Nightmare Success In and Out

What happens if your worst fear becomes your reality? Brent Cassity was a successful CEO working in a family business that grew to a national company that was recognized by the media of being the pioneers in their industry. Brent had it all and lost it all. He found himself standing at the gates of Leavenworth Prison to serve a 5 year sentence. Brent’s podcast explores the stories of inmates who were in and now out of prison. What was life like before they went in, life inside prison, and life now that they are back home. These conversations are deep, sad. often funny, but always interesting.

Latest Episodes:

Multiple knockdowns finally finds peace and success - Shane Spurgeon Dec 29, 2022

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How many times can you get knocked down and get back up? Shane Spurgeon has had a life of falling down and finding the grit to stand back up and take another step to the right path. So much of Shane's life was locked into the wrong mindset believing he was not good enough. He believed he didn't deserve something good if it happened to him. Shane's story is raw, authentic, and vulnerable. Just when you think he has finally made it he falls again. He had a couple of people who finally showed up in his life that believed him, and did not give up on him when he was wanting to give up on himself. After all his struggles, he finally found his peace. Shane has been on quite a journey. He now is helping people who struggled with the same demons he escaped from to get them help.

3 innocent men wrongly convicted of murder - All Star Roundtable Discussion Dec 19, 2022

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Have you heard about the Lamar Johnson case in St. Louis? Lamar has served 28 years in prison with a nightmare case where so many things went wrong. I have an all star panel of Marvin Cotton Jr. (20 years), Ken Nixon (16 years) and Eric Anderson (9 years) all innocent men wrongly convicted of murder on my show talking about the Lamar Johnson case, and how the justice system can be fixed. Marvin says if all goes right Lamar Johnson could be home for Christmas after 28 years behind bars. This is a very insightful, powerful, conversation from the men who have lived it and now are out making a difference for change across the country. Marvin Cotton's Book "Better Not Broken" just released #1 on Amazon!

Wrongly Convicted of Murder-24yrs prison-finally freed-Darryl Burton Dec 15, 2022

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What would you do if you were picked out of a line up for murder that you didn't commit? Darryl Burton lived that nightmare and finally was exonerated 24 years later. Some hurdles really had to be cleared to make this unbelievable story happen. There were bad jail house snitches who later recanted their story, and eyewitness accounts that did not fit the description of Darryl, and on top of that, Darryl was out of the state when this murder happened. Darryl was sentenced by a jury after 30 minutes of "deliberation" receiving life in prison without parole to a prison what TIME magazine coined "The bloodiest 47 acres in America."...The maximum security Missouri State Penitentiary that has now been shuttered. The sign read as you entered, "Welcome to the Missouri State Pen. Leave all your hopes, family, and dreams behind.” Darryl was rightly enraged, and angered at the injustice that happened to him, but he used that rage to fuel his passion to be heard and eventually be exonerated. He studied the law and wrote to Presidents, congressman, senators, and organizations that helped free the innocent. He finally was freed after 24 years. He never gave up even when he joked his name should have been Darryl "denied" Burton. His story between those years is gripping and stays with you. Darryl is now a pastor at the The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist Church in the US. He runs an organization that helps people who are released from prison to reenter to society. You can donate to his organization The Miracle of Innocence. Darryl Burton is known as the Miracle Man, and his story is truly disturbing and incredibly inspiring. Look for Darryl's book coming soon Innocent; A Second Look.

From Child Actor to Prison Shot-caller- Peter Meyerhoff Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

How do you go from having it all as a kid, popular athlete, modeling, starring in a movie to sentenced to 12 years in prison at 18 and becoming the shot caller of the prison yard. Buckle up with Peter Meyerhoff because he has an incredible story to share. Peter walks us through the darkness of the prison yard...to hitting rock bottom once he is released. This is when he finds his passion to be the man he is today. He speaks to hundreds of people in prison to motivate them to find the right mindset and quit with excuses. He launched a nationally ranked podcast "Roll Call with Chappy." Peter's goals are to motivate people through his memtal strength tools he learned while in solitary confinement, helping others get sober, and to change the recidivism rate by showing people what's really possible. Peter is using all of his life experiences to make a difference helping others to the next step!

CEO Entrepreneur lands in wrong prison- Aaron Duncan Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

The crash of the 2008 real estate market went from bad to worse to prison for Aaron Duncan. Aaron grew up with a strong knit family. The oldest of 3 sons. He bolted out of high school to be make it big in business. He had impressive early successes. He first started his own travel company much like Expedia using his previous contacts working for TWA. He has a wickedly smart marketing mind that led him into creating his own real estate investment company, The Duncan Group. The real estate crash happened and Aaron went scrambling for solutions to get short term investors their money back. It didn't work and his in-house attorney turned him into the authorities. Aaron does an excellent job of walking us through his nightmare. His first day in a medium security prison will take your breath away. The worst possible way to to start prison. He took advantage of his library job and became an expert in criminal law. Aaron got out and hit the ground running. He now runs an international company Elevate Media. He represents athletes, CEO's, celebrities, and businesses with their crisis at hand. He is particularly helpful to the indicted/convicted individuals to help them through sentencing and tips for life in prison. Aaron has found a way to use his life experience to help others who have found themselves in the same position that he successfully survived.

Cop with PTSD helps others- Kevin Donaldson Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

How would you handle a life threatening situation? Kevin Donaldson is an ex-police officer whose life changed one night when he was shot at, and a bullet grazed his ear. His life after this event began spiraling down a dark black hole. It triggered post traumatic syndrome that led to thoughts of ending his life and trying to cope through heavy drinking. Kevin is a mesmerizing storyteller that leads us into his world of struggle and then finally finding a way to overcome. It is interesting to hear his story through the eyes of a police officer. He now has an incredibly popular nationally ranked podcast "The Suffering Podcast." As Kevin says, "Suffering is the way to sustainable success." Kevin helps people who are in a similar situation as his... find their way through the darkness to success. Kevin Donaldson is a true Nightmare Success Story!

Foster Care, addiction, prison, to master tattoo artist entrepreneur- Shawn Medina Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

How do you flip the script on a really tough childhood? Shawn Medina had the type of childhood where both his parents were no help to his sister and him. They were shipped around in and out of foster care because his mom was strung out on drugs and his dad wasn't any better living 1000's of miles away with his own personal issues. Shawn is very open and honest about his own struggles that landed him in prison and then a return to prison on a violation of his probation. He leads us through his struggles and how he found his way. He finally found his passion... met a woman that he loves, and operates Steel and Ink Tattoo Studio with his wife. This famed ink shop is not just doing award winning tattoos. Shawn and his wife have a passion for giving to the underserved communities and charities such as the Shriners, women's safe houses, Missouri Network and Opiate Reform, local school fundraisers, as well as, volunteering his time to help feed the homeless. Steel and Ink offers a financial scholarship program for graduating high school seniors from the area called, "Good Decisions." All the things that Shawn knew he needed growing up he tries to give back now using his success to elevate people in need.

Hedge Fund Manager, Prison, to Prison Education Czar - Travis Richey Nov 03, 2022

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Could you take a mess and make it into a powerful message? Travis Richey did exactly that! He is known as the Prison Education Czar in the United States. Travis is the man behind AccomplishED Ventures, the largest prison content provider in the U.S. Quite a journey that led him to his destiny. He had a tough childhood, his father struggled with drug addiction, and his mother worked hard to make ends meet. Travis got a scholarship and studied finance at the University of Miami. He became incredibly successful running an investment hedge fund. A knock on the door and life changed with Travis receiving a 2 year sentence due to a regulatory oversight in the State of Arizona. Those 2 years changed his mindset and purpose for life. AccomplishED Ventures is now on 750,000 inmate tablets in prison providing real hope for inmates to fix their lives and be a better part of society. His curriculum teaches life skills, job skills, entrepreneurial skills, and financial literacy. Travis is using his experience to change the narrative around incarceration and providing hope and opportunity for millions of incarcerated individuals who desire to change their lives. Wow! This is a feel good story. As Travis says, "You hold the pen to how you want to write your story!"

Catch me if you can! Matt Cox Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Did you like the movie "Catch Me If You Can"? Well, you will find Matt Cox fascinating. The episode of American Greed titled the episode "The Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde of Mortgage Fraud." His story has been chronicled on DATELINE NBC, FORTUNE magazine, and several others. Cox was a fugitive for over 2 years and ended up on the Secret Service Most Wanted list. Interestingly, there were always girlfriends assisting him with his cross country scheme. He had a strained relationship with his Dad. Matt was diagnosed with a learning disability early on. I believe, he was always trying to prove to his Dad that he was smart (Insurance Test Story)...with an IQ over 140 he was smart. He was finally captured and sentenced to 26 years in prison. While he was in, he began writing books for several inmates that he was incarcerated with. One of those inmates was Efraim Diveroli. That manuscript was made into a very popular movie titled "War Dogs." Matt began teaching a GED class in prison. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge about the business of real estate, and eventually began teaching a real estate class to inmates. Several of those inmates left prison and began successful real estate careers. I know Matt takes a lot of satisfaction with that. Matt now has a successful podcast titled "Inside True Crime with Matt Cox." He has several published books that can be found on Amazon. Matt is an entertaining storyteller and brutally honest about what he did and how he did it.

10yrs in prison for selling marijuana? Stephanie Shepard Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Can someone be sentenced to 10 years for selling marijuana? My guest, Stephanie Shepard, was. She was a first time, non-violent offender from a two parent suburban household. Stephanie said, "I thought going to prison would never happen to me." Her story of being arrested is mindboggling. She was released after 9 years and 5 different prisons, in 2019. Her emotions about the experience are still gripping and raw with how she survived. She shares the things that she learned in prison, and how she uses it on the outside. She also discusses how she did specific things not to lose "herself" in prison. Stephanie talks about the nervousness of getting back into society. How she had to fight for that first job opportunity. She is now a director of the Last Prison Project. LPP's mission is to set 1,000's of prisoners free that sit in prison for cannabis related convictions. President Biden, October 6th, pardoned 6500 with simple marijuana possession offenses. This is obviously a very current topic. The organization also helps with grants to help the ex-inmates get back into society who do not have a support system. Stephanie is using her experience to effect positive change and instill hope. She says, "It makes everyday worth it." This is a feel good story of overcoming!

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