The Angry Therapist Podcast How Shaka Senghor Turned His Life Into a Beacon of Hope - Part 1
Dec 8, 2025
Shaka Senghor, an author and criminal justice reform advocate, shares his deeply transformative journey from 19 years of incarceration to becoming a beacon of hope. He discusses the powerful impact of forgiveness, revealing how it liberated him from anger. Shaka emphasizes the importance of imagination and human connection, even in solitary confinement. He also reflects on the grief, shame, and vulnerabilities that shaped his healing process, and the healing groups he started within prison that fostered growth and resilience.
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Mother's 17-Year Absence And Hope
- Shaka Senghor described his mother not visiting him for 17 years in prison and the devastating impact of that absence.
- When she finally visited, it created a burst of hope and reopened the possibility of relationship for him.
Arrest At 19 And Long Incarceration
- Shaka was arrested one month into his 19th birthday and convicted of second-degree homicide in 1991.
- He served 19 years, including seven years in solitary confinement.
From Restriction To Possibility
- Shaka frames his journey as moving from grief, anger, and shame to resilience, forgiveness, and joy.
- He presents practical practices rooted in lived experience rather than abstract self-help theory.
