Why I  Educate Lifers:

Many people believe I am wasting my time life coaching lifers because they believe the inmates are lost causes, but I am making a difference and I believe when the men know better they can do better.

it or not these men are moving back into our communities and I want to feel safe.

Many of the students in my classroom are in their 40’s and committed their crimes when they were minors. Most of the guys have been incarcerated over half their lives and do not have a clue on how to live outside of prison. They need to be taught how to live as adults in the free world.

A student last week shared he’s been locked up over half his life and has never had a CA drivers license, never lived on his own, paid bills, doesn’t know how to budget money, shop for groceries, and has never operated a washing machine. These men have a lot of catching up to do.

Style of coaching:

My style of coaching is not typically what you find inside a prison classroom. I challenge their values and help them explore their core values. We dig deep to figure out who they really are as men, because when their inner cores are strong their more likely to their own moral paths and be less controlled by others.

The inmates say they have a love/hate relationship with me. I have been told that I am “Interestingly different, hard to figure out, and impossible to forget.” My students call me the No BS Coach, but in spite of this love/hate relationship there is always a waiting list to get into my six-week class.

I definitely cause people to get out of their comfort zones, learn how to think and feel from their guts, and feel things differently then they did in their past. These men are challenged to find their own voice, and to determine what they actually think, feel and how they want and need to react in various situations.

Personal Responsibility:

I believe in second chances, but only when people take personal responsibility for their behavior.  Watching the men grow into being their authentic selves. I don’t make excuses for bad behavior. You do the crime, you need to do the time. I understand that when the time is over, these men are moving out of prison and into our communities.

When I was asked to teach the Life Coaching class I wondered if I had anything to contribute that they were not already getting from the system.  Then, I asked myself the harder questions, what happens when their time is done and the inmate gets released back into the community? What if they are not ready to be healthy active members of community? What if I could have contributed something helpful before their release date to help with the transition? How can I help after inmates get released from prison?  How can I help to make the transition from prison to our communities easier on them and on us?

For years, I have heard that when you love what you do, it does not feel like work.  I love watching these men grow into being the men they were meant to be. Teaching them to think for themselves and to identify what they are feeling helps them learn how to be authentic. We practicing aligning their heads, hearts, and guts which is a very easy thing to teach and a complicated task to master.

Post Release Coaching:

In the past two years, several men have been released back into our communities. Most are choosing to participate in my post release coaching program and are doing very well.  A few wanted to try it on their own without post release coaching and are struggling a bit.  However, they are asking if they can still join the program because they now want the support.  A couple men are trying it on their own.

I bother with teaching life coaching to inmates, because it works.  When these men return to our communities I want them to be better citizens.

I am the author of “It’s Your Life, Live It, Love It! A Guide to Improving Emotional Health.” Available on Amazon.com or at Julie@woodworkerlifecoaching.com

About Progress Not Perfection founded January 2019 www.Aboutprogressnotperfection.com

Voiceless No More!