The Inside Circle Podcast with Eldra Jackson III

Sometimes, you must push past the voice that whispers, "I'm not the right person for this." Hawi James Ouma did precisely that when he began working with children affected by the justice system. Recognizing the need for positive male role models in the lives of young men, James founded Life Song Kenya. Join Eldra and James as they discover universal threads of trauma and redemption across the globe. Visit lifesongkenya.org/ to lean more.   

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris discusses Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact on health disparities. Topics include trauma-informed care in correctional settings, supporting officers in healing environments, effects of childhood stress on decision-making, personal journey of healing trauma, and self-compassion through inner child work.

Discover the transformative journey of Heru Enkamit, who found liberation after 27 years of incarceration. His life's tapestry is woven with poignant moments of awakening pulled from the street, prison, fatherhood, work with Inside Circle, and his journey from release to entrepreneurship. Join us for a thought-provoking dialogue that inspires deep reflection on your own life choices.

Flight instructor, life coach… felon? Sarah Hainstock trusted the wrong person and ended up serving time in the Ohio State prison system for drug trafficking. What she experienced during her 18 month sentence was marked by chaos, absurdity, and a profound sense of waste. With one in four adults in America now having a criminal record, Sarah's goal is to help those in power realize that we are failing our citizens.

Sean Wilson knew better, and fortunately, he never forgot who he was and what he was destined for. In the 17 years he was incarcerated, he dedicated himself to learning as much as he could, even finding a loophole in his prison’s  maximum book policy by requesting photocopied versions of books. Now, 6 years later, he is the organizing director of Dream.Org's Justice team, committed to working with anyone and everyone who wants to address and reduce the footprint of mass incarceration in this country.

Experience the inspiring journey of Justin Danforth from incarceration to serial entrepreneurship. After serving a sentence of over 14 years in the North Carolina Department of Corrections, Justin's life took a remarkable turn and through daily dedication and unwavering commitment, he was able to transform his life. Join us and prepare to be inspired as Justin shares his story of perseverance, resilience, and finding purpose.

Discover the inspiring story of Stacey Gonzalez, a former alcohol addict turned Therapeutic Counselor and Men's Coach. Join him as he shares how he overcame his struggles and now dedicates his life to helping men embrace their masculinity, overcome their traumas, and tackle their greatest obstacles. Explore the pivotal role that love played in his transformation and gain valuable insights into how you can make needed changes in your life.

Calen Robertson was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. He was gang-impacted from a young age and through a personal epiphany he came to understand the preciousness of time and decided to stop wasting his own. He now actively works to bring kids in his community out of gang life through safe community partnership with the organization New EDS 101.   

Tommy Shakur Ross was paroled in 2022 after being imprisoned for over 36 years. Shakur was formative in launching radio programing at San Quentin, producing stories for KALW in San Francisco and in 2017, Shakur received an award for excellence in journalism by the Northern California chapter of the Society for Professional Journalism. In this episode Shakur talks about key milestones that led to the healing of his childhood traumas and how the gift of empathy transformed him into a formidable force for good in his community. Check out Shakur’s work at www.weareuncuffed.org.

A survivor and product of the streets of San Francisco, community activist, Jabari Jackson was raised in a violent, chaotic world that was defined by addiction, crime and incarceration.  After decades in and out of prison, Jabari shares how change became possible for him. Today, he’s committed to the restoration of underserved communities and lives to fight for restorative justice and the recovery community.