Episode 19 - Guest Nick Yarris on being on death row for 22 years for a crime he did not commit & how he used kindness as the ultimate healer
Jun 17, 2020
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Nick Yarris, a writer and speaker wrongfully imprisoned on death row for 22 years, shares his harrowing journey from despair to hope. He discusses using kindness and neuroplasticity to reclaim his life amidst brutality. Nick highlights the power of self-love and positive thinking in overcoming trauma, revealing personal insights about resilience. He also recounts the emotional battle to exonerate his friend Walter O'Grady and stresses the importance of compassion in healing and personal growth.
Nick Yarris illustrates how practicing kindness during his wrongful imprisonment not only aided his healing but also uplifted his fellow inmates.
Through a spiritual journey that transformed his anger into understanding, Yarris emphasizes the importance of hope as a coping mechanism on death row.
After his release, Yarris became an advocate for justice, tirelessly working to raise awareness for wrongfully convicted individuals like his friend Walter.
Deep dives
The Power of Kindness in Adversity
Nick Yarris emphasizes the transformative power of kindness, even in the face of severe adversity. Despite the brutal circumstances he endured on death row for a crime he did not commit, he maintained a commitment to kindness as a guiding principle. He highlights that kindness is vital not only for personal healing but also for improving the lives of others around him, particularly fellow inmates suffering from their own burdens. Nick's journey illustrates how acts of kindness can be a source of strength, providing a sense of purpose and identity even when faced with inhumane conditions.
The Role of Hope and Spirituality
Yarris discusses the complex nature of hope and spirituality throughout his 22 years on death row. Initially filled with anger towards God, he turned to studying various world religions to seek understanding and find solace. This quest for spiritual knowledge allowed him to cultivate a respect for the beliefs of others and to reframe his outlook on life and death. Ultimately, Yarris found that nurturing a hopeful spirit helped him manage the profound stress and despair of his situation, demonstrating the deep connection between spirituality and healing.
Advocacy for Innocence
After his release from prison, Yarris dedicated himself to advocating for other wrongfully convicted individuals, particularly his friend Walter O'Grady. His conviction to help Walter was born from their shared experiences of injustice on death row. Despite numerous setbacks and the emotional toll of survivor's guilt, Yarris has taken concrete steps to pursue Walter's exoneration. His activism is marked by public speaking engagements across Europe, where he raises awareness about wrongful convictions and the flaws in the criminal justice system.
The Importance of Self-Compassion
Another critical insight Yarris shares is the power of self-compassion in navigating life's challenges. He emphasizes that in order to help others, it is essential to first cultivate a loving relationship with oneself. This principle became evident during Yarris's time on death row, where he learned to speak kindly to himself despite the brutal treatment he received. By fostering self-love and acceptance, Yarris discovered a pathway to emotional resilience, empowering him to face life's difficulties with grace and strength.
Living with Purpose Beyond Trauma
Yarris reflects on how his experiences have shaped his understanding of purpose and identity, particularly after leaving death row. He conveys that rather than dwelling on what he lost during his time in prison, he has focused on the skills and insights gained from that time. His life is now committed to creating positive change in the world, exemplified through his advocacy and upcoming documentary project. By framing his narrative through a lens of gratitude and resilience, Yarris encourages others to find meaning in their struggles and to pursue their values passionately.
In today's episode Alice is joined by the amazing Nick Yarris.
Nick is a writer and a speaker, he has a documentary of his story on Netflix called 'The Fear of 13', where he shares his own story of being wrongly imprisoned on death row for 22 years for the murder and rape of a woman he had never even met.
He fights for other wrongly incarcerated prisoners on death row to see them freed and recently after the podcast was released, won a long battle he talks about on there, to see his friend Walter Ogrod, whom he met on death row, finally be released as he was also innocent.
In this episode we talked all about Nick's story of how he got to be on death row, how he managed to eventually prove his innocence, how he made sense of spirituality, how he held onto love and kindness on death row where he was being treated with such inhumane hate and how used neuroplasticity and kindness to himself and others, to heal from all the trauma he went through.
Nick Yarris is the subject of the Netflix documentary The Fear of 13 released in 2015.
He is the author of the autobiography Seven Days to Live My Life (2008). He has also published books called The Kindness Approach (2017),My Journey Through Her Eyes (2017) and Monsters and Madmen (2018).