THE PRISON PROJECT

I am privileged to be coaching several incarcerated women. Most of these women have never been appreciated or loved unconditionally; most have never been told they are important or needed, special or valued.??Most have endured constant cruelty and unfathomable abuse.??Most have been enticed into submission through ulterior motives and/or pervasive manipulation. Many have lost their children and come from broken homes.

Aside from the locked bars on the windows and doors of their incarceration, these women are paralyzed in a prison of hopelessness, depression, and despair.

It is always remarkable to me when one of these dear souls finally chooses to rise as a Phoenix from her ashes.??When an inmate learns the world is filled with good people (as well as bad); when she learns there are people who genuinely care; when she can actually learn to trust humankind while maintaining appropriate healthy boundaries, these women experience breath-taking ah-ha moments.??I have witnessed unapparelled success in some, and honestly, have added to my ever-growing list of heroes.

Let me share the story of one inmate, in particular. I will call her Sally. As Sally is taught the lessons, tools and principles from the?GO Broken the Beautiful? (#1 International Bestseller) Manual and Course through New View Concepts, she is overcoming the unspeakable. Evaluating her partnership with God through the lesson on spirituality, she is climbing out of her?self-inflicted?prison.??She has found peace and relief through repentance, and love and acceptance from a God who cherishes her and loves her even when she makes bad choices. Her guilt and shame are subsiding and she is recognizing she IS a good person and that her mistakes do not define her.

Shackled by the ravages of a lifetime of abuse of every kind—including the abuse of a very cruel and savage mother–Miss Sally was drawn to drug addiction decades ago to anesthetize the pain. Raped continually by her mother’s boyfriends, Sally never knew that life could be gentle and kind.

Over the months of our?Response-Ability Coaching? together, Sally has welcomed a “new view.” As she trips and stumbles in our coaching sessions, Sally never fails to pick herself up and try again.??Conquering emotional triggers is not easy, but she doesn’t give up. She is truly striving to become her best self by doing her homework and practicing the tools and principles she is taught.??These tools have become an “insurance policy,” of sorts, and will arm her for the rest of her life as she faces challenges, adversity, and temptations. She will have the skills needed to exercise more productive and appropriate?response-ability.

Sally is learning to manage her thought processes and now recognizes the dominant negative thinking patterns that brought her to prison in the first place.??She has realized she is where she is because of the choices she alone made—stemming from her own negative, unproductive thoughts.??She is learning to be accountable for those choices, and no longer blames law enforcement or “the system” for arresting her and bringing her to justice. Sally has thanked the guards and warden and the administrative team for their involvement in her healing and recovery.??And the most remarkable experience in all this:??Sally has forgiven her perpetrators—and even her mother.

This woman did not have anyone to teach her the value of life. She never had someone share an example of integrity, or that healthy relationships are built on trust, respect, and appreciation. She never had positive and empowering role models. Sally did not have an influence for good that helped her build a balanced and productive life.

Truly now, however, as Sally reaches and stretches to live a higher law, as she recognizes she has purpose and is important in God’s eternal plan, Sally realizes the sacred gifts she has been given—especially as the mother of her own precious children. Sally knows now how important it is to nurture, buoy and uplift her children, and that no matter what choices they make in life, they are loved by a mother unconditionally—and a God who will always be by their side. She is teaching her own children the values and character attributes that will lead them to success and happiness–and most certainly, toward an eternity of joy. Sally’s influence will be felt for generations to come. As she sets an example of determination, tenacity, righteousness, and accountability for herself, for her children, for others, and for God, she is breaking the cycle of generational abuse, crime, addiction, and poverty.

Multistate?recidivism?analyses suggests an estimated 68% of released prisoners were arrested within 3 years, 79% within 6 years, and 83% within 9 years (NCJ Number 250975, May 2018,?Recidivism of Prisoners Released).?It is clear that without a plan, without education, without a body of people who care enough to reach out to help these broken people, not knowing or learning anything different, two thirds of these prisoners will fall victim again to temptations, poor choices, and the cruelties of human life, and their cycles of abuse and legal entanglements will continue. If these inmates go into jail/prison with no skills or tools to help them be accountable and more?response-able, and they likewise come out with no skills or tools, their lives will be no different, and prison/jail will most likely be in their face again.

We have created the?GO Broken to Beautiful??Foundation, Inc. and call our efforts,?The Prison Project.?As we teach the?GO Broken to Beautiful??and?GO Broken to Badass??Courses, combined with Neural Linguistic Programming through Yager Training, inmates embrace a new identity fortified by real skills, tools, and principles that help them live a life of accountability. If inmates truly internalize the lessons that help them go from survival to stability, from success to significance, they begin living and directing their lives on purpose with purpose.

We invite you to donate to this worthy cause -->?https://DONATE-GB2BF-ThePrisonProject?

THANK YOU.

When you change the face of a man, of a woman, of a family, of a community, you change the face of a nation.