dovetail is a Portland manufacturer that tailors work clothes for the women who are entering the construction, engineering and electrical fields. And consumer acceptance has been tremendous. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A friend of occasional host Dave Dahl, Tim Jensen is a Nebraska native who grew up in a mixed, but not particularly violent neighborhood. But it did lead him to drinking, which became his addiction of choice. It didn't start out as alcoholism, but more like a right of passage. That lifestyle contributed to his father dying when Tim was 12 and his sister was caught up in drugs. Tim is philosophical about it, having seen both better and worse situations for growing up in his travels around the world as a videographer. A smart kid, Tim's humor and mouth was both good and bad for him, making him popular with adults but sometimes a terror with teachers. His intelligence and athletic ability got him into the University of Nebraska, but Tim liked to "coast" on his natural ability rather than working hard. That attitude and a head injury put him into the communications department. That got him into a news network where he was employed, and found out he had a natural camera eye and a real gift. It put him into a place where he was married, had a house and a family. But the alcohol called and Tim went through the ups and downs that put him behind bars and put him out of work in many places. However, he came to that realization he was powerless in the face of alcohol and that's when life started to turn around. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A Boston native, Josh Menges moved to Salem, Oregon and enjoyed a middle class upbringing. He enjoyed it a little too much, starting as a tagger in the seventh grade. From there he got caught with pot in school, graduated to cocaine as a young adult and of course sold it to support his own habit. In and out of the institutions until his early 30's, a real friend "ratted" on him while on parole simply to get him caught and hopefully straightened out. It worked. He got into a circle of addicts who were sober and his life turned on a dime. His first real job was with Goodwill, riding a bike to work and packing clothes. But he moved on, now buying old houses, fixing them up and selling them. Also, he has found a niche buying bare land, building four-bedroom duplexes in a small college town. The model is for students who have spent their first year in a dorm (required) and are ready for unsupervised living (party time). Josh is raising his sights even more, looking to become a developer who builds his own sub divisions. Always looking up and on, no more looking backward for Josh. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Deciding "never, never to go back (to prison)", our returning guest Meg Thibodeaux was a single Mom when she entered the prison system with a son 18 months old staying on the outside. She began her criminal career as an entrepreneur, doing a bad job of choosing a dating partner and being dazzled with the huge profit margins selling Ecstasy drugs. Her involvement put her in the circle of organized crime families in the New York area and also in the crosshairs of law enforcement. Feeling disconnected and lacking confidence, being a dealer made her feel wanted and empowered; she was now in control. Of course, it ended with incarceration in 2003 in Federal, then transferred to County jail in the same county where she had previously imported and sold her drugs. The irony here is when she was arrested, she had been clean and sober for three years and had a two-month old son. Fast forward: She, her son and new partner have taken her love of yoga, art and clean living to help people manage their lives and have transformed a tavern into a beautiful part of the world. But it's not your usual tavern; alcohol is not a focus, the focus is using the tavern as an entryway to Forest Park, the largest urban park in the US. Meg urges her customers to enjoy art, good organic food and beverage or to go for a hike - they even sponsor runs in the Park. She has come full circle and turned her experiences and triumphs into inspiration for all, especially ex-felons. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Anything that can keep an inmate from returning to prison benefits everyone - society, the taxpayers, the inmate's family, and the inmate - says Dan Bielenberg, founder of Business In A Box. A return guest, Dan was a hands-on home builder and designer before the housing downturn. He decided to work for the State for the job security and wound up being fascinated by reforming law offenders. He has seen change, even in the words used, toward the attitude of reformation. For one thing, the word "inmate" does not exist as of this year, replaced with the tag "adult in custody" - AIC. So his programs allow AICs to start a real business while institutionalized, the idea being they will have a way to make a living and be in charge of their own destiny upon being put back into society. Now four years old, the program has developed high standards; you're either serious or you're out, and the AICs know it. Anyone who runs with the prison gangs or does anything against the guidelines is out for at least a year. Being part of a special program is a privilege and Dan will not allow any individual AIC to bring down the standards. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

"Fresh Out - Life after the Penitentiary" is Marcus' series of YouTube shows to help ex-felons stay out of prison for the next phase of their lives. Born to a young mother, Big Herc never got the full story on his father, and spent most of his youth growing up with his grandmother. His step father was in the military and he moved around a lot, but ended up living in the Bay Area for a time when being a "BMX" on a skateboard was pretty cool. But a divorce caused a move to a tough, crime-ridden neighborhood and with his Mom working two jobs, he let go of his athlete/good student routine and started selling drugs. He loved "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" TV shows, so he always dreamed of getting out of the hood and living well and even sent shoe designs to NIke, trying to get out legitimately. But getting out of the trap wasn't easy and, even though he was in college, he got caught and put in the system. A body builder, he actually won a contest with a special decision from the warden. He took his build to the porn industry, where he got the nickname "Big Herc". But back in the system after a slip up, he put together a crew to help other inmates with their legal troubles and that was a real business. It turned into a business brainstorming group and after getting out, he started "Fresh Out". Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

What's happened to CrimAnon since our last interview? Criminon was a true startup in the sense Bear and Zane had just begun their meetings outside of their institution. It was a real test of seeing who would show up, who would be taking the steps and who would acknowledge their addition to crime. Beginning on the same night at the same church, they began with a handful of people for an audience. In a matter of weeks, it has become a standing-room-only affair and they have added a second location on a different night. And they have moved into the local prison system. Meetings start with reading their original 12 steps and 12 precepts. There are wristbands for clean time and child care is available for those who need it. The person who chairs the meeting gives their story to inspire others. And in this episode, Zane chairs a "meeting" in the studio, giving his story. Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Darrell Buchholz started his prison career early, pre-18 years old. Intrigued by learning more about crime from other criminals, he got right back into the same cycle after serving his sentence. To feed his habit of getting high, random burglaries were his routine until, of course, he got caught again. Then 10 years in the Federal system woke him up. He had a family at that time and decided he wanted a career that gave back to the community and provide a living for his family. His brother suggested he get a tow truck, offer lower-cost tows to the blue collar people who didn't have a lot of money. Since those were many of the people Darrell had targeted in his burglaries, is seemed a natural way to give back. Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

In South Florida, Marq Mitchell heads an organization that helps those unfairly impacted by the criminal justice system by providing support, education and assistance re-entering society at a successful level. Marq knows the criminal justice system well, having "entered" it at age 13. Lots of challenges and deficits to work through and when he tried to re-enter society, had no support. Once he got himself on his feet, he decided that he wanted to help others facing the same situation. Having never had an advocate as a youngster, he tended to lash out at most everyone as a defense reaction. With every decision based on survival, his choices were not always good and was in and out of incarceration through his 20's. Out of the prison system, he got involved in pushing a bill to allow ex-felons to vote after their debt to society is paid. The bill passed by Marq lost his job over it, so he started his own organization, Chainless Change. The difference between his organization and others? CC does more than just trying to place ex-incarcerated in a job. They help those people address their immediate needs to prepare them to take a job and be a good citizen. Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

During the day, Dave always took some of his Killer Bread with him when he went and spoke to groups. But since he sold the company and doesn't run it anymore, he now takes his wisdom, words of encouragement and personal love, not the love contained in his recipes. He talks about his big fall from grace which landed him in prison, more than once, and how he decided to get it right and founded his bread company. That's part one. Part two has started after his second big fall from grace. Company sold, millions in his pocket and Dave went bonkers, going on a tirade that ended when he crashed into three police cars in his hometown, Portland, Oregon. That put him at the top of the humility chart and on to part two of his life, inspiring others and trying to do the right thing every day. He's helped many people stuck in that black hole of depression and guilt to rethink their lives and do the right thing as well. Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Just turning 40, Dick reflects on his current life, and putting on events constantly in his stripclub industry. Dick promotes heavily and even his one-night, "Miss Exotic Oregon" is five months in the making. But he has been doing this long enough that he does have it down to a business science and all the steps are predictable. He has learned how to artfully dodge the stigma of being in the adult entertainment business while providing the service his audience demands. For instance, donating to charities has been difficult, as some feel they can't take "tainted" money. And following the law; even the term "nude" must be interpreted correctly for him to keep staging his events successfully. And he's even been able to heal up his past by making it a family business: Mom is the company's CPA! Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Growing up in the tougher parts of North Portland, Oregon, Jay Eakin turned to dealing drugs and wound up becoming one of his own customers, an addict. Then, to support his own habit, turned to robbing banks out of desperation for cash and served time for four bank jobs. In prison, he needed cash - again - but with no banks in prison to rob, he turned to art. And tattooing was his medium, and he was good. Eight to ten hours a day he worked on being excellent; "When you do a tattoo for someone who'd killed a person, you want to get it right..", Jay laments. When he got out, he continued a grinding work ethic. Moving to the south US to be near his son, Jay worked a week of 12-hour shifts at a drilling rig, then a week at the tattoo parlor, then repeated the cycle. Eventually, his debts paid off, he moved back to Portland and opened up his own shop. Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

It's a 12-step fellowship for men, women, youth, survivors and their families who are committed to supporting and living a crime-free life. Both Zane and Bear spent almost their entire incarcerated time studying the criminal life style and the causes and incentives to keep doing it. They made a science out of it by studying addiction and discovering that when you diagnose addiction, you find that gambling, drugs, alcohol and any other addiction mirrors the high that criminals get when committing crime. So, why not treat crime as an addiction and help criminals overcome that addiction? That's the question they answered by taking pages from Alcoholics Anonymous and mixing it with Eastern philosophies and religions to come up with their own mission statement and start their organizations. And they organization treats the entire person, including their friends and family. Turning the recidivism needle back is their goal, and it's working. Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Dick Hennessy seemed to be attracted to trouble from a young age for reasons he still doesn't know. It seemed that the "Bad Boys" were popular with the girls, so Dick became one. He went to college, where he had a good job, but with long hours. He soon realized that selling weed at the same time he was doing everything else, he could make a lot more money and have a lot more fun. Graduating with degrees in Sociology and Business, Dick dabbled in the music industry as a way to launder money, but of course a series of events got him busted. All because he wanted to be popular with women. And then the ship hit the sand, he was caught up in a really bad crime situation of which he was relatively innocent, but became a felon nonetheless. On release, getting a job was the usual dead end, but he got a gig as a strip club DJ. He loved the job but the money was limited, so he went to promoting strip clubs instead and he has shot to the top of his industry and has control of his life. Felony Inc Podcast with your host Mark Gailey 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 live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com