I’ve been helping people find their voice and tell their stories for about five years now, but one story changed everything for me. I was in a networking room when a guest speaker named Alphonso James shared that he had been wrongfully incarcerated for 32 years for a murder he didn’t commit. From the moment he spoke, I felt something deep. It was like I already knew him.
A few weeks later, someone I knew was hosting a speaking event in New York City, and the theme was faith. I said immediately, “You need Alphonso.” I tracked him down, used my airline points to fly him out, and the producer covered the rest. I coached him, he told his story, and I watched as the room shifted minds and hearts as he told his story.
Since then, we’ve become close friends. He’s been out of prison for eight years, still on parole, and is now days away from being exonerated. What he endured would have broken most people. But he chose to heal. Five years in solitary confinement, and he came out more compassionate, more grounded, more human. That’s the kind of resilience that keeps me doing this work.
Helping Alphonso share his message has become part of my purpose. His transformation inside those prison walls is extraordinary, and his voice has the power to change lives. My work now is about creating opportunities for people like him—people whose experiences hold lessons we all need to hear.
What inspires me is seeing someone realize their story has power. When that happens, they stand taller. They speak differently. They connect. And that ripple effect is everything.
Lifting others up is what being American means to me. It’s about giving people the space to be heard, to be seen, and to remind us all that hope, courage, and redemption are still possible.
A few weeks later, someone I knew was hosting a speaking event in New York City, and the theme was faith. I said immediately, “You need Alphonso.” I tracked him down, used my airline points to fly him out, and the producer covered the rest. I coached him, he told his story, and I watched as the room shifted minds and hearts as he told his story.
Since then, we’ve become close friends. He’s been out of prison for eight years, still on parole, and is now days away from being exonerated. What he endured would have broken most people. But he chose to heal. Five years in solitary confinement, and he came out more compassionate, more grounded, more human. That’s the kind of resilience that keeps me doing this work.
Helping Alphonso share his message has become part of my purpose. His transformation inside those prison walls is extraordinary, and his voice has the power to change lives. My work now is about creating opportunities for people like him—people whose experiences hold lessons we all need to hear.
What inspires me is seeing someone realize their story has power. When that happens, they stand taller. They speak differently. They connect. And that ripple effect is everything.
Lifting others up is what being American means to me. It’s about giving people the space to be heard, to be seen, and to remind us all that hope, courage, and redemption are still possible.