What happens when belief systems, ideological worldviews, or long-held opinions you've defended as truth your entire life bump up against contradictions that prove those prior concepts as fallible? How do you deal with that tension? How do you explain it to yourself? These are just a few of the questions I tackle as I contemplate what each guest this season has taught me.

Today I am going to introduce you to one of the most driven, strong women I have ever met: Elizabeth Randall Hebert. As you will learn from her story, she is factually innocent. She had no reason to believe the system would not work for her. Yet she ended up behind bars. Elizabeth is now a fierce advocate for the formerly incarcerated, helps with re-entry programs, and speaks out for justice reform and against the injustice of the system to bring awareness.

It's not everyday you meet incredibly happy, optimistic, loving people who actively live what they believe...but today is your lucky day. Sithy Bin came to the US as a refugee at 4 years old. Sadly, Sithy was introduced to gang life in 6th grade. He has some very enlightening things to share about the lies and brainwashing kids experience in this lifestyle. In his early 20s he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for his gang related activities. You will be amazed at the highs and lows this incredible man has endured throughout his life and yet he remains optimistic.

The young David Shirley - before his transformation - is a person you love to hate. You are not cheering for him; you are actually glad he ends up behind bars and hopes he learns his lesson. He found the wrong side of the law at a very young age. For 10 years in prison he continued with his negative mindset and behaviors despite all the punishments the prison threw at him until ultimately relocating him to a different prison where the first glimmer of hope appeared. He now works as the Post-Release Program Manager for Defy Ventures in Washington.

The story of Laura Hernandez is a hard one to hear. She is the survivor of every type of abuse you can imagine. Living in a nightmare is the best way to describe Laura's formative years. Violence, chaos, and loneliness are also littered throughout her horrific memories. In her early 20s, Laura found herself serving a 27to life term in prison. However, while there she spent her time learning from therapists, partaking in every type of class, and even facilitating many classes. It was these programs that eventually transformed Laura's life. She came out a completely different and whole person. A story that begins with impossible sadness ends with unbelievable hope.

This is a compelling story you won't soon forget. Andy Lopez grew up in New York City as a first generation American from a tight-knit Dominican Republic family. He adores his mother, who single-handedly raised him and his 5 brothers. Gang life was the only life. He lived by the street code. Andy paints a vivid picture that gives us deeper insight into what attracts kids on the street to this lifestyle. Andy served two stints in prison, the first for 4 years, the second for 12. Ultimately, Andy chose to "drop the flag" of gang life during his second prison term and refocused all that energy into achieving his Associate's Degree through NYU's Prison Education Program. He currently resides in California with his brother and is working on finishing his Bachelor's Degree in Restorative Justice. I have no doubt that Andy's incredible light will touch many people in this world as he shares his gift of compassion with everyone he encounters.

My guest today is Darlene Luca. Not only is she the Southern California Career & Re-entry Program Manager for Defy Ventures, she also has 3 years of incarceration experience. This is a woman with a genuine heart of compassion for those hurt, broken souls on the street, in the prisons, and those newly released from prison. She understands the allure of gang life because she used to be in one. She connects with their fear, loneliness, and rejection. There is no judgement in her. She's been given a second chance to right her wrongs, learn from her mistakes, and become the best version of herself. She just keeps giving, encouraging, volunteering, educating, and affirming the value and worth of everyone around her. This is her story.

Today you will meet Nhut Thanh Vo from Westminster, CA . He is a dog trainer, mural and portrait painter, tattoo artist, and devout Buddist. After meeting him it is unfathomable to visualize this gentle, considerate man as a former gang member charged with murder and given a life w/o parole sentence. Nhut speaks thoughtfully with raw honesty about his past intentions, mindset, and assumptions. His awareness of his past weaknesses help him relate to others experiencing the same sense of isolation, prejudice, and self-doubt he was mired in as an immigrant youth. Becoming aware of his self-limiting beliefs through the teachings of Buddhism is what eventually turned his mindset and life around. That along with finding something he was good at - training dogs, began to breathe hope and life into him again.

Today I am visiting with Melissa O’Dell, the Executive Director of Defy Ventures Illinois. Melissa has been on the Defy Ventures team for the past six years, most recently in the role of Vice President of Programs nationally. Although currently residing in Chicago, she originally grew up in New York. Melissa is a person driven by fulfilling her sense of purpose in this world and to that end was led her to pursue her BA from Franklin and Marshall College in Government and Women’s Studies as well as a Master’s from NYU in Social Work and Public Policy. During our conversation you'll hear all about her years spent working at the Center for Court Innovation to provide new opportunities to individuals involved in the criminal justice system and increase the efficacy of the judiciary and how that directly impacted her current role with Defy Ventures. That is just the tip of the iceberg of Melissa's resume which is decidedly impressive. But even more impressive to me is Melissa's authenticity, her quest to do and be the good in this world, and her relentless drive to help change a broken justice system. She speaks with authority, knowledge, experience, and compassion. This is the soul behind Defy Ventures.

When you grow up with domestic violence, housing instability, and no parental direction how do you have the tools to be a healthy, functioning, contributing member of society? You don't. My guest today, Jose Vargas, had no one in his corner as a child. His understanding of what a normal life was like was skewed by a life experience filled with violence, hopelessness, and fear. Take a minute to imagine what that must feel like. This does not excuse the choices and behavior he made as an adult, but it does explain how he got to that point. We internalize the messages our peers, parents, and communities tell us verbally and non-verbally. Most of us only live with our parents for a short time but their impact is felt life long - for good and for bad. Dependending where you live and who you live with can change the trajectory of your life. We all need someone to believe in us - most of the time that someone is our parents. But what happens when you never get that? This is the story of what that looks like in Jose's life.

As a "white collar" criminal, Mr. Bertrone Pitts, Sr. speaks to us today of the moral ambiguity and misguided belief that convinced him that his crimes were harmless because they were not violent, gang related, or involving drugs. This mindset unfortunately cost him 20 years of his life in state prison. I was quite intimidated when I first met Mr. Pitts. I felt completely out of my realm. It's that feeling you get when you know everyone else in the room is smarter than you. I felt as though I was listening to a professor educate me about the ins and outs of the prison system from first hand experience. He is yet another individual that doesn't fit the mold of what you think a criminal looks, acts, or talks like. I hope by now we have learned to set aside our judgements and stereotypes and listen to each person we meet with the respect of a fellow human being that simply learned a life lesson the hard way.

Kathy Heinzel is somebody we all need to meet. She is like your sweet sister, nice next door neighbor, or concerned co-worker. She grew up in Minnesota with practical mid-western values. She raised two kids, became a police officer and later a detective, She has an abiding love of horses. Yet, her life changed forever one night after she decided to get behind the wheel of her car after having a few drinks. Kathy was involved in a DUI that resulted in the other driver's fatality. This could be you. This could be me. This could happen to any one of us in a moment of weakness and misguided thinking. It took a lot of courage for Kathy to share the story of one of the worst days of her life with us. It was especially hard for her because of the constant burden of shame she carries. Kathy is not the type of person that comes to mind when we think of incarcerated individuals. But as you'll hear from her own words, it was the place that brought her her greatest education. I hope her story is a wake up call for anyone who feels they can drink and drive without any repercussions.

Gilian Villatoro is my conversation partner today. He was born into a family that migrated to the US from Central America before he was even born. His educated father left behind privilege and family in order to start out fresh on his own in The North. They settled in LA where Ian now works as the National Operations Manager for Defy Ventures. He has an intimate understanding of the prison system as he also spent 12 years incarcerated. Not only did he better himself, earning 5 college degrees while in prison, he also had a hand in changing the entire educational system at the maximum security facility where he resided - all because somebody believed in him. We have a very compelling discussion about the importance of education inside the walls of prison, emotional literacy, and the hands-on, life-changing work of Defy Ventures.

Today I am honored to introduce you to Casey David, an aspiring film director as well as a self defense instructor from Los Angeles, CA. He has been given a second chance at life and is embracing it to its fullest. You would never know that he joined a gang at 12 years old and was eventually sentenced to 31 years in prison. Casey had me smiling from the minute we met. He's one of those people who has smiley eyes and smiles as he talks, which is contagious and makes you smile as you listen. He has a huge heart full of optimism, compassion, and joy. But that is only because he walked through the valley of trauma, pain, and loss. Casey's transformation happened because someone looked past his tough-guy facade and saw who he was at his core, believed in him, and ultimately changed his life. Casey lives every day giving back and being that person to those around him. He knows the power of second chances.

Today you will meet Sandy Rodriguez who is the Sr. Manager of Prison Programs for Defy Ventures. She oversees the in-prison programs at six correctional institutions in southern California. Sandy’s goal is to provide an excellent program to entrepreneurs in training (EITs) while simultaneously maintaining a transformative relationship with the prison and the reentry community. Sandy is proud to continue her work as an advocate for her community in dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. She strives to be an anti-racist abolitionist who recognizes that her upbringing as a child of immigrants in Southeast Los Angeles is directly tied to her professional career in the criminal justice field.

My guest today is Erik Andersson from Los Angeles, CA . Erik breaks every mold. He doesn't fit any stereotype you think he should. He's a muscular, athletic guy who has the most sensitive, empathetic heart you can imagine. He identifies as Hispanic but has white skin and strawberry blond hair. As you'll learn from our conversation, his racial ambiguity led to a lot of his insecurities. He speaks highly of his loving parents and his wonderful, supportive family, yet those close bonds weren't enough to keep him out of prison. He was the kid that was relentlessly bullied who grew up to be a violent, angry person. He's the perfect example of when you meet people, you really have no idea who they are and what they've been through until you listen to their story. I've heard it said that when we judge others, we're wrong 90% of the time. That seems about right to me. Erik is thankful for the journey his life has taken and although painful, knows that this was the exact path he needed to become the whole person he is today. He is genuinely free...physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. He let all of it go and now lives a full, free life that is all about helping and encouraging others.

I am so excited to introduce you to Chris Johnson. His narrative is filled with incredible self-reflection and awareness of who he was vs who he is. He speaks with a depth of honesty that is a rarity. I am in awe of Chris' clarity of expression and thought. The themes of fear, courage, cowardice, and the need to perform to feel valued are common threads running throughout his story. After spending 15 years in prison for robbery, Chris Johnson was recently released this past May, and now works as a Transformational Coach for the non-profit group Success Stories.

My guest today is Quan Huynh. He has been described as a mighty warrior, a magician, and a mountain of goodness. He is the bestselling author of "Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life Sentence." His book was written for men that are doing long or life term sentences, and in it, he shares how he found his freedom years before he was even paroled.

Welcome to Season 3 of Gramercy. This season you will get the privilege of meeting the formerly incarcerated and those who mentor, employ, and restore hope into their lives. I am partnering with Defy Ventures to bring you this dynamic series that will teach us what the journey looks like for Life After Prison.

It's that time again. Time to reflect about what we've learned and where we go from here. I have so far to go...but, thankfully this is a journey and I'm on the path forward. Thank you again for allowing me to share my journey with you.