The Inside Circle Podcast with Eldra Jackson III

Wake up to reality with Byron Katie, founder of The Work - four simple questions that will change your life. In a dialogue with host Eldra Jackson III that goes straight to the heart of what’s real and raw about transformation, Katie points us directly to the power of integrity and love. Learn more about The Work of Byron Katie at thework.com.

Soren Gordhamer is the founder of Wisdom 2.0, and produces unconventional, consciousness raising events that explore how we can live with awareness and wisdom in our current technology-rich age. In this vulnerable conversation between host Eldra Jackson III and Soren, listeners learn how Soren finds his sense of purpose from a connection with source, and how his history of working with incarcerated youth influences his work with Wisdom 2.0 today.

Exploring the impact of systemic racism on health care for people of color, the call for empathy, and the need to strive for equity, Dr. Joseph Betancourt shares how his Puerto Rican background informs his work and demonstrates the power of a calm, cool, and collected way of being when advocating for ourselves against systems of power. Listen as Inside Circle’s host, Eldra Jackson III, leads the dialogue through clear, relatable information about the COVID-19 pandemic and how to find reliable, culturally relevant resources.

Sarah, Rachel, Ciera, Heather, and Holly are all married or in long-term relationships with current or formerly incarcerated men who are part of Inside Circle. With Eldra Jackson III guiding the conversation, they share the joys, challenges, and endless indignities of loving men on the inside. These incredible women urge us to remember the great humanity and love of which we are all capable.

Fritzi Horstman, Founder of Compassion Prison Project, is committed to better understanding the impacts of trauma on mental health and incarceration, and increasing awareness of these issues. With Eldra Jackson of Inside Circle, she shares a thorough explanation of childhood trauma’s effects, and digs wholeheartedly into the personal experiences that have shaped her work.

When her husband started to become angry and withdrawn several years after leaving prison, Sheila Bruno was inspired to create Wife After Prison, a community of mutual support for current and formerly incarcerated people and their families. Sheila and Eldra dive deep into pain, challenges, hope, and love.

At twenty-three years old, Zayre Eure has already spent eight years in juvenile prison and is building a stable life on the outside with the support of Inside Circle and the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Young Adult Empowerment Program. Hear what unfolds for him after sneaking into his first circle.

From leading 4-month-long wilderness retreats for opportunity youth to teaching high school in New York City, Dan Doty, Founder of the men's group community, Evryman, has been committed to finding work that makes him feel vibrant and connected to our beautiful world. Eldra Jackson of Inside Circle finds inspiration and joy in Dan’s experiences overcoming obstacles and staying on his path.

Welcome to the Inside Circle podcast with your host Eldra Jackson III. Eldra spent over a decade unlearning dangerous lessons about masculinity and finding freedom while serving 24 years in prison.In conversation with leaders from all walks of life who have overcome some of lifes’ greatest challenges, The Inside Circle podcast aims to broaden our concept of personal transformation, ‘men’s work’, and what it means to ‘lead change from within’. Beyond the manufactured constructs of race, class, gender, and even criminal history, this deep dive exposes the heart of our shared humanity, revealing prison as an intensely personal state of mind that can be transcended at any time. Eldra is the Co-Executive Director of Inside Circle, a non-profit organization that supports justice involved people in transforming their lives. Featured in the documentary The Work while he was still incarcerated at New Folsom prison, Eldra’s TEDTalk about his personal journey received over 1.2 million views. The Inside Circle Podcast - where your truth will set you free. Learn more at www.insidecircle.org.