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Today, I resume my work of going into federal prisons to make presentations. For me, walking through those gates isn’t symbolic—it’s strategic. Coordinating these cross-country trips to make presentations in federal prisons is part of a long-term strategy. I work to bring about the changes I want to see. It’s also fully consistent with what we teach at Prison Professors: live as if you are the CEO of your life.
What does that mean?
I didn’t come up with this phrase. I heard it from mentors, like my friend Greg Reyes, the former CEO of Brocade Communications. After listening to him, I began developing the phrase “living as the CEO of your life,” recognizing the value of making strategic, deliberate choices.
I am fortunate to have learned from many leaders like Greg. They built massive companies and created thousands of jobs. They knew how to think strategically, how to solve problems, and how to lead through uncertainty. I learned a great deal by listening to their stories, asking questions, and applying what I learned to problems I wanted to resolve.
Being the CEO of your life means making strategic, deliberate decisions.
A CEO’s job is to solve problems. To do that, a CEO begins by visualizing the best possible outcome. Then he builds a plan to bring that vision to life. He prioritizes decisions based on timing, resources, and long-term impact. Every decision carries consequences—some accelerate progress, others slow it down. The right decision at the wrong time is still the wrong decision.
A CEO must be decisive. He advances according to a plan, not according to the opinions of others. He builds tools, tactics, and resources. He creates accountability systems to measure progress, studies the data, and adjusts when necessary. And every day, he executes.
When I go into prisons, I’m executing my plan. I understand that many people do not like the work that I do. If someone derives a benefit from locking people in prison, it’s reasonable to expect that they would resist the changes that Prison Professors wants to make. They do not want to see reforms that would include:
Pathways for people to earn higher levels of liberty based upon the work that they do.
Opportunities to participate in work-release-type programs.
Meaningful movements to lower prison populations, and increase opportunities for people to transition into successful careers when they return to society.
Each visit to a federal prison is part of a strategy, a tactic that is part of the platform we’re building at Prison Professors. When I make these visits, they typically begin at 7:30 am and conclude at 4:00 pm.
First, I meet with the Executive Staff members. I want them to get a full understanding of our platform, and how it contributes to improving the culture of confinement. I show how our platform and leaderboards can serve as management tools—providing transparency into who is working hardest to prepare for success upon release. When more people are preparing for success, the culture of confinement improves. Violence declines. Morale improves—for both the population and staff.
Then I meet with the population. I deliver a series of 2.5-hour presentations. I need that time to earn trust. I share the story of how living as the CEO of my life opened opportunities during the 26 years I served. That mindset helped me build skills, relationships, and discipline that led to financial independence after my release. Today, I commit my career to building a stronger case for reform—but I can’t do it alone.
I need data. I need evidence. To give our audience a glimpse of those presentations, I recorded a video and created a course for anyone to see. It appears on our page with all free courses to help people learn more about how to get the best outcomes if they’re facing any stage of a proceeding through the federal prison system:
We encourage all members of our community to participate in our Profile program. More than 5,500 people in federal prisons across the United States participate in our program. Together, they’ve published more than 9.25 million words on our platform. This body of work helps us build a stronger case for reform.
When people document their progress—through journals, book reports, biographies, and release plans—they’re building skills that translate into income strategies upon release. They’re showing self-direction, motivation, and accountability. Those traits correlate with better employment outcomes and long-term success. They help us build arguments on why BOP administrators should create more mechanisms that allow people to earn freedom through merit, and give transparency to federal probation officers who oversee terms of Supervised Release.
With the data we collect from our participants, I can argue for reforms that allow people to earn freedom through merit. I can build collaborations with the private sector. I can help create jobs—or better yet, show people how to create their own income streams based on the lessons they learned while incarcerated.
Today, I’ll make three presentations inside a large federal prison complex in Virginia. The week ahead includes presentations for Bureau of Prisons administrators, followed by five more sessions later this week. The schedule keeps me away from home, but it aligns with the plan I set to resolve the problems I see with the greatest social injustice of our time—we incarcerate too many people, and they serve sentences that are far too long, creating intergenerational cycles of recidivism and failure.
It’s a problem I want to resolve, and I hope that members of our community support the mission.
What are you doing today to show that you’re living as the CEO of your life?
How are you documenting your progress?
What skills are you building?
How can others hold you accountable?
What plans are you executing?
No matter where you are, the principles are the same. CEOs don’t wait to build solutions to problems. They lead through preparation, discipline, and action—one deliberate decision at a time.
Notice: All content on this profile was provided by the individual user. Prison Professors Charitable Corp. does not pre-screen, verify, or endorse user submissions. Views expressed here are solely those of the author.